Cinematography Quiz 3

What are the elements used for composition?

• rule of thirds

• head room

• background

• leading lines

What describes how an image is divided into three sections both horizontally and vertically?

rule of thirds

How is the rule of thirds applied?

aligning a subject with guidelines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features to flow from section to section

What refers to how the vertical third line used for your subject is determined by their eyeline?

horizontal placement

According to horizontal placement, where should the subject be placed?

on the line furthest from the direction they are looking in

What is the space in front, and in the direction, of moving or stationary subjects?

lead room

What is another name for lead room?

the leading look

What allows the lead room to feel balanced?

negative space

What refers to the amount of headroom you use, as distinguished by shot size?

head room

Is headroom always necessary?

no, sometimes there is not enough size

What are architectural elements in the background that draw the viewer’s attention to the subject?

leading lines

What are the elements of camera placement?

• shot size

• camera height

• 180 degree rule

• eyeline

What are the basic shot sizes?

• wide/long

• cowboy

• medium

• medium close-up

• close-up

• extreme close-up

How can the camera height influence the story?

reinforce power dynamics

What type of shot makes the subject seem powerless?

high angle

What type of shot makes the subject seem powerful?

low angle

What states that two characters should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another?

180 degree rule

What is the proximity of the camera to the gaze of the subject affects the audience’s connection to the character?

eye line

How is cinematography a holographic process?

a two dimensional canvas is being used to create a sensation of three-dimensionality

What goes into creating depth?

• focal length

• camera and lighting technique

• blocking

How do wide lenses impact depth?

• uses convergence

• shows relative change in object size

• shows tonal/color contrast

How do long lenses impact depth?

• depth of field controls focus

• foreground objects create occlusion

• tonal/color contrast

What is a systematic understanding of film through the analysis of images, editing patterns, shot composition, and ideological tendencies of certain directors?

image system

What is the purpose of an image system?

decode the layers of meaning in a film, based on the connotations certain images have in addition to their literal meaning

What does the Charging Bull represent?

investor confidence and expectations that the stock market will recover after the crash

What does the Fearless Girl represent?

workplace gender diversity and encouragement for companies to recruit women to their boards

What is the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representation?

symbolism

What is a representation of a person, place, thing, or idea by means of a visual image that suggests a particular association or point of similarity?

metaphor

What are other names for metaphors?

pictorial metaphor and analogically juxtaposition

What is an element of an image, potentially repreated in a pattern or design?

motif

What do symbols, metaphors, and motifs have in common?

they imbue an image with additional meaning by placing it in conversation with other images in the film

What is a scene-by-scene plan of action, often incorporating reference images and technical information for the lighting and camera team?

look book

Why is a lookbook necessary for filmmaking?

they are usually shot out of order - this helps you keep track of the larger context of the story in terms of the look and the feel

What is the difference between great vs good cinematography?

one harnesses the various technical choices available to reinforce the narrative or character arc of the story