MYP 3 Cinematographic Techniques Study Guide

Introduction to Cinematography

• Definition of Cinematography:     * It is the name given to a group of techniques used to capture images and sounds used in film.     * The term encompasses a range of visual and auditory devices.     * Many of these techniques are applicable to both filmmaking and photography.
• Core Components of Cinematography:     * Shot Types     * Shot Framing     * Camera Angles     * Camera Movement     * Photographic Techniques     * Sound     * Mise-en-sc8ne

Camera Shot Sizes and Types

• Establishing Shot:     * A shot in filmmaking or television that sets up the context for the scene ahead.     * Purpose: Designed to inform the audience where the action will be taking place.     * Function: Shows the relationship between people and objects and establishes the scene’s geography.
• Extreme Long Shot / Extreme Wide Shot (ELS/EWS):     * Makes the subject appear small against their location.     * Usage: Used to make the subject feel distant or unfamiliar.
• Long Shot / Wide Shot (LS/WS):     * Similar to the Extreme Long Shot but slightly closer.     * Framing: If the subject is a person, their whole body will be in view, but will not fill the shot.
• Full Shot (FS):     * Let's the subject fill the frame while keeping emphasis on the scenery.     * Usage: Can be used to feature multiple characters in a single shot.
• Medium Long Shot / Medium Wide Shot (MLS/MWS):     * Frames the subject from roughly the knees up.     * It splits the difference between a full shot and a medium shot.
• Cowboy Shot (CS):     * A variation of the medium long shot that frames the subject from roughly mid-thighs up.     * Origin: Named for its use in Westerns to frame a gunslinger’s gun or holster on his hip.
• Medium Shot (MS):     * One of the most common camera shots.     * Framing: Similar to the cowboy shot, but frames from roughly the waist up and through the torso.     * Effect: Emphasizes more of the subject while keeping their surroundings visible.
• Medium Close Up Shot (MCU):     * Frames the subject from roughly the chest up.     * Effect: Typically favors the face but still keeps the subject somewhat distant. It can keep characters eerily distant even during face-to-face conversation.
• Close Up (CU):     * Fills the frame with a part of the subject.     * Framing: If the subject is a person, it is often their face.     * Usage: Perfect for important moments; the size is near enough to register tiny emotions.
• Extreme Close Up (ECU):     * The most a frame can be filled with a subject.     * Subjects: Often shows eyes, mouth, and gun triggers.     * Focus: Smaller objects get great detail and are the focal point.
• StudioBinder Shot Size Hierarchy:     * Extreme Close Up (ECU)     * Close Up (CU)     * Medium Close Up (MCU)     * Medium Shot (MS)     * Cowboy Shot (CS)     * Medium Full Shot (MFS)     * Full Shot (FS)

Shot Framing and Composition

• Single Shot:     * Captures one subject.     * Can be set in any shot size, provided only one character is featured within the frame.
• Two Shot:     * Frames a view of two subjects.     * Positioning: Subjects do not have to be next to each other; one may be in the foreground and the other in the background.     * Purpose: Used to show emotional reactions between subjects.
• Three Shot:     * Features three characters in the frame.     * Importance: Crucial in adventure films or films with groups to avoid the time drain and jarring effect of shooting three individual single shots.
• Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OTS):     * Shows the subject from behind the shoulder of another character.     * Usage: Common in conversation scenes because it emulates perspective.     * Function: Provides orientation and connects characters on an emotional level.
• Over-the-Hip Shot (OTH):     * Similar to over-the-shoulder, but the camera is placed with a character's hip in the foreground.     * Focus: The subject is in the plane of acceptable focus.     * Implication: Placing subjects on ’uneven terrain’ often suggests a power imbalance.
• Point-of-View Shot (POV):     * Shows the viewer exactly what the character sees.     * Sequencing (Sandwich Technique):         1. A camera shot of a character looking at something.         2. Cut to the POV camera shot.         3. A camera shot showing the character's reaction.

Camera Angles and Perspectives

• Worm’s Eye View / Extreme Low Angle Shot:     * Positioned below the character’s feet, pointing upward.
• Low Angle Shot:     * Frames the subject from a low camera height.     * Function: Emphasizes power dynamics.     * Effect: Signals superiority or elicits feelings of fear and dread.
• Eye Level Shot:     * The subject is at eye-level.     * Effect: Results in a neutral perspective (neither superior nor inferior).     * Nature: Mimics how we see people in real life, connecting eye lines and breaking down boundaries.
• High Angle Shot:     * The camera points down at the subject.     * Effect: Usually creates a feeling of inferiority or "looking down" on the subject.
• Bird's Eye View / Overhead:     * The camera is directly above the scene.     * Effect: Can seem disorienting because it is rarely how audiences see the world.
• Dutch Angle / Dutch Tilt / Canted Angle:     * The camera is slanted to one side.     * Effect: Horizon lines are tilted, creating a sense of disorientation.

Camera Movement and Motion Techniques

• General Purpose: A powerful tool to modify the relationship between the subject and the frame, altering the viewer's perspective of space and time for impactful storytelling.
• Static Shot:     * No movement (locked camera aim).     * Technique: Captured by being placed on a tripod.     * Function: Emphasizes the appearance and movement of the subject against its environment.
• Pan:     * Moving the camera side to side on a horizontal axis.     * Function: Reveals information or follows action.
• Tilt:     * Moving the camera up and down on a vertical axis (like a horizontal pan, but vertical).
• Roll:     * Rotating the camera while pointed at the same subject.     * Refers to rotating the camera on the $z-axis$ (backward/forward axis).
• Pedestal:     * Moving the camera vertically up or down while it is fixated in one location.
• Zoom:     * Changes the focal length of the lens during the shot (zooming in or out).     * Distinction: Different from a push-in because the physical camera position does not change.
• Dolly:     * Smoothly moving the physical camera forward (’dolly in’) or away (’dolly out’) from the subject.
• Truck / Crab:     * Trucking: Moving the camera horizontally with the world.     * Crabbing: A dolly shot that moves horizontally like a crab.
• Crane Shot:     * Taken by a camera mounted on a jib or crane that moves up and down.
• Handheld Shot:     * Held and moved by an operator without stabilization.     * Effect: Often shaky; adds a ’gritty’ feel.
• Steadicam Shot:     * Uses a stabilizing device attached to the operator with a counterbalancing system.     * Effect: Smooth and stable camera moves.
• Tracking Shot:     * Any shot that physically moves the camera through the scene for an extended time.     * Methodology: Can use cranes, Steadicams, drones, handheld, or dollies.     * Example Case Study: The opening tracking shot from Spectre.

Advanced Photographic and Compositional Techniques

• Depth of Field (DOF):     * The size of the area in the image where objects appear acceptably sharp.     * The distance between the nearest and furthest subjects in focus.     * Types: Shallow Depth of Field (Shallow Focus) vs. Deep Depth of Field (Deep Focus).
• Rack Focus:     * An emphasized focus pull where the focus range is intentionally shifted from one subject to another.     * Purpose: An aggressive storytelling device.
• Rule of Thirds:     * Process of dividing an image into thirds using two horizontal and two vertical lines.     * Grid: Yields 9 parts with 4 intersection points.     * Application: Positioning important elements at these intersection points produces a more natural image. Horizons should be placed on the top or bottom horizontal lines.
• Leading Lines:     * Actual or imaginary lines that lead the eye to key elements.     * Purpose: Directs the viewer’s eye and connects characters to essential objects, situations, or secondary subjects.
• Frames within Frames:     * Composition where subjects are surrounded/framed by enclosing shapes (shadows, mirrors, doors, hallways) within the film frame.     * Thematic Effects: Can create isolation, imprisonment, disconnection, claustrophobia, or highlight underlying meanings.

Auditory Devices: Sound in Film

• Diegetic Sound:     * Sound whose source comes from the imaginary world of the fiction.     * Examples: Voices of characters, sounds from objects in the story, music from instruments in the story space.
• Non-Diegetic Sound:     * Sound coming from outside the narrative space; not visible or implied by action and cannot be heard by characters.     * Examples: Narration, sound effects added for dramatic effect, mood music.
• On-Screen Sound:     * A form of diegetic sound from a source that is both seen and heard.
• Off-Screen Sound:     * A form of diegetic sound originating from a source we cannot see but assume is part of the story world.
• Voice Over Narration:     * Narration heard over a scene but not synchronized to any character talking on screen.
• Foley Sound / SFX (Sound Effects):     * Reproduction of everyday sound effects added in post-production to enhance audio quality.
• Soundtrack / Mood Music:     * Music accompanying a film.     * Case Example: Jurassic Park (1993). Comparing the scene with vs. without the soundtrack reveals how foundational the music is to the viewer's experience.     * Note: Auditory illusions (e.g., the Shepard Tone) are often used in many films.

Mise-en-sc8ne: The Visual Arrangement

• Setting:     * The context in time and place of the story action.     * Example: The Lego Movie interacts between the Lego world and the real world.
• Onscreen vs. Offscreen Space:     * Onscreen Space: Cinematic space inside the frame.     * Offscreen Space: Cinematic space existing outside the frame. (Example: A character in onscreen space looking at something in offscreen space).
• Blocking:     * The planning and working out of the movements of actors.     * Technical elements include Cam A/B/C positions, pivots, wild walls, bounce fills, and lighting (Sun HMI, Sky Flos).
• Lighting:     * Use of light sources for visibility, mood creation, or special effects.     * Components include the light side and full shadow.
• Costume and Props:     * Costume: Clothing worn by an actor during a performance.     * Props (Properties): Items carried by an actor or small items on the set used by actors.
• Makeup and Hairstyling:     * Makeup: Cosmetics applied to skin to change or enhance appearance.     * Hairstyling: The art of arranging hair to create temporary changes in form and texture.