Chapter 5: Cinematography Flashcards
Cinematography
a general term for all the manipulations of the film strip by the camera in the shooting phase and by the laboratory in the developing phase
The Range of Tonalities
the control of the image’s range of tones and shades
tonality is a matter of considering how the light registers on the film
Contrast
refers to the comparative difference between the darkest and lightest areas of the frame
What is the function of contrast?
contrasts in the image help filmmakers to guide the viewer’s eye to important parts of the frame and to give the shot an emotionally expressive quality
High-Contrast
bright white highlights, stark black areas, and a narrow range of shades in between (stark and dramatic)
Low-Contrast
intermediate grays or color shades with no true white or black areas (muted emotional states)
What controls contrast?
lighting, filters, choice of film stock, laboratory processing, and post-production work
Exposure
regulates how much light passes through the camera lens
too dark = underexposed
too bright = overexposed
What is one key function of exposure?
it is a crucial way to alter the tonalities in the image
Filters
slices of glass or gelatin put in front of the lens of the camera or printer to reduce certain frequencies of light reaching the film
Tinting
accomplished by dipping the already-developed film into a bath of dye- the dark areas remain black and gray, while the lighter areas pick up the color
Toning
the dye is added during the development of the positive print- darker areas are colored, while lighter portions of the frame remain white or only faintly colored
What is the speed of motion dependent on?
- the rate at which the film was shot
- the rate of projection
both rates are calculated in frames per second
(if the movement is to look accurate on the screen, the rate of shooting should correspond to the rate of projection)
Fast-Motion Effect
a film is exposed at fewer frames per second than the projection rate
Slow-Motion Effect
the more frames per second shot the slower the screen action will appear
What is the fast-motion effect typically used for?
to grab our attention and accelerate the pace, whisking us through a setting to the heart of the action
What is the slow-motion effect typically used for?
expressive purposes, to render sports events in detail, to suggest that the action takes place in a dream or fantasy, to convey enormous power, for emphasis- dwelling on a moment of spectacle or high drama
Ramping
varying the frame rate during shooting
alters exposure- must be coordinated with lighting
Time-lapse
a very low shooting speed is required
High-speed
the camera may expose hundreds or thousands of frames per second
What is the function of the freeze-frame effect?
can underscore a piece of action or a line of dialogue, suggest a character’s memory, and suggest the story action hasn’t been resolved
Freeze-Frame Effect
when a single frame of content shows repeatedly on the screen—”freezing” the action
Perspective
a set of spatial relations organized around a viewing point
What does the lens of a photographic camera do?
gathers light from the scene and transmits that light onto the flat surface of the film or video chip to form an image that represents size, depth, and other dimensions of the scene
Focal Length
the distance from the center of the lens to the point where the light rays converge to a point of focus on the film
What does focal length do?
alters the size and proportions of the things we see, as well as how much depth we perceive in the image
Short-Focal-Length Lens
(wide angle)
in capturing the wider field, these lenses tend to distort straight lines lying near the edges of the frame, bulging them outward
What is the effect of the short-focal-length lens?
exaggerates depth, making figures in the foreground seem unnaturally large and those in the distance seem quite far away
Middle-Focal-Length Lens
(normal)
seeks to avoid noticeable perspective distortion- horizontal and vertical lines are rendered straight and perpendicular
What is the effect of the normal lens?
parallel lines should recede to distant vanishing points; foreground and background should seem neither stretched apart nor squashed together
Long-Focal-Length Lens
(telephoto)
flattens the space along the camera axis
What is the effect of the telephoto lens?
cues for depth and volume are reduced, and the planes seem squashed together- magnifying action at a distance
Zoom Lens
to enlarge some part of a shot
What is the function of a zoom lens?
resizes what is shown and changes the image’s perspective, and can create intriguing deformations of depth and scale
Depth of Field
a range of distances within which objects can be photographed in sharp focus, given a certain exposure setting
Deep Space
the way the filmmaker has staged the action on several different planes, regardless of whether all of these planes are in focus
a matter of mise-en-scene- involving how the scene is arranged
Selective Focus
choosing to focus on only one plane and letting the other planes blur
often involves focusing on the main character and throwing the surroundings out of focus
Deep Focus
use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps objects in both close and distant planes in sharp focus
tends to make several areas equally visible
Racking Focus
focus can be altered within a shot
commonly used to switch our attention between foreground and background, making one plane blurred and another sharp
Special Effects
a general term for various photographic manipulations that create fictitious spatial relations in the shot, such as superimposition, matte work, and rear projection
Superimposition
images are laid over one another, creating multiple perspectives within the frame
created in digital post-production
Composite
separately photographed images are blended in a single composition
Rear Projection
project footage of a setting onto a screen, then film actors in front of it
Matte Work
a matte is a portion of the setting photographed on a strip of film, usually with a part of the frame empty
Framing
the use of the edges of the film frame to select and to compose what will be visible onscreen
Functions of framing
- camera position shapes the way we perceive the filmed event
- the frame defines onscreen and offscreen space
- creates a vantage point- has a certain distance, angle, and height
Aspect Ratio
the ratio of frame width to frame height
ex) as image that is twice as wide as it is high is said to be in a 2:1 ratio
Academy Ratio
1:37:1
modified to allow room for a soundtrack
Masking
in the exhibition, stretches of black fabric that frame the theater screen
can be adjusted according to the aspect ration of the film to be projected
Anamorphic Process
a spatial lens squeezes the image horizontally, either during filming or in printing
Mask
an opaque screen placed in the camera or printer that blocks part of the frame off and changes the shape of the photographed image, leaving part of the frame a solid color
Iris
a moving circular mask that opens to reveal or closes to conceal a scene
Multiple Frame/Split-Screen Imagery
two or more images, each with its own frame dimensions and shape, appear within the larger frame
Camera Position: Angle
straight-on, high, low
Camera Position: Level
parallel to the horizon
Canted
if the framing is tipped to one side or the other
Camera Position: Height
related to camera angle because some angles demand that you position the camera higher or lower than the subject
Camera Position: Distance
the framing of the image stations us relatively close to the subject or farther away
Extreme Long Shot
the human figure is lost or tiny
the framing for landscapes, bird’s-eye views of cities, and other vistas
Long Shot
figures are more prominent but the background still dominates
Medium Long Shot
figures are more prominent but the background still dominates
common since they permit a nice balance of figure and surroundings
Medium Shot
frames the human body from the waist up- gestures and expressions are more visible
Medium Close-Up
frames the body from the chest up
Close-Up
traditionally the shot showing just the head, hands, feet, or a small object
Extreme Close-Up
singles out a portion of the face or isolates and magnifies an object
What is the function of camera distance?
- framing can stress a narratively important detail
- camera distance specifies where characters are and how they respond to each other
- distances and angles form patterns that guide us in building up the story
Mobile Framing
allows the filmmaker to change the camera angle, level, height, or distance during the shot
usually referred to as camera movement
Pan
swivels the camera on a vertical axis
onscreen, the pan scans space horizontally, as if the camera is “turning its head” right or left
Tilt
rotates the camera on a horizontal axis
onscreen, the tilt movement yields the impression of unrolling a space from top to bottom or bottom to top
Tracking/Dolly Shot
the camera as a whole changes position, travelling in any direction along the ground- forward, backward, diagonally, in circles, or from side-to-side
Crane Shot
the camera moves above ground level- vertically or at some angle forward or back
What are the functions of frame mobility?
- can increase information about the space of the image
- can make objects seem sharper and more vivid than in stationary framings
- can give bodies greater solidity
- a substitute for our movement
- are often subjective- motivated narratively to represent what a moving character sees
Reframing
if a character moves in relation to another character, often the frame will slightly pan or tilt to adjust to the movement
What is the relationship between frame mobility and space?
- different sorts of camera movements create different treatments of space
- the mobile frame is motivated by the demands of the narration
What is the relationship between frame mobility and time?
- our sense of duration and rhythm is affected by the mobile frame
- because a camera movement consumes time on screen, it can create an arc of expectation and fulfillment
- frame velocity can create expressive qualities
- the filmmaker can pace our understanding of the plot action
Long Shot
refers to the apparent distance between camera and object
Take
one run of the camera that records a single shot
