Cinematography Flashcards
What is cinematography?
Covers the photographic elements of the film, camera movement shot composition, camera angles, framing and film stock
What is an extreme long shot/?
Bird’s eye view of a landscape
What is a longshot?
Background dominates image
What is a medium long shot?
Shots of the human figure from the knees up
What is the medium shot?
The human figure shot up from the waist up
What is the medium close up?
From the chest up
What is the close up?
Head, hands or feet
What is a big close up?
The face is tightly framed
What is the extreme close up?
An eye/ of a detail
What is an over head shot?
The action shot from a birds eye view above
Why may directors use black and white footage/colour?
Films may mix both, black and white for period feel or flashbacks
Why may directors use multi or monochromatic colour palette?
A single colour may be emphasised in terms of purity and lightness to signify something; shades of grey q
What does the exposure mean to films?
Over exposed film tends to be harsh and bleached, underexposed film is dark and muddy
Why are filters used for films?
Can be used to change the colour composition of the film by draining colours out of emphasising a particular colour
What is the rate of projection?
The director slows down or speeds up the film for effect
What is the use of juxtaposition?
A shot may contain single, multiple, overlaid images for effect eg juxtraposition- a man thinks of his past love and her face is overlaid on the screen
How can camera position effect the picture?
Can suggest lots of different things
What can high and low angles do?
Can suggest power or inferiority
What is pan?
The camera moves from left to right or right to left on a pivot- high speed pan is called a whip pan
What is a tilt?
When the camera moves on a pivot to look up or down an object
What is zoom?
A way of moving in and out on objects without moving the camera- this has an amateurish feel to it as the camera tends to shake or the zoom may be uneven and jerky often used to suggest the use of bincolualrs
What is tracking/dolly shot?
The camera moves to follow or track a person or object often this may involve the camera moving on a trolley or dolly, sometimes on rails in order to minimise camera shake
What is crane shot?
Suggest scale or to track in or out on objects
What is a helicopter shot?
Common in chase sequences to convert landscape or cityscapes
What is a head on shot?
Shooting from the front
What is the oblique angle?
Shooting from the side
What is the range of shots?
Close up/medium/long shot/ECU/ELS/ overhead/from below
What is the lead room/lead space?
If a character is looking Frame left, then he should be positioned frame right. Makes the framing comfortable because the subject is looking at the open space in front of him. If it was the other way round would cause a claustrophobic undertone that could disconcert some viewers
Some viewers are cut together when looking at achother
What is the rule of thirds?
2 vertical/2 horizontal lines, creating 3 vertical sections of the same dimensions and 3 vertical sections of the same size
What does hard or soft lighting create?
Is the image harsh and glaring or soft and romantic?
What does high key lighting create?
Bright lighting with little contrast between light and shadow creates a sunny mood; in a musical or a romantic comedy
What does low key lighting create?
Dark shadowy and atmospheric eg in a. thriller or a horror
What does the side lighting create?
Shapes the actors face and creates shadow
What does the back lighting create?
Edge or rim lighting- creates silhouette shapes- suspenseful
What does the under lighting create?
Can be sinister under a face
What does the top lighting create?
Casting shadows on the floor quite glamorous- may be used to replica the moonlight
What is the key light?
main light in the scene primary source of light and shadow
What is the fill light?
Softens and fills in shadowy areas
What is the backlight?
From behind
What is the three point lighting system?
Where objects are lit using back key and fill lighting (all 3)
What is the simple source lighting?
A torch, or spotlight
What is the natural lighting?
Sunlight
What is the artificial lighting?
Light bulbs, interiors
What is the shadow?
Used to suggest mood, character or hide objets
What are the lighting effects?
shadow and movement
What is the chiaroscuro lighting effect?
Contrast between the bright highlights and black backgrounds is strongly emphasised- technique borrowed from painting
What does black and white footage create?
Films may mix both- black and white is sometimes used for period feel/flashbacks like shcindlers list
What does a multi colour palette create?
Single colour emphasised used for purity and lightness
What does exposure effect create?
Can make films harsh and bleached, underexposed is dark and muddy
Why are filters used?
Used to change the colour composition by draining colours out/empahsziing a colour
What does the colour motif create?
Repeat a colour for motif
What does the space create>
suggest 3 dimensional to the viewer
What do aerial shots create?
Open the spacee in a scene and suggest scale
What does the size dimuition create?
Might make objects appearr smaller thant hey are/seem more vulnerable
What does the shallow/deep focus create?
Are all objects in a shot or just some of them
Wgar are the depth cues?
Objects which tell the distances between the front, middle and back of a shot
What is the wide angle lens?
28-35mm provides distortion and depth
What is the normal lens?
35-50 mm like the human eye representing normality
What is the telephoto lens?
70-600mm, gibes close ups over siatnce- less depth creates a telescope effect. Makes thing look closer than they are
what is the magnification lens?
Magnifiying lenses for special purposes
