Cinematography Flashcards
cinematography
the art of moving pictures and technique in making movies.
cinematographer
“Director of Photography” the film director’s main visual collaborator translates the ideas of the director and writer of film captures the images with a camera in most effective way possible
frame
smallest unit 24 fr/sec
shot
“action” to “cut!”
scene
series of shots within one location and time
sequence
series of shots edited together for a section, e.g. a dream
when was Hitchcock born?
in England in 1899.
when did Hitchcock die?
in Los Angeles in 1980.
what was Hitchcock’s parents’ job?
they were greengrocers.
what was Hitchcock’s religion?
roman catholic
how did his stay in prison when Hitchcock was 5 years old inspire him?
it inspired him to write about terror being inflicted upon the unknowing.
what are Hitchcock’s main themes in his movies?
fear, guilt and redemption.
what year did Hitchcock enter the film industry?
in 1919.
what year was Hitchcock sent to Berlin to work as an art and assistant director?
in 1924.
what significant movement did Hitchcock learn about during his stay in Germany and how was that reflected in his films?
Hitchcock learned about German Expressionism. Expressionist set designs can be seen in his film ‘The Blackguard’
What is Hitchcock’s most famous genre?
Thriller
what are Hitchcock’s stories mostly about?
fugitives running from the law with a female sidekick
how many films did Hitchcock direct during his career?
over 50 films
how long was Hitchcock’s film career?
It spanned six decades
what is Hitchcock most famous for?
he recognised the power of cut (editing) to create meaning.
what was Hitchcock’s most productive decade?
1950-1960
Name three of Hitchcock’s masterpieces:
Psycho, Vertigo and Rear Window
What is ‘Alfred Hitchcock presents’?
Television series running from 1955-1965 and is considered very important in British TV history. It was directed by Hitchcock himself.
what is a macguffin?
it is an item that sets the whole plot in motion but doesn’t ultimately matter to the storyline.
establishing shot:
used to establish location, time period etc.
in start of films or scenes.
long shot
used to emphasise a sweeping location around the character
wide-angle lens useful
medium shot
the general all-purpose shot
for a person it is typically from the waist up
focuses on characters while still showing environment
close-up shot
the subject occupies most of the frame, allowing very little observation on the environment
much more dramatic than long or medium shots
emotions and reactions of character dominate the scene with this shot.
extreme close-up
magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality
often shows only parts of the face; such as mouth or eyes with no background detail whatsoever
very artificial shots and is used for dramatic effect
birds-eye view
scene taken from directly overhead
very unnatural and puts the audience in a godlike potition
people made to look insignificant
Hithcock fond of this style of shot
high-angle shot
not as extreme as the bird’s eye view
camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give general overview
the object photographed seems smaller and less significant
character becomes part of a wider picture
eye level
fairly neutral shot; camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing the scene, so that the subject’s heads are on a level with the focus.
It can imply normality as well as confrontation
point of view shot
intended to mimic what a particular character is seeing
puts the audience directly into the head of the character
common examples: character drifiting into unconsciousness (camera ‘closed’), or looking through a scope or binoculars.
low angle shot
increases height (useful for short actors)
gives a sense of speeded motion as well as confusion to the viewer
makes one feel quite powerless
the background of a low angle shot is often the sky or ceiling
viewer psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen
tilted angle (dutch tilt)
also called oblique / canted
sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. not placed horizontal to floor level)
it suggests imbalance, transition and instability and is very popular in horror movies.
sometimes used to suggest POV shots
worm’s eye view
very low angle shot
viewer feels extremely small and often insignificant
dolly shot
(also called trucking or tracking shots)
camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object.
Good way to portray movement
hand-held shots
this aesthetic took a while to catch on with mainstream Hollywood
gives a jerky, ragged effect
(very obvious in the first part of the Hunger Games movie)
gives a certain kind of gritty realism, often used to portray poverty (e.g. Winter’s Bone)
crane shots
basically dolly shots in the air
crane is a large, heavy piece of equipment but is an effective way to move the camera smoothly
can move up, down, left, right or swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it
dolly zoom
this shot sees the camera track forward from the actor whilst simultaneously zooming out, or vice-versa.
Foreground stays the same while background increases or decreases across the frame
Invented by Hitchcock in Vertigo
creates a dizzying effect and is quite popular today.
the rule of thirds
suggests that you place your main subjects where the lines cross rather than centered in the frame
makes a more compelling shot than if the subject is centered.
