The art and technology of motion picture photography, involving techniques such as the

composition of a scene, the lighting of the location, the choice of cameras, lenses and filters,
the camera angles and movements and the integration of any special
effects. These different areas may be handled by a range of people on a film crew but they
are all managed by the cinematographer (also known as the first cameraman, lighting
cameraman or director of photography). Their job is to bring the director’s vision to life and
use their initiative to match the tone of the piece, helping tell the story
visually.

Technological Advancements
The transition from film to digital cameras was a major shift in cinematography. One of the
main aspects it affected is their size, as film stores didn’t need to be mounted on top of the
cameras. This made cameras a lot smaller and more mobile, allowing for more complex and
dynamic shots to be achieved.
Another advancement was the invention of the Steadicam in 1975, which has revolutionised
the industry. It allows for smooth camera motion without the use of complex rail systems.
These take a lot of time to set up and often take up a lot of space, whereas the Steadicam
allows the camera to be more dynamic.
The earliest films were captured in black and white, with techniques being developed later
that allowed monochrome footage to be coloured by hand or by machines during post
production. Innovations such as ‘Kinemacolor’ and ‘Technicolor’ allowed cinematographers
to capture colour in camera, giving them more control over the final look of the film. The
Wizard of Oz was the first film to do this.
In the 1950s and 1960s in order to combat the declining attendances at cinemas and
increasing popularity of television, filmmakers began to use widescreen formats as a way to
differentiate from television. Of all the methods introduced during this time the widescreen
was the most successful in attracting audiences. The widescreen format demanded more
epic and intense visuals to match the scale of the screen. This ushered in a new age of
cinematography as the industry had to adapt to this new style of filmmaking.
A more recent development is the use of drones to capture stunning shots that couldn’t be
achieved using older techniques. A notable use of drones for a big budget film is in the
opening motorbike sequence in Skyfall. Drones also allow smaller productions to capture
shots that were previously only available to big budget productions.

Practitioners
There are many skilled practitioners in cinematography, each with a signature style. How
cinematographers approach their projects has evolved alongside the technological
advancements. Some notable cinematographers include Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity,
Birdman) Rachel Morrison (First woman to be nominated for the Academy award for best
cinematography) and Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men, 1917). One of the skills I
admire about these people is their problem solving. For instance, Roger Deakins spoke
about the above shot from No Country for Old Men and how he integrated the lighting into
the shot. He wanted to uplight Javier Bardem’s face to make him seem sinister. To do this a
he made sure a lamp was knocked over earlier in the scene, so it is casting light up from the
floor later. The bright bathroom behind him is also used as an edge light, which feels natural
thanks to Deakins use of motivated lighting.
Groundbreaking Productions
Arguably every production has been a step forward in some aspect of filmmaking, as we
learn and expand our knowledge on all facets of the process. However, there are a few
particular productions that stand out as ground-breaking in cinematography. A classic
example is Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, which was initially deemed a failure after its release
in 1941. Before the film Welles was primarily known for vocal work, mostly on the radio.
The thing that made him stand out was that at only 25 years old he pushed for complete
control of a major movie. He directed, wrote and starred in the film as the titular character.
Together with his cinematographer Greg Toland they broke many Hollywood norms, which
made their film stand out and gain very high acclaim. It was their thinking outside the box
that earned the film the recognition it has today. They used rear projection and perspective
tricks in order to create visually stunning shots. Welles also had a unique way of blocking
scenes. While this wasn’t a new technique, it’s something he used very effectively, giving
more impact to the actions on screen.
One scene that stands out is a tracking shot where the camera passes up a building and
down into a skylight, appearing as one shot (with a hidden cut). This blending of two shots is
an example of some of the earliest visual effects. Welles was a pioneer in blending
otherwise simple shots in order to make them more interesting.
Cinematographer Greg Toland’s experiments with lighting and lenses resulted in the
development of deep focus, which created a depth of field that allowed all elements of a
complex shot to be seen simultaneously. In an article for Theatre Arts magazine in 1941,
Toland spoke about ‘Pan-Focus’ which he had used for the first time in Citizen Kane:
“Through its use, it is possible to photograph action from a range of eighteen inches from
the camera lens to over two hundred feet away, with extreme foreground and background
figures and action both recorded in sharp relief. Hitherto, the camera had to be focused
either for a close or a distant shot, all efforts to encompass both at the same time resulting
in one or the other being out of focus. This handicap necessitated the breaking up of a scene
into long and short angles, with much consequent loss of realism. With pan-focus, the
camera, like the human eye, sees an entire panorama at once, with everything clear and
lifelike.”
This breakthrough in Citizen Kane allowed Welles to push storytelling on film into the
modern era. It enabled Welles to capture the scope and size of Kane’s cavernous room and
give the film a sense of scale.
Another ground breaking development is that ceilings can be seen in some shots. This was a
huge advance at the time as beforehand almost all films were shot on sets with no ceilings,
instead with lights above which greatly limited the range of shots you could achieve. Welles
felt that the camera should show what the eye sees and that it was a bad theatrical
convention to pretend that there was no ceiling. He said that it was “A big lie in order to get
all those terrible lights up there.” A notable example of this is seen in the encounter
between Kane and Leland after Kane loses the election. A hole was dug for the camera in
order to get the extremely low angle. This development opened up a whole new range of
shot types and techniques that could be used to help tell stories visually.

Another key production in cinematography is Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

The film makes excellent use of the then-new Steadicam. Kubrick and his
cinematographer John Alcott create unease by subverting the audience knowledge of film
grammar. The audience is used to cuts but instead the shots hold for extended periods of
time, putting the audience on edge.

Cinematography has evolved a lot since the inception of the motion picture. With advances
such as the Steadicam and drones, we now have a vast range of shot types and techniques
at our disposal. All these tools allow the cinematographers of the world to tell their stories
in new and more interesting ways than ever before.
And I can’t wait to see what the
future holds.

1880
Motion Picture Begins
Roundhay garden scene earliest recorded
use of creating a moving picture only 2.11 seconds long
louis & auguste lumière creators of the first moving picture apparatus
(a camera and projector)
century credited with pioneering techniques
d.w. griffith & billy bitzer
such as the close up, fade out, soft focus and back lighting
colour
processes such as ‘kinemacolor’ and ‘technicolor’ allowed cinematographers to shoot films
in colour without using post production colouring techniques
the studio era
the modern era
the studios the studio era began after the addition
of sound in 1929, making studios
such as 20th century fox & warner bros larger and more in demand
all studios had their own style which the cinematographers had to adhere to
the big screen
the use of widescreen formats became
widespread in the 1950s and 1960s
this inspired larger stories to be created like ‘lawrence of arabia’. dp’s had to adapt to these
advances in technology
digital production
prior to the 2000s the vast majority of movies were shot entirely on film.
in the early 2000s digital cinematography became more widespread.
by 2010 digital became the primary medium for filmmaking
present day

“Cinematography is so much about instinct and intuition - you want the same range of
experience going into behind the camera as what you see in front of it. Your life experience
will come through the lens.” – Rachel Morrison