Ricky Balseca

Mr. Sleeper

COMM-2366

02/10/22

Study Guide

Color Grading

• It is the process by which a colorist digitally adjusts the visual qualities of images during

post-production

• Also known as Color Coordination but that is often misleading

• Color grading decisions are made to enhance the image

• For expressive and aesthetic reasons, not “mistakes”

• Can be used to convey mood and meaning, including through the manipulation of

contrast and saturation

• Original or ungraded footage

o Filmmakers use digital cameras capable of shooting “flat footage”

o Appears washed out but in fact captures more data and allows for greater image

adjustment during the color grading process

• Contrast references where areas of the image fall on a scale of pure white to deepest

black

o A colorist can use contrast controls to adjust the difference between the brightest

and darkest portions to give the image greater clarity

o Bring out certain elements in composition, or create a stylized look

 • Saturation references the relative vibrancy of the colors in the image

o A colorist can reduce saturation to the point where an image is black or white or

increase saturation to make colors unnaturally vivid

o The colorist may adjust saturation to emphasize certain elements in composition,

create a stylized look, or simply create a more visually pleasing image

• A full grade combines adjustments in contrast, saturation, color, and other factors to

bring out the most appropriate or attractive image possible from the data captured by the

camera

• In a horror color grade, the colorist can increase the contrast, lower the saturation, and

shift the color hue toward blue to imbue images with an unsettling feel that was not

present in the original captured footage

• In a night color grade, the colorist can lower the brightness until the image appears

underexposed and the shadows hit an absolute black, then adjust the image hues until

blues predominated the color spectrum

Composition

• Remember that filmmakers do not use cameras to simply record the action of the scene.

• How and where they place the camera influences the ways in which people experience

and understand any given moment in the story

Editing

• The order in which shots are arranged that can change the way people interpret narrative

• For example, an editor can arrange the same three shots into two short sequences, but the

order is different
 • Another example is two sequences of the same three shots with an instructor and his

classroom

• In one sequence, the experience of events the audience is restricted to the instructor’s

point of view, and we discover along with him that his students are misbehaving thus

sharing in the instructor’s surprise

• The other sequence is the students, as it opens with an omniscient camera narrator that

opens this sequence by sharing information that was not available with the instructor. As

the audience watch the instructor approach, they anticipate the instructor’s reaction and

form expectations about what will happen next.

Lighting

• Direction

o The direction from which a light is pointed determines how illumination, shadow,

and highlights fall on and around a subject

o Filmmakers can manipulate the direction in which light is pointed to shape the

way people see and interpret characters and situations

o Depending on the context in which lighting is used, different arrangements of

illumination and shadow can make a character appear conflicted, mysterious,

threatening, or glamorous

o Slide light neatly bisects the subject’s face with light and shadow

o Top light throws the subject’s eyes into shadow

o Bottom light reverses the natural placement of light and shadow, distorting the

subject’s features. Referred to as Halloween lighting

o Front light eliminates most shadows, flattening the subject’s features

 o Other lighting directions can help the subject stand out from the background,

abstract them by concealing their features, or simply provide a natural-looking

source of illumination

o Background light alone throws the subject into silhouette

o Back and rim light outline the subject with bright highlights

o Key light is the primary source of illumination in a standard three-point lighting

setup.

• Exposure

o The camera aperture regulates the amount of light that enters the lens and reaches

the film or digital sensor

o There are three general categories of exposure: underexposure, base exposure, and

overexposure

o Exposure can be incrementally adjusted along a continuum

o Most scenes are shot at “proper” exposure- a setting that captures images that

approximate the way our own adjustable apertures (pupils) see situations under

typical conditions

o Depending on the demands of style and story, filmmakers can deviate from this

“base” to allow more or less light into the camera, and thus change the way

people experience the subject

o Underexposure: by letting in less light than needed for a “proper” exposure,

filmmakers can enhance a sense of gloom, obscure details, or even make a shot

captured in daylight appear to occur at night

 o Base Exposure: most images in most films are presented in a “proper” exposure

that captures light and shadow as they normally appear on set or location

o Overexposure: by opening the aperture to allow more light than necessary for a

typical exposure, filmmakers can make characters and settings appear washed out

or radiant

• Quality

o Lighting quality can change the way we see subjects or situations by altering the

depth of shadows and the border between illumination and shadow

o Diffused (soft) light lessens shadow depth and blurs the line where the shadow

ends and the illumination begins

o Direct (hard) light creates deeper shadows and sharper borders

o Soft Light

▪ Is diffused so that it hits the subject from many different angles

▪ The result is softened details, lower contrast, and a less distinct border

between illumination and shadow

▪ For example, in everyday life, people experience soft light outside on a

cloudy day

▪ Filmmakers often use the more flattering soft light in romantic or comedic

scenarios

o Hard Light

▪ Comes directly from the source

▪ High contrast, accentuates detail, and creates a clearly defined line

between shadow and illumination

 ▪ For example, in everyday life, people experience hard light outside on a

clear sunny day

▪ Filmmakers often light dramatic situations and threatening or troubled

characters using hard light

• Ratio

o A lighting ratio is the proportional relationship between the key light (the primary

source of illumination) and the fill light (the light that controls the depth of the

shadows cast by the key light)

o Depending on the demands of style and story, filmmakers may choose a relatively

neutral balanced ratio, adjusting the ratio toward the dramatic high contrast look

of low-key lighting, or opt for the flatter, brighter ratio referred to as high key

o Lighting using a balanced ratio captures an unobtrusive balance between

illumination and shadow. Filmmakers seeking to present characters less

stylistically in natural situations tend to illuminate their shots using a balanced

ratio between key and fill lights

o Low-key lighting has little or no fill light to brighten shadows. As a result, low-

key lighting has a high ratio, or high contrast, between illumination and shadow.

Gritty dramas, horror movies, and serious situations are often filmed using low-

key lighting

o High-key lighting uses a fill light to lessen the depth of shadows. As a result,

high-key lighting has a lower ratio and less contrast between illumination and

shadow. Comedies, romances, and “lighter” situations are often filmed using

high-key lighting.
Sound

• A cinematic experience is often associated with “watching” but both sounds and images

come into play

• Filmmakers frequently use sound to immerse viewers more deeply in a scene’s setting,

mood, or story

• For a horror scene, the sound mix has minor atonal score and sound effects to convey a

sense of horror

• For a party scene, the sound mix builds up a narrative with crowd sounds (“Walla”)

gradually encroaching on an isolated character who has fallen asleep watching an old

movie

• For a storm scene, the sound mix combines television dialogue with ambient sounds

(wind and rain) and offscreen dialogue and sound effects (thunder, hammering, etc.) to

place the character at the mercy of a dramatic storm