CINEMATOGRAPHY

Elements of Film Form

WHAT IS CINEMATOGRAPHY?
 The art AND technology of motion-picture
photography.
 Involves (A) lighting and film location (B)
choice of cameras, lenses, filters and film
stock (C) camera angles and movement (D)
integration of special effects.
 Three foundational elements of
cinematography: framing, focus,
movement.
CAMERA FOCUS:
DEEP & SHALLOW SHOTS
When cinematographers shoot a scene they
make a lot of choices about focus – what the
audience sees. The most common choices
involve the deep focus shot and the shallow
focus shot.
 Deep focus is a camera shot that keeps
everything in perspective. Both subject
AND background are in crisp detail.
 Shallow focus is a camera shot that renders
a portion of the frame in sharp detail. The
rest of the image is left “soft” or not in
focus.
CAMERA FOCUS:
THE DEEP FOCUS SHOT
What is it?
 Deep focus means that the image’s foreground (front of screen), middle ground (center of
screen) and background (back of screen) remain in focus.
Why it’s done?
 Deep focus offers more visual information. It’s useful for group shots where subjects are
varying distances from the lens, or if there are important details in the background. A scene’s
action can “play out” on multiple planes of view.
Simply put:
 Deep focus ensures that each element within the frame is equally clear. When
cinematographers want to show action in the foreground, middle ground and background, they
use a deep focus shot.
CAMERA FOCUS:
THE SHALLOW FOCUS SHOT
What is it?
 Shallow focus means that certain portions of the shot are out of focus. These portions (known
as “soft” portions) can be the background, foreground, or both.
Why’s it done?
 Shallow focus can be used to enhance romantic effect, to localize and inject a certain element
with meaning, or most commonly to isolate a subject and guide the audience’s attention
directly to it. Like the high close up, it’s useful for suggesting a character’s emotional state.
Simply put:
 Shallow focus is used when the filmmaker wants to subconsciously tell the audience, “This is
important!” It isolates and emphasizes that important thing.
OTHER TYPES OF SHOTS?
Racking (Rack Focus):
 Moving between different points of focus
within a shot (i.e. something that was in
focus becomes out of focus, and something
that was out of focus becomes the focus).
Why?
 Directs the audience’s attention with
meticulous precision. When an object
transitions from blurry to sharp, it naturally
grabs our attention.
 When you want to reveal elements in a shot
or a connection between them without
“cutting” away
CAMERA MOVEMENT:
SHIFTING PERSPECTIVE
Camera movement is simply a change
perspective through the movement of the
camera. It allows cinematographers to shift
the audience's view without cutting.
Specific camera movements can create a
psychological and emotional effect on the
audience, making a film (as always) more
immersive and engaging.
There are at least a dozen types of camera
movements in film. We’ll touch upon three:
static, pan, tracking.
CAMERA MOVEMENT:
SHIFTING PERSPECTIVE
Static
 Camera is locked in a fixed position (typically on a tripod) and there is no movement. Generally used for
dramatic dialogue scenes (keeping the audience focused on important words), emphasizing landscapes, or
suggesting a character’s state of being (trapped, helpless, love-struck, tormented).
Pan
 Camera rotates horizontally, left-right, right-left, but remains in a fixed position. Commonly used to
follow a character’s actions or reveal information to the audience in a dramatic or quirky way. Slow pans
heighten anticipation, fast pans (or whip pans) can heighten the energy of the scene or reflect character
synergy.
Tracking
 Camera physically moves through the scene, “tracking” the subject. The subject is one the move, and the
camera goes with them. They’re designed to generate two questions from the audience: “Where is the
character going? What will happen when they get there?” (Not to be confused with a “trucking” shot –
when the camera moves laterally with the subject).
THE LONG TAKE: A FILMMAKER’S
HOME RUN SWING
What is it?
A long take, (aka a “oner,”) is a single,
uninterrupted shot. Camera movement and
elaborate blocking are often involved in long
takes, but are not mandatory.
Why do it?
Long takes are supposed to amplify at least
one of the following: setting, character or
plot. The great ones amplify all three. All
films try to hijack the viewer to another
world. The long take is that effort taken to an
extreme.