CINEMATOGRAPHY HANDOUT (Claborn) ENGL/MACS 104

Aspect Ratio: the ratio of frame width to frame height, e.g. 1.33:1 (standard classical
Hollywood, used in Mildred Pierce and Citizen Kane), 1.66:1 (Vistavision, used in North
by Northwest), 2.35:1 (CinemaScope, used in Rebel without a Cause)

Film Stocks– distinguished by different chemical mixtures in the celluloid

“slow” stock: more expensive, capable of subtler gradations of shade and color
“fast” stock: cheaper, produces grainy image, flatter colors. (e.g. The Harder They Come)
Overexposed film: film deliberately exposed to excess light, to wash out image (Steven
Spielberg uses this in many of his films, from E.T. to The Minority Report to Bridge of
Spies)
Underexposed film: film deliberately exposed to inadequate light, to make image
murky

Lenses:
1. Normal lens: 35-50mm focal length. Horizontal and vertical lines rendered as
straight.
2. Wide-angle lens: focal length shorter than 35mm, bulges or distorts lines near the
edges of frame; the distance between foreground and background seems much greater
(used a lot in film noir)
3. Telephoto lens: longer than 50mm. Depth of field is reduced, background seems
very close to foreground; opposite effect of wide-angle lens
4. Zoom lens: allows instantaneous changes in shot distance without moving
camera
5. Filters: slices of glass or gelatin put in front of the lens of the camera or printer
to reduce certain frequencies of light, e.g. day-for-night shooting

Focus:
1. depth of field: range of distance in which objects can be photographed in sharp
focus.
2. deep focus: when foreground and background elements are in sharp focus (e.g.
Citizen Kane)
3. rack focus: when the lens is refocused within a shot, changing what is sharply
focused and what is blurred; can create dramatic effects (e.g. The Graduate)
4. out-of-focus: composing an entire shot out-of-focus is expressive & can be its own
visual style

Angle:
1. low-angle: camera placed noticeably below the eye level of a standing person in the
frame
2. high-angle: camera placed noticeable above the figure
3. straight-on angle: it is what it sounds like
4. bird’s eye-view: extreme overhead angle (e.g. shot of UN building in North by
Northwest);
5. canted angle: the camera is tilted or tipped to the side (e.g. Rebel Without a Cause)
Distance:
1. Extreme long shot: human figure is a small part of the shot composition
2. long shot: whole body is in frame, but background still dominates human figure
3. medium long shot: human figures framed from knees up
4. medium shot: figures framed from waist up
5. medium close-up: from chest up
6. close-up: head only
7. extreme close-up: part of head or face only

Movement:
1. Pan: camera remains on a stable base but rotates on a vertical axis to left or right
2. Tilt: camera remains on a stable base but rotates on a horizontal axis up or down
3. Tracking & Steadicam shots: camera, base and all, travels in any direction along the
ground. Often used to follow figures at a steady pace, maintaining a constant
relation to them (sometimes known as a “following shot”)
4. Crane shot: camera is mounted to a mechanical arm and lifted above the ground on
platform.
5. hand-held camera: often been used to create an effect of urgency and immediacy,
since hand-held footage usually leads to a “jiggling” or “bumpy” effect (e.g. Point
Break, Captain Phillips, Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, and most “found-footage” films)
6. reframing: to recompose the image slightly when something or someone in the
frame moves relative to something else
7. Speed of motion: the standard rate at which films are shot is 24 frames per second
(fps); slow motion increases fps, while fast motion decreases fps
8. long take: a lengthy take that usually involves a great deal of mobile framing, e.g.
Touch of Evil or 12 Years a Slave, used extensively in Children of Men, Victoria, and
Birdman

Visual effects
1. Animation
2. stop-motion photography
3. miniatures & models
4. process shot: when multiple shots are compressed into one
5. matte shot: a painted or digital background is added to the shot