Cinematography

Cinematography: A general term for all the manipulations of

the film strip by the camera in the shooting phase and by the
laboratory in the development phase.

“Writing in movement”
 Speed of Motion
Rate: The number of frames exposed per second. 24 fps is
standard in sound-era films, though higher rates are possible.

Silent films were generally filmed at a slower rate (often 16 or

20 fps).

Film can be shot at one speed and played back at another for
effect, and a film can change speeds or otherwise manipulate
frame rate for effect.
The Piano (1993)
Framing: The use of the edges of the film frame to select and to
compose what is visible on screen.

Aspect ratio: The relationship of the frame’s width to its height

(the Academy Ratio, 1.37:1, was the standard in classical
Hollywood, with widescreen formats emerging in the 1950s).
1:1.37 (Academy Ratio):
Casablanca (1943)
 1:1.85
All the President’s Men (1976)
1:2.35 (CinemaScope):
The Robe (1953)
 1:1
Mommy (2014)
Split-screen divides the film into multiple frames.
Hulk (2003)
Timecode (2000)
Superimposition: Also called “double exposure,” the exposure
of more than one image on the same film strip or in the same
shot.
Dr. Mabuse der Spieler (1922)
 Perspective
Lens: A shaped piece of transparent material (usually glassy)
with either or both sides curved to gather and focus light rays.

Focal length: The distance from the center of the lens to the
point at which light rays meet in sharp focus. The focal length
determines the perspective relations of the space represented on
the flat screen.

Different lenses represent and distort space differently (Normal

lens, telephoto lens, wide-angle lens).
Wide-Angle Lens: Paths of
Glory (1957)
Telephoto lens: Koyaanisatsi
(1982)
Zoom lens: A lens with a focal length that can be changed
during a shot.
El Conde Dracula (1970)
Focus: The degree to which light rays coming from the same
part of an object through different parts of the lens reconverge at
the same point on the film frame, creating sharp outlines and
distinct textures.
Soft focus: Hero (2002)
Soft focus: Hero (2002)
Soft focus: Chariots of Fire
(1981)
Deep focus: A use of the camera lens and lighting that keeps
objects in both close and distant planes in sharp focus.
Deep Focus: Citizen Kane
(1941)
Racking focus: Shifting the area of sharp focus from one plane
to another during a shot: the effect on the screen is called rack-
focus.
Blow-up (1966)
 Camera angle, level, height,
distance
Angle of framing: The position of frame in relation to the
subject it shows (low, straight-on, high).

Height: Describes the level from the which the camera is

recording.
The Dark Knight (2008): low
camera angle
Psycho (1960): high camera
angle
A Separation (2011): straight-on
camera angle
Hero (2002): Bird’s eye view
Hero (2002): worm’s eye view
A Christmas Carol (1951)
Canted framing: A view in which the frame is not level: either
the right or the left side is lower than the other, causing objects
in the scene to appear slanted out of an upright position (also
“Dutch” or “oblique” angles).
The Third Man (1949)
Hero (2002)
 Distance
Extreme long shot: Human figure lost or tiny

Long shot: Background predominates

Medium long shot: Human figure framed from knees up

Medium shot: Human figure framed from waist up

Medium close-up: Human figure framed from chest up

Close-up: Just face (or object of equivalent size)

Extreme close-up: Portions of the face or object

The Third Man (1949): Extreme
Long Shot
Long shot
Medium long shot
Medium shot
Medium close up
Close-up
Extreme close-up
 Camera Movement
Pan: A camera movement with the camera body turning to the
right or left. On the screen, it produces a mobile framing that
scans the space horizontally.

Tilt: A camera movement with the camera body swiveling

upward or downward on a stationary support. It produces a
mobile framing that scans the space vertically.
Tracking shot: A mobile framing that travels through space
forward, backward, or laterally. Also, dolly shot.

Crane shot: A shot with a change in framing accomplished by

placing the camera above the subject and moving through the air
in any direction.
Long Take: A shot that continues for an unusually lengthy time
before the transition to the next shot.
Touch of Evil (1958)
Goodbye Dragon Inn (2003)