Cinematography
 

 

 

The word Cinema comes from Kinema.

Kinema comes from Kinetics, means Motion.

 

Cinema + Graphy = Cinematography. Cinematography means Writing the Motion.

 

In Cinematography Composition becomes Dynamic.

Cinematography takes many frame.

While Clicking, the recording starts.

It is extended to over a period and given a performing.

Cinematography takes care of cinema within the frame and outside of the frame.

 

Framing

 

Frame restricts what we are seeing.

We are choosing to show look at this.

Visual always presented through a frame.

When we frame it creates an expectation.

We should COMPOSE while framing itself.

What is the first element we are going to see in the frame is important.

 

Properly surrounding the subject of a shot by the edges of the actual boundaries of the film also dividing the screen into several sections, each of which showing a separate shot.

 

Eye Movement

 

Eye travels on a picture following the lines on it.

When camera moves we are creating more lines to see the movement.

 

Image Movement

 

Because of the persistence of vision the image looks like moving.

1/16 th of a second is enough to register the image in our eye.

 

Shot Time

 

In a shot, the elements movement decides the shot time.

 

Composition

 

Composition means keeping our eyes within inside the frame.

 

Composition for Still Frame

 

It is for One Frame

 

Composition for Moving Frame

 

It is for Multiple Frames

The frame itself can move or the elements within the frame can move.

Frame changes when movement happens.

Here additionally one line comes as Movement Line.

We should be aware of the eye movements in the moving frame.

 

Different Types of Composition

 

Horizontal Composition

Vertical Composition

Circular Composition

Triangular Composition

Diagonal Composition

Square Composition

 

Composition are patterns your sub-conscious mind, tries to discern from the visual elements present within the frame.

 

Pace ( Speed of Action )

Fast-Paced, Slow-Paced, “Meditative”, “Poetic”

 

Lens

 

Aperture

The opening of the lens, determining how much light enters the camera

Fish-Eye Lens

A lens with an extremely wide angle (close to 180 degrees) which distorts the image at the edge. Often used in fantasy films

Wide Angle Lens

With a wide angle lens, objects in the background are still in focus

Short Angle Lens

With a short angle lens, only objects in the foreground are in focus

Tele(photo) Lens

A strong short angle lens with magnification, images give a “flat” impression

Zoom In / Zoom Out

It is made of adjustable focal length. Zooming gives forward or backward impression of movement.

 

Lens projects the image and recording medium captures the image.
 

Object to lens is called U

Lens to recording medium is called V

 

 

  1         1        1

-----  =  -----  + -----

  f          u        v

 

 

                              v

Magnification  =  -------

                              u

 

 

If focal length Increases, the angle reduces.

If focal length Decreases, the angle Increases and becomes wider.

 

Camera on Lens

 

Colours the entire lens.

 

Camera on Light

 

Controls over the light and monitor the colour.

 

Tele Lens   > > >  Smaller Angle

Wide Lens  > > >  Wide Angle

 

Longer Lens

 

Longer lens covers lesser area

Longer Lens Compresses the Perspective

Longer lens    > > >   Tele lens / Zoom lens

Long Lens    > > >   Thin

 

Wider Lens

 

Wider lens covers wider area

Short Lens Expands the Perspective

Wider Lens    > > >   Shorter Lens

Wide Lens    > > >   Thick

 

 

Speed of a Car

From left to right or right to left

 

Background of the car moves and it is creating us that the car is moving.

 

Short lens  > > >  Looks Slow

Long lens   > > >  Looks Faster

 

Speed of a Car

Reverse Effect - Car comes towards us

 

Short lens   > > >   Looks Fast

Long lens   > > >   Looks Slow

 

                              v

Magnification  =  -------   More for longer lens

                              u

 

                              v

Magnification  =  -------  Less for short lens

                              u

 

Anamorphic lens

Anamorphic lens is used for the cinematography technique of capturing a widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film.

A movie camera lens that horizontally squeezes a wide screen image into a standard 35mm frame. When projected, an anamorphic lens stretches the 35mm frame horizontally and fills a wide screen. This lens allowed the movie industry to make wide screen films with the same 35mm equipment. The term comes from the Greek "anamorphosis," which means to "reshape”.

De anamorphic lens

These lenses are used in the projector which does the functions opposite to anamorphic lens, it stretches the images which are already squeezed that becomes normal as a cinemascope format. These are attach upon the prime lenses and used for some special effects purpose also.

 

Super telephoto lenses

These are extreme tele lenses used for special purpose in cinematography ranging from 300mm to 1000mm. The very distance subjects such capturing moon and a mountain is made easy with these lenses.

 

Macro Lens or Micro Lens

Using a lens specifically designed for close work and with a long barrel for close focusing, called a macro lens. Some manufacturers call it a micro. A macro lens might be optimized to provide its best performance at a magnification of 1:1.

 

Some macro lenses, can achieve higher magnification – up to 5:1 macro, enabling photography of the structure of small insect eyes, snowflakes, and other minuscule but detailed objects.

50–60mm range

 

Typically used for product photography and small objects.

90–105mm range

 

The standard focal range used for insects, flowers, small objects.

150–200mm range

 

Gives more working distance — typically used for insects and other small animals.

A few zooms provide a macro option, but they generally do not allow a 1:1 magnification

 

Ramping Techniques

Variation in speed, rapid fast and slow motions within a shot are called ramping popularly. The variation is achieved by changing the shutter speed with frame rate simultaneously. The exposure compensation is achieved by shutter angle. The same effect could be done by post production also, which is the usual way in Video works.

Camera Heights and Moods

 

Top Angle   > > >  Camera Dominating Position

Bottom Angle  > > >  Character Dominating Position

Eye Level  > > >  Normal Position

 

Overexposure

 

A photograph may be described as overexposed when it has a loss of highlight detail, that is, when the bright parts of an image are effectively all white, known as "blown out highlights" (or "clipped whites").

 

Underexposure

 

A photograph may be described as underexposed when it has a loss of shadow detail, that is, the dark areas indistinguishable from black, known as "blocked up shadows" (or sometimes "crushed shadows," "crushed blacks," or "clipped blacks," especially in video).

 

White Balancing

White balance basically means colour balance. It is a function which gives the camera a reference to "true white" — it tells the camera what the colour white looks like, so the camera will record it correctly. Since white light is the sum of all other colours, the camera will then display all colours correctly.

Depth of Field

 

The depth of field is determined by the subject distance (that is, the distance to the plane that is perfectly in focus), the lens focal length, the lens f-number, and the format size or circle of confusion criterion.

For a given subject framing and camera position, the depth of field is controlled by the lens aperture diameter, which is usually specified as the f-number, the ratio of lens focal length to aperture diameter. Reducing the aperture diameter (increasing the f-number) increases the depth of field.

 

The wider the lens the greater the depth of field.
The smaller the format size (16mm & 8mm) greater the depth of field.

Colours and Feelings

 

To create a certain mood, colours are made on the picture. The colour creates different moods for a scene. While viewing the colours, the thoughts and feelings changes to different people because different people comes from different background.

 

Red  > >  Aggressive

Green > >  Freshness

Blue  > >  Poison 

Purple  > >  Royalty

Yellow  > >  Harshness

White  > >  Purity

Black  > >  Satanic 

 

Aesthetics

 

Aesthetics changes according to time and space in different places and areas. Aesthetics are determined by the socio political economic situation.

 

Contrast

 

Eye is differentiating two things with more better way. It is called contrast.

It is applicable to all colours and not only for white and black.

 

Zoom Lens

 

The original name for zoom lens is Variable Focal Length Lens.

It variables the long to short or short to long.

 

Film Stocks

 

Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. There are several variables in classifying stocks. One orders raw stock by a code number, based on desired sensitivity to light. Each film stock will have different effects. Some films known to no longer be available.

 

Aspect Ratio

 

Frame's width and height relation is called aspect ratio.

The aspect ratio of an image is, its width divided by its height.

 

Popular Aspect Ratios

 

1.33:1
1.37:1
1.50:1
1.56:1
1.66:1
1.75:1
1.78:1
1.85:1
2.00:1
2.20:1
2.35:1
2.39:1
2.55:1
2.59:1
2.66:1
2.76:1
4.00:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

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