Chapter 5

The Shot: Cinematography

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Cinematography

• The director controls what is filmed and how it is filmed.

• Cinematographic qualities include the photographic aspects of the shot, the framing of the shot, and the duration of the shot.

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The Photographic Image: Tonalities

• Whatever the director does to film, the result affects the pattern of light on the film itself.

• Contrast is affected by film stock.• Developing procedures can alter color and

contrast.• Exposure can manipulate color and contrast, as

well as achieve special effects.• The result can guide the viewer’s eye to

important elements.

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The Photographic Image: Speed of Motion

• Slow motion may mean a dream or fantasy, convey power, or express a lyrical quality.

• Fast motion is an attention-grabber.• Digital postproduction allows for smooth and

easy motion change.

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The Photographic Image: Perspective

• Lenses change scale and depth depending on focal length.

• They can distort images, flatten space, and exaggerate depth.

• Zoom lenses manipulate focal length and transform perspective in one shot.

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The Photographic Image: Depth of Field and Focus

• Focal length affects depth of field.• Depth of field effects are common in digital

video.• Selective focus and racking focus can direct

the audience’s attention.

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The Photographic Image: Special Effects

• Combining two planes of action in one shot can be achieved through superimposition, process shots, and matte work.

• Reemergence of 3D.• Evaluation should be based on how the

technique functions in the overall film.

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Frame Dimensions and Shape

• Defines the image and creates a vantage point, directing the viewer’s attention.

• Aspect ratio has changed over time.• Widescreen formats have been achieved

through masking and anamorphic process.

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Onscreen and Offscreen Space

• There are six zones of offscreen space, the edges of the frame, the space behind and in front of the set.

• By using these unseen spaces, the director can achieve, surprise, suspense, and other effects.

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Angle, Level, Height, Distance of Framing

• Particular use of these elements often has a narrative function.

• They also frequently have a stylistic function as well, adding visual interest and creating meaning.

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The Mobile Frame

• Panning, tilting, tracking, and craning increase information about the space and objects shown.

• Often the camera is a substitute for the viewer, creating subjectivity.

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Functions of Frame Mobility

1. Mobile frame and space: can be used to direct the viewer’s attention and create different conceptions of space.

2. Mobile frame and time: a moving camera uses more time, and thus creates expectation.

3. Patterns of movements can become motifs.

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Mobile Framing in Grand Illusion and Wavelength

• In Grand Illusion, mobile framing supports the narrative by creating moments of unrestricted narration and creating patterns and parallels.

• In Wavelength the focus is on the way a zoom shot transforms space by limiting movement and narrative information.

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Duration of the Image: The Long Take

• Does not condense time.• Can create parallels and contrasts between

scenes and can have its own development of beginning, middle, and end.

• Can present a complex pattern of events moving toward a goal.

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