By Anne Orban
We have all been to the movies, we all watch popular television. Sometimes after watching something you wonder what made that so good? The secret is often in the cinematography. What is cinematography you ask? Well, we are here to tell you.
Cinematography, in simple terms, is an art form. The definition itself is the art of making motion pictures. There is a difference between videotaping the family and actual cinematography. The differences are immense and make all the difference when making your feature film or mini-series.
The first and most important thing you are going to want to do is stick to the basic techniques. Like photography cinematography has similar techniques including composition and lighting.
When you start to think about composition it is best to remember the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a technique in cinematography and photography where you divide the frame up in to nine boxes. A common mistake is placing the subject in the center of the frame this causes your scene to look flat and uninteresting. Try instead placing your subject on one of the intersections of the nine boxes. It makes for a very interesting shot. Don’t believe me try watching some breaking bad. The rule of thirds is riddled all throughout the series and is part of what make the work so great. It is a basic technique to master. After mastering the technique, then you can break the rules.
Lighting is everything in cinematography. Whether or not your scene is properly lit can make all the difference in making your film great. There is so much that goes into lighting that I will save it for another post, but without proper lighting your film will suffer. To begin understanding light, walk through your day critically analyzing the light found in nature. It is not in your control, it is naturally there. Study it well and you will have references to replicate when in the controlled environment of a movie set.
Cinematography is not only about light and where the subject is placed in the frame. It is about making something interesting. A prime example is again Breaking Bad, there are so many simple objects that are made interesting in that series, such as the eyeball from the plane crash(season 2 Episode 1), or the brush that Jesse uses to scrub the lab equipment(season 3 Episode 10). Both of these objects are relatively simple objects that are simply presented in an interesting way. Great film has interesting cinematography.
The last point of cinematography that I will discuss is how you want your audience to feel. Your camera is the window for your audience to see in to your world. When you start shooting a scene think about what you want your audience to feel. Should they be sad, or excited? Disconnected or involved? All of these emotions can be controlled by how you shoot the scene.
Cinematography is an amazing art form it is the art of film and such a huge part of entertainment. Do not be fooled by people who say anyone can shoot a movie. So next time you watch a movie study the shots. Ask yourself how it would be different if the lights were brighter or darker, or if the subject was placed somewhere else in the frame. You might be surprised at how much of a difference it can make.
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