Cinematography

 Cinematography is the art of visual storytelling. Anyone can set a camera on a tripod and hit record, but the artistry of cinematography comes in controlling what the viewer sees (or doesn’t see) and how the image is presented. Film is a visual medium, and the best-shot films are ones where you can tell what’s going on without hearing any of the dialogue. With some basic knowledge of composition and scene construction, you can plan scenes using this visual language. Learn how different shots work together to form a clear, cohesive narrative and how to compose each shot in a way that is visually pleasing for the viewer. Understanding these simple rules will help make your films more thrilling and engaging.

Types of Shots:

Extreme Long Shot: Typically used to show subjects of relatively massive scale. Picture a mountain climber represented as a tiny speck against a vast expanse of snow, the extreme long shot conveying the relative insignificance of the character struggling against their environment. It is a study in scale and majesty.

Long Shot: The distance of the camera from its subject also reflects an emotional distance; the audience doesn’t get as emotionally involved in what’s going on as they would if they were closer. In a way, it makes viewers a casual bystander, somewhat aloof to what’s happening. Take a couple arguing, where the details of their argument are lost to the viewer, and only the big blow-ups are able to catch our attention. Something is happening, but we can’t be sure what it is.

Medium Long Shot: falling between the long and close shots, this is more informative than emotional. It is too close for the epic scale of a long shot and too far to convey the intimacy of a close up, making it emotionally neutral.

Medium Shot: the medium shot is where we are starting to engage with the characters on a personal level. It is an approximation of how close someone would be when having a casual conversation.

Close Up: More intimate than the medium shot, the expressions and emotions of an actor are more visible and affecting and is meant to engage the character in a direct and personal manner. You are starting to lose visual information about the character’s surroundings, but the character’s actions are more intimate and impacting.

Extreme Close Up: For amplifying emotional intensity, the extreme close-up puts the camera right in the actor’s face, making even their smallest emotional cues huge -- and raises the intensity of the problems behind them. This works for objects too: the ticking hands of a clock, a bullet shell hitting the floor, the blinking cursor of a computer terminal. What the extreme close up lacks in context, it makes up for by taking a small event and making it enormous.

Conclusion:

These basic lessons should get you thinking like a cinematographer. Treat your camera as another character in the scene, exercise proper framing of subjects, try different camera angles and use the various types of shots to set the tone for your scene. By understanding the language of visual storytelling, you will open up a whole new dimension to your films.