Doing Cinematography the Right Way

What is Cinematography?

Telling a story on film is more than just capturing the action. It is also important to consider how the photos are taken. This is referred to as cinematography in the film and television industries.

Cinematography is the art of photographing and visually telling a story in a film or television broadcast. Lighting, framing, composition, camera movements, camera angles, film selection, lens options, depth of field, zoom, focus, color, exposure, and filtration are all elements of cinematography.

Why Cinematography is so Important in Film Industry?

The overall appearance and feel of a film’s visual story is established and supported by cinematography. Each visual element that appears on screen, may serve and improve the story. And therefore, it is the cinematographer’s job to ensure that every aspect is consistent and supports the story. Filmmakers frequently prefer to spend the majority of their budget on high-quality cinematography in order to ensure that the picture looks great on the big screen.

Cinematography

Role of Cinematographer

A cinematographer, often known as a Director of Photography, oversees the camera and lighting team. They are in charge of designing the look, color, lighting, and framing of every single shot in a film. The director and cinematographer collaborate closely since a cinematographer’s major duty is to guarantee that their selections complement the director’s overall vision for the picture. On lower budget projects, the cinematographer may also serve as the camera operator.

Types of Cinematic Shots

In filmmaking, camera angles are utilized to assist improve the story, subject, and overall mood of the film. Cinematographers generally make a deliberate decision about how each scene is filmed. By doing so, they want to express the entire meaning of their film through each individual frame, making the angle of the camera in each scene crucial. There are numerous sorts of camera angles in filmmaking that can help you achieve your desired narrative aim for your film, ranging from basic to complex camera views.

Basic camera shots are those that indicate the size of the topic within the frame. There are three sorts of fundamental camera shots: close-up, medium shot, and long shot.

Close Up Shot:

A close-up shot is one that is taken at close range of a person or object in order to catch the subject’s minute features. This view is tightly framed and takes up the majority of the screen, as it is typically employed to frame a character’s face so that the audience can perceive what sort of emotion is being expressed. The close up shot is used to show details or information about objects or the location of the film, in addition to evoking a character’s emotional state of mind. Close-up views, for example, are frequently utilized to alert the viewer to the importance of a certain pattern or symbol that runs throughout the film.

Medium Shot:

A medium shot, often known as a waist shot, was taken at a medium distance from the subject. It is frequently utilized for back-and-forth dialogue inside a scene since it provides the spectator with a clear picture of each character in a film. This is regarded as the ‘sweet spot’ shot because it allows you to view both the intricacies of your subject and the surrounding surroundings in which the event is taking place. As a consequence, employing a medium shot can assist the spectator in depicting the body language of the people in the film and how they interact with their surroundings.

Long Shot:

The long shot, also known as the wide shot, is frequently employed as an establishing shot in a film, as it usually establishes the setting and the character’s position within it. This type of camera view shows the entire length of the subject while also including a big portion of the film setting’s surrounding region. Long shot moments in movies are some of the most memorable and famous scenes in cinema. Furthermore, filming a movie entirely from a distance with just long shots might create a sense of separation between the film and the viewer.

Close up Shot

Medium Shot
Long Shot

You can read the exhaustive list of shots at following link.


Suggested Reading: Must know Shots for Beginners in Cinematography


Tools for Cinematography

It is impossible to replace hard work and sweat, but certainly some software can make your life easy as cinematographer.

When you’re an amateur filmmaker, it’s critical to have cheap alternatives for filmmaking software that may help you reach your objectives. But, what kinds of alternatives do you have that will suit inside your budget?

Even if you merely want to share movies you’ve recorded on your phone with friends, such as footage of vacations, family gatherings, local events, or your children growing up, the finest video editing software can help you edit such clips to make them more pleasurable to watch in the future. And the best part is that many of these tools are fairly inexpensive.

Some of the most widely used tools are listed here:

  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Final Cut Pro X
  • CyberLink PowerDirector 365
  • Adobe Premiere Elements
  • Pinnacle Studio
  • Filmora
  • Corel VideoStudio Ultimate

You can read the exhaustive list of shots at following link.


Suggested Reading: 100+ Tools for Cinematography


What You Need as Cinematographer?

Cinematography is an art, not a science, as has been stated. Despite having limited resources, you can produce great cinematic videos with them. Understanding the needs of the audience is fundamental to filmmaking. It’s not about having the most up-to-date equipment or having budget-friendly venues.

Equipment for cinematography

People are also producing beautiful videos with only their cellphones. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a novice filmmaker, there’s some essential gear you can’t live without. The article examines the crucial checklist that serves as the foundation for a successful filming experience. Here is the list of some of the must have equipment for every cinematographer.

  • Camera
  • Lenses
  • Lightings
  • Tripod
  • Slider
  • Reflectors
  • Camera Bag

You can discussion on exhaustive list of equipment needed for cinematography at following link.


Suggested Reading: Essential equipment good cinematographer should have