1. Examples & Best Practices
Cinematography
Examples & Best Practices

2. Life of Pi - Oscar, Best Cinematography - 2012

3. Other notable winners of Best Cinematography from the Oscars
Gone with the Wind (Color)
West Side Story (Color)
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
JFK
Schindler’s List
Legends of the Fall
Braveheart
Titanic
Saving Private Ryan
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Pan’s Labyrinth
Slumdog Millionaire
Avatar
Inception
Hugo

4. Introduction to Cinematography
What are the secrets to creating a quality shot?
No MAGIC button to push on the camera to get HIGH quality results
But, techniques are learnable and doable
This lesson will show you HOW to create shots that look like the PROS

5. What is Cinematography?
cinematography |ˌsinəməˈtägrəfē| noun
the art of making motion pictures.
Cinematography: is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography. Many additional issues arise when both the camera and elements of the scene may be in motion, though this also greatly increases the possibilities at the same time.
Using photographic composition techniques in videos.
Remember to always follow good composition when filming your videos.

6. Areas of Cinematography Shots
Composition (Rules)
Subject Distance (Basic Camera Shots)
Camera Angle (Height)
Shot Purpose
Camera Movement

7. Composition Rules Headroom Lead Space Rule of Thirds
When you follow the first two, the Rule of Thirds will naturally occur
Distracting Background
Mergers

8. Headroom The space above the subjects head in a close-up
The perfect balance is needed:
Too much and the shot looks off balance
Too little cuts off the subject’s head

9. Lead Space
Viewer’s want to see where moving things are going, so enough space must be allowed between the subject and the edge of the frame.
You must adjust your shot
to give a bit more room in
the direction of the
movement.

10. Rule of Thirds Subject is offset in frame for visual interest
Shot is divided with two evenly spaced lines horizontally and vertically

11. Rule of Thirds
The basic principle is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. As follows:
Then…
Put the subject on the intersection of the lines or the horizon along a line.

12. Rule of Thirds What are the points of interest in this shot?
Place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines.
The image becomes more balanced.
This will enable a viewer to interact more naturally with the image.
When using the most important questions to ask yourself are:
What are the points of interest in this shot?
Where am I intentionally placing them?

13. Distracting Background
Try to avoid
Always check the background of the shot you are framing
Background clutter or distracting objects can usually be avoided by repositioning your camera or moving the subject.

14. Mergers Another form of distracting background
Background objects or strong vectors (lines) that visually merge with your subject can be distracting
Reposition the camera or subject to avoid mergers

15. What composition do you SEE?

16. NOW... You find a good and bad example of each of the 5.
Save the images, put into a presentation, and label.

17. Basic Camera Shots Long Shot Medium Shot Close up Shot
Extreme Close up Shot

18. Long Shot A shot that shows all of something:
a room, a building, a mountain
Help viewers get a sense of location: Where is this scene taking place?
Most TV shows start with this shot also known as an Establishing Shot

19. Medium Shot Problems not much detail in subject
This is a waist up shot of person
Place person in context or on location
Works for someone who moves hands while they are talking
Problems
not much detail in subject
too much background information that can be distracting

20. Close-up Shot Shot includes a little room above
the head, all of the person’s head,
and down to their armpits.
Fill most of the frame with head
Why this shot?
To capture facial expressions, makes it personal, to see the emotion

21. Extreme Close-up Includes just the person’s facial features:
Eyes, nose, mouth and chin
The top of the head and shoulders are not included
Can be disturbing shots because they show all the details
i.e. sweat, wrinkles

22. Camera Angle
·Bird’s Eye View
·Neutral Angle (NA)
·Worm’s Eye View

23. High Angle/ Bird’s Eye Low Angle/ Worm’s Eye
Gives the audience the perception they are superior to the subject
Give the power to the audience
Low Angle/ Worm’s Eye
Gives the audience the perception they are inferior to the subject
Gives the power to the person in the shot

24. Shot Purpose
·Cutaway/ Insert Shot
·Point-of-View Shot
·Reaction Shot

25. Cutaway/ Insert Shot
Something other than the current action or subject.
This shot is used as a "buffer" between shots (to help the editing process), or to add interest or information.
They are mainly used in reference to objects, a clock, or actions, opening a locker.

26. Point-of-View Shot This shot shows a view from
the subject's perspective.
It is usually edited in such a way that it is obvious whose POV it is.

27. Reaction Shot
A shot showing one or more characters reacting to an action or statement.

28. Camera Movement ·Pan Shot ·Tilt Shot ·Arc Shot ·Zoom In (ZI)
·Zoom Out (ZO)

29. Pan Shot Tilt Shot
The horizontal pivoting of the camera from a fixed point, moving left to right or right to left.
It is used to follow screen action or to reveal more of a location without moving the camera.
Pivot your camera up or down from a fixed position.
Like nodding your head.

30. Tips & Tricks for Successful Pan & Tilt
Tip #1: Move the camera slowly.
Tip #2: Have a good reason to choose that shot.
Tip #3: Hold the camera still for a few seconds at the start and at the end of the shot.
Tip #4: Practice before recording the shot, making sure you know where to end the shot.

31. Arc Shot A shot in which a moving camera circles around the subject.
Must have good control of camera to be successful.
Great way of introducing a character to a story.

32. Zoom In Zoom Out
Concentrate the viewer’s attention to a particular subject or detail not evident in a wider shot.
It is more dramatic than a cut from the wider shot to the zoomed in view, but takes longer to get there.
Have a good reason for making your audience wait.
Serve to reveal the location or context of the thing that is framed at the start of the shot.
DO NOT follow ACTION.
A young man with several piercings is sitting in a room. The camera slowly zooms out from a close up to reveal the other people in the room, who are all senior citizens in formal attire.

33. YOUR Homework… Watch TV
Watch Thriller in class.
Complete Analyzing Video Assignment together and then complete at home

34. YOUR Filming Assignment