Camera Composition & Movement - Film Production
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The document provides an overview of cinematography basics, emphasizing the importance of the shot as the fundamental element of film. It details various aspects of composition, including shot types and camera angles, as well as theories that guide visual storytelling. Key concepts include headroom, active space, the rule of thirds, and the use of leading lines, all contributing to effective filmmaking techniques.
Camera Composition & Movement - Film Production
- 2. The Shot The shot is the most basic building block of cinematography. A shot is one continuous capture of a span of action by a motion picture camera. A finished film is made up of a series of these shots, of varying length, that ultimately tell the story.
- 3. Composition Film celluloid is composed of frames, still images that together make up the entirety of a film. Composition is the arrangement of people, objects and setting within the frame of an image. How those people, objects and setting are arranged with in the border of the image can bring balance or imbalance, reveal or hide information, indicate power or weakness, all without a word of dialog, an edit or even a character on the screen.
- 4. Basic Camera Composition - Shots and Angles in Filmmaking
- 5. Shot Composition How the elements of the shot are positioned in the frame.
- 6. Top of head to shoulders Isolates the character in the frame Close Up (CU)
- 7. Anything closer than a Close Up Extreme Close Up (ECU)
- 8. Top of head to waist Medium Shot (MS)
- 9. 3/4 Shot Top of head to just below knees.
- 10. Head to Feet Long Shot (LS)
- 11. Character becomes almost lost in the scene. Extreme Long Shot (ELS)
- 12. Often used in conversations. Two-Shot
- 13. Signifies a distinct group of people. Three-Shot
- 14. Used in conversations, or to reveal what the character is seeing. Over the Shoulder (O.S.)
- 15. Shows the audience where the scene is taking place. Establishing (Master) Shot
- 16. Camera Angle Where the camera is positioned vertically while filming.
- 17. Camera is at the character’s eye level. The character is the audience’s equal. Eye Level
- 18. Camera is at the character’s eye level. The character is the audience’s equal. Point of View (POV)
- 19. Camera is above character. Implies superiority over the character. High Angle
- 20. Camera is almost overhead of character. Establishes the character’s smallness in the world. Bird’s Eye View
- 21. Camera is below character. Emphasizes the power of the character. Low Angle
- 22. Camera is placed near or on the ground. Worm’s Eye View
- 23. Camera is tilted. Can suggest character is mentally unbalanced. Dutch Angle/ Canted Angle
- 25. Moving Shot - place camera on a moving object Pan - horizontal camera movement Tilt - vertical camera movement Zoom - electronically moving the camera closer or further to the subject Dolly - physically moving the camera forward or backward Tracking - physically moving the camera left or right Crane/Boom - mounting the camera on a weighted arm that moves it up and/or down Steadicam - special equipment that keeps camera steady during handheld shots Camera Movement Camera Movement is the real or perceived movement of the camera through space.
- 27. 15 Compositional Theories of Cinematography “I can't think how anyone can become a director without learning the craft of cinematography.” – Nicolas Roeg
- 28. Headroom Too little or too much room between the top of the head and the edge of the frame looks awkward. The Darjeeling Unlimited
- 29. Active Space (aka Nose Room) In a profile shot, leave space between the side of the frame and the subject. 2001: A Space Odyssey
- 30. Rule of Thirds Imagine a grid that splits the frame into thirds vertically and horizontally. Place the subject along those gridlines. The intersections of the lines are especially compelling. The Darjeeling Unlimited
- 31. The Golden Ratio / Divine Proportion The ratio of a:b = a+b:a = φ (1.618033…) First mentioned by the Greek Mathematician, Euclid (300 B.C.E). The Golden Spiral
- 32. The Golden Ratio Grand Budapest Hotel
- 34. The Rule of Odds Having an odd number of things in a composition means your eye and brain can't pair them up or group them easily. There's somehow always one thing left over, which keeps your eyes moving across the composition. The Darjeeling Unlimited
- 35. Leading Lines Lines that guide a viewer’s eyes around, or through, the composition are called leading lines. Amelie
- 36. Strong Diagonal A form of a leading line that can transform a boring composition into a dynamic one. Inception
- 37. Lines of Sight Lines of sight are created when the subject is looking at something within the frame. This causes the viewer to follow the line of sight to the object being observed. The Darjeeling Unlimited
- 38. Point of View Moving the camera above, or below, the subject can create a more interesting, dynamic composition. Hugo
- 39. Framing Use a natural frame within the composition to draw the viewer’s eye to the main subject. Framing can also be used to create a sense of depth, or to provide a context for the shot. Life of Pi
- 40. Simplify Eliminate unnecessary items from your composition – they will only distract the viewer. Lawrence of Arabia
- 41. Shallow Depth of Field Leaves just a small portion of the shot in focus, while the rest remains blurry. It can be used to draw the viewer’s eye to the main subject. It also can compensate for a distracting background. The Hunger Games
- 42. Strong Foreground Can help bring the viewer into the composition, as well as provide a sense of depth. Life of Pi
- 43. Fill the Frame It is not always necessary for the entire subject to be included in the composition. Sometimes it is more effective, and interesting, to crop the edges of your main subject. The Darjeeling Unlimited
- 44. Hitchcock’s Rule The size of an object in the frame should equal its importance in the story at that moment. The Darjeeling Unlimited https://vimeo.com/145332674
- 45. “I like movies where you can come back and re- watch them and admire the cinematography 25 years later.” – Rob Zombie
- 46. References & Resources Moving Pictures by Russell Sharman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Internation al License , except where otherwise noted. FILM APPRECIATION by Dr. Yelizaveta Moss and Dr. Candice Wilson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.