Cinematography Modules
What does a cinematographer do?
A Cinematographer or director of photography (shortened to DP or DoP) is the crew chief that presides over the camera and light crews on a film or video production. They usually get involved throughout the entire production lifecycle and liaise closely with the director to create the images you see onscreen.
So what exactly does a cinematographer do?
- Dissect the screenplay.
- Research film techniques and cinematic techniques that relate to the subject matter and elicit the intended emotional responses from an audience.
- Creates shot lists, floor plans, and lighting diagrams
- Manages the camera and light crews.
- Make decisions about cinematic elements such as lenses, filters, lights, and other camera/lighting requirements.
- Responsible for making decisions about aspect ratio, digital effects, image contrast, and frame rates.
- Make decisions about camera movements and film lighting techniques to prompt a specific emotional response from an audience.
- Often liaises with the director and colorist during the color-grading phase on a project.
Elements of Cinematography
Exposure
ISO
Aperture
Shutter speed and frame rate
Composition
- Rules of Shot Composition.
- The Rule of Thirds.
- Balance and Symmetry.
- Leading Lines.
- Eye-Level Framing.
- Depth of Field.
- Deep Space Composition.
Camera Movement
Pan
Tilt
Zoom
Tracking shot
Dolly shot
Following shot
Pedestal
Camera Angles
Extreme long shot
Long shot
Mid-shot or medium shot
Close-up
Extreme close-up
High-angle
Low angle
Color
- Color temperature
- White balance
- Color contrast
- Saturation
Fimmaking modules:
Stages of Film making:
- Preproduction
- Production
- Post- production
- Marketing/Distribution
