Cinematography

Cinematography

Cinematography - The art of photography and camerawork in film-making, through lighting and camera choices when recording.

Shot types

A shot is a series of frames that runs uninterrupted for a period of time.

Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

An extreme long shot helps the audience familiarise and learn where the setting is by showing the location from a distance, sometimes characters can be seen but they are small in frame and not the main focus. In this ELS from Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, we can see Hogwarts in the background and the Triwizard arena in the foreground. This is setting the scene for the upcoming challenge that Harry Potter must complete to go forward in the Triwizard tournament. This shot is to emphasise a sense of space and grandeur.

                                        

Long Shot (LS)

A long shot is closer than the ELS but it still shows some background, but this time we have the character fully visible from head to toe. We can now see costume choices, some facial expressions as well as where the character is or about to go. Below is an example of a LS from The Hobbit, in this scene we can see that Bilbo Baggins is in the Shire and his clothing suggests that he is about to go on a journey. We know this because he is dressed in a coat and has a backpack on and is holding a map in his hands. He looks excited/invigorated about the upcoming adventure, this shot contains more information for the audience to take in compared to the ELS from Harry Potter. 

Medium Long Shot (MLS)

The Medium Long shot still gives information of the setting, but the camera is now closer to the characters on screen. The character is seen from the knees up, this gives the audience a good view of the costume, facial expressions, body language and relationships to other characters. Below is a scene from Vampire Academy, the characters are in their school uniform and in the schools library, we know this through the background and costume choices. Also the audience can see the body language between Rose (left) and Christian (right) is much more stand offish and hostile than Lissa (middle) and Christian, through their body language and facial expressions. 

Medium Shot (MS)

A medium shot shows the subject/character from the waist upwards, this shot shows the character in more detail, such as facial expressions. The audience can now see the characters emotions and smaller gestures. Also the costumes are easily recognisable and some of the background setting can be seen. This shot is often used to link a long shot (LS) and a Medium Close-Up (MCU). Below is an example of a Medium Shot from The Hunger Games Catching Fire, in this scene we can see both Katniss and Peetas facial expressions of nervousness and trepidation, as they are the main focus in the scene. They are standing close to one another but scoping out the room, their body language shows that they are relaxed with each other but not in the situation they are in. 

Medium Close-Up (MCU)

A medium close up is a shot from the chest up, this shot does show some surroundings but the focus is primarily on the character and gives the audience the ability to easily see how the character is feeling through facial expressions. This shot is mostly used by newsreaders and is used for conversations between characters and reaction shots. The example below is from the movie Scream, this shot is a reaction shot as we are really focused on Casey and her reaction to the phone call she has received from an unknown caller. The audience can see her confusion and fear through her facial expressions.

Close-Up (CU)

 A close up shot shows the character in detail, the audience is more focussed on the emotions through facial expressions and we are less interested in the surroundings. This shot typically is just a persons face, like the example below of Edward Cullen in New Moon. In this scene Edward is preparing to leave Bella and tells her that she 'isn't good for him', he is trying to remain emotionless during this interaction with Bella, but the audience is drawn in to the pain in his eyes.

Big Close-Up (BCU)

The big close-up shot shows all the details of a characters face, it is shot from the middle of the forehead and just above the chin. It contains the social triangle, which consists of the eyes and mouth which are the main source of communication. This is a brilliant shot for reactions and for the audience to really feel the emotions of the character without any detail of the surroundings. Below is an example from The Lord of The Rings The Fellowship of The Ring, in this scene we see a big close-up of Arwen's face. She is communicating a fierce determination through giving direct eye contact and the way she is grimacing. We can also see she is injured on her face and that her ears are not human like, these small details may have been lost if this scene was shot as a medium shot or long shot.

Extreme Close-Up (ECU)

The extreme close-up shows only a small portion of detail and magnifies it , this shot allows the audience to enter the characters intimate space, revealing certain characteristics and emotions that would go unnoticed if further away. The ECU is used to create mystery or tension. The example below is from Titanic, where Jack is drawing Rose, this scene is intimate through the characters eyes and expressions. We are drawn to Jack's eyes and his intense focus on his subject, Rose.

Camera Angles

A camera angle is the relationship between the camera and the object being photographed or filmed, this gives the audience the emotional information and guides their judgement of a character or object in the shot. Their are 4 main camera angles: 

High Angle 

The high angle shot is when the camera is above the subject looking down. This shot can make the characters seem vulnerable or defeated, it makes the unseen force seem powerful and have a dominance over them. It also may add mystery or intrigue because it makes the audience want to know what they are looking at. As shown in the shot from Avengers Assemble, both Captain America and Thor have been in battle and there is a slight pause in fighting when they look up to see that there are more creatures coming. 

Low Angle

The low angle is shot from below the subject looking upwards. This angle gives the subject/character more power and authority. A good example of this is when Darth Vader is on screen, his presence is overpowering and is often a low angle to show how he dominates over everyone. He is also seen as more menacing and is normally accompanied by 'The Imperial March' in the background.

Eye Level 

An eye level camera angle is typically level with the characters eyes, making the audience feel like they are in the situation with the character, so it gives it a sense of realism. Eye level shots also act as a neutral shot and so they don't give any character status in a scene.

    

Over the Shoulder

                                                                                                         

The over the shoulder shot is where the camera is behind one characters back facing another character, so that the shoulder and back of one character is facing the audience. This shot is often used to establish where the characters are in relation to each other or what a character is observing. In this scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the audience is looking at Harry from Voldemort's perspective. Harry looks defeated and tired and the camera is looking down at him because Voldemort sees himself as above Harry and more powerful. The audience also sees the emotion on Harrys face that Voldemort would see. This brings the audience into the action by giving them perspective.

Tilted/Canted

The tilted angle is a camera angle with a noticeable tilt on the camera's x axis. This is used to show the audience that something is off or abnormal. In this scene in Mission Impossible, we see that when Ethan notices something is wrong the camera angle changes from a MCU using eye level angle to a BCU using a tilted angle. This shows that Ethan knows something is not right and the audience is drawn in while he explains why.

Camera Movement

Zoom - Adjusting the focal length of the lens to make the subject appear closer or further away in the frame 

Pan - Moving the camera horizontally on a central axis, the camera remains stationary but the direction it faces changes.

Tilt - Moving the camera vertically on a central axis.

Dolly - A track mounted camera moves towards or away from the subject.

Truck - Similar to Dolly however the camera is mounted to a track that moves along a fixed horizontal path.

Microanalysis

For my microanalysis, I used the cafeteria scene from To All The Boys I've Loved Before which is linked below:

 

The scene starts with a MLS at eye level, of the cafeteria with everyone staring at the camera. The camera is using a Dolly movement and we the audience are thrown into the perspective of our main characters. We can see this is a high school setting, as all the characters on screen are young and social hierarchy is the most important thing as they are all staring. The audience can feel the awkwardness of the situation and feel like they are the ones being stared at.

Our main characters then enter the frame from the right and the audience continues to follow them via a Dolly camera movement. This shot is now a MCU from behind, the audience can still see the surroundings with everyone staring, but our main focus is now on why they are staring. We can see how close the two main characters are in relation to each other and the camera is still at eye level. We still as an audience don't see any emotions but we can see the eyes that are watching us from around the room.

Then the camera tilts down to a close up of Peters hand inside Lara Jeans back pocket, this shows an important piece of information to the audience, that there is some definite closeness being presented to the room. Again we see no facial expressions but the body language displayed is enough to show that there is something between them or they want others to know there is. We can also see in this shot the costumes, they are in relaxed clothing and subtly complement each other by the matching of the colour yellow and the fact they are both wearing jeans and a hoodie.

Peter then tugs on Lara Jeans pocket and makes her spin, as he does this the camera tilts back up to a MCU where we can now see their emotions on their faces. They are smiling at each other, giving eye contact and are very close to one another, this makes the audience know that there is some kind of closeness between these two characters. We still have some of the background in the shot but we are more focussed on the emotions that are being displayed. The camera also stays at eye level capturing the audience and making them feel like they are part of the scene.

The next shot is a MLS of a character called Jen, we can see her in the middle of the frame looking very shocked to see the display of affection between Lara Jean and Peter. The audience can see her facial expressions and costume, we can see that she is taking much more notice of the scene in front of her than anyone else.

This shot is a CU of Peter pulling a love note from his pocket. The camera then follows the note upwards. So this tells the audience that this specific note must have some importance.

  

Then there is an Over The Shoulder shot and a CU of the love note and we can see that Peter gives this to Lara Jean. The audience is pulled into this exchange through the use of these camera techniques without any dialogue.

Then we get another MLS of Jen but this time her facial expressions are of disbelief and hurt. So much so that her friends have noticed the change in her body language and facial expressions, that they are now watching the scene unfold. This scene shows the audience that there is tension building and friendship groups are being shown again with no dialogue needed.

The next shot is a low angle shot, this shows to the audience that Peter has a higher social standing in the school than Lara Jean. However, he is also leaning down to whisper in her ear which would show others that they are intimately connected and sharing a moment that they don't want others to know about.

Similarly, the next shot is an over the shoulder shot which is a high angle shot. This shows that Lara Jean is not on the same level socially in school as Peter, and we can see the eye contact being made between the two of them.

When Peter leaves we get a MS of Lara Jean, we can now see her true emotions on her face of unease. Also in this scene she has started to become 'invisible' again as the popular Peter has left her. The camera is at eye level again and on a Dolly following her leaving the cafeteria.

 

This shot is a LS showing a change of setting from the first series of frames, also we can see the two different styles between Lara Jean and Chris. As they enter the room the camera pans left. The audience can only just see the facial expressions of the characters. The main focus is on the characters setting and clothing.

The last shot is a MS, the audience can see the surroundings and how the characters interact with each other through body language and the dialogue. This is a good conversation shot as we can see their small gestures when they talk to one another.