Introduction to Cinematography
Learning Through Practice
Tania Hoser
- 396 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Introduction to Cinematography
Learning Through Practice
Tania Hoser
About This Book
Introduction to Cinematography offers a practical, stage-by-stage guide to the creative and technical foundations of cinematography. Building from a skills-based approach focused on professional practice, cinematographer and author Tania Hoser provides a step-by-step introduction for both cinematographers and camera assistants to the techniques, processes, and procedures of working with cameras, lenses, and light. She provides hands-on insight into negotiating with production constraints and understanding the essentials of the image workflow from shot to distribution, on projects of any scope and budget.
Richly illustrated, the book incorporates exercises and sample scripts throughout, exploring light, color, movement, 'blocking', and pacing scenes. The principles and techniques of shaping and controlling light are applied to working with natural light, film lamps, and, as with all areas of cinematography, to low budget alternatives. This makes Introduction to Cinematography the perfect newcomer's guide to learning the skills of cinematography that enables seamless progression from exercises through to full feature shoots. Assessment rubrics provide a framework to measure progress as the reader's ability to visually interpret scripts and enhance the director's vision develops.
The book also teaches readers:
- To understand and develop the combination of skills and creativity involved in cinematography;
- Photographic principles and how they are applied to control focus exposure, motion blur, and image sharpness;
- To identify the roles and skills of each member of the camera department, and how and when each are required during a shoot;
- The order and process of lighting on all scales of productions and the use and application of the four main types of lamps;
- How to use waveforms, false color, and zebras for monitoring light levels, and meters for guiding exposure choices;
- The principles of the color wheel, color palettes, and the psychological effects of color choices;
- How to shoot for different types of fiction and nonfiction/documentary films and how to apply these skills to other genres of TV and film production;
- Strategies for both starting and progressing your career within cinematography and the camera department.
**Winner of 'Best new Textbook in Humanities and Media Arts' in the Taylor and Francis Editorial Awards 2018**
Frequently asked questions
Information
Section B
Essential Working Knowledge for Cinematographers and Camera Assistants
2a
Working on Set: Professional Practice
- Use pre-production effectively to streamline both the creative and practical work on a shoot
- Identify and understand the roles and skills required by each member of the camera department
- Know what you should be doing at each stage of a shoot
- Take steps to prevent harming yourself or others on a shoot
- Protect the camera equipment in a wide variety of weather and shooting conditions
The Role of the Production Department
The Role of the Camera Assistant in Pre-Production
- Ensuring you have everything the camera department needs; and as little as possible that you wonât need.
- Checking that all the equipment you have works as it should and can be assembled and reconfigured quickly (see C4a and 4b).
The Role of the Cinematographer in Pre-Production
- To research and discuss with the director to decide on the look or looks that will be shot.
- To check, by testing, that the looks can be achieved with the combination of equipment, lighting and post production facilities you have.
- Make as many decisions about shots, locations, equipment, facilities and people needed as you can, prior to the shoot to reduce set-up and discussion time once shooting.
Step-by-step
- Read the script or brief before you meet with the director.
- Make ideas a priority at the first meeting, donât just talk about how you would shoot the film. Find out the directorâs thoughts on visualizing the story before discussing yours. Engage with the story rather than try to second-guess what the director wants to hear. Have conviction and get your fingers into the story. Your visual concepts are what you are being hired for. At the first meeting, I only talk about concepts and broad ideas for the visuals.David Wright1
- Based on what you have discussed or found out during the meeting, do lots of visual research, (like watching films, scenes of films, looking at photos, art, or going to places or spaces, or reading further about the concepts in the film) to help you develop ideas.
- Use your references at a second meeting to narrow down ideas about the look (lights, locations, etc.) and language (shot choices, shot durations, movement) you think would work. Donât lock these off until you have the location scouted and tested, but do have these discussions as early as you can on a project. This is because on a big shoot, the director may well become very busy with other departments in the run-up to a shoot. Or on a low budget project, you may all be busy scrambling around in the time-consuming process of getting the equipment, facilities and personnel in place for as little money as possible. When I read the script, I really just try to be moved by the story in a multi-sensory way. Images and music come to mind, not just ideas from other films ⌠I also bring what I have been experiencing in life, like an art exhibition or an image of something Iâve seen thatâs stayed with me.Roberto Schaefer
- Go with the director and the designer (if there is one) to look at enough potential locations until you find places that work for your scenes in terms of both the look of the place and the shots you can get there. Pay particular attention to the position of the sun and if and when direct sunlight will shine into the location and when it will be obscured. Look at how the light falls naturally and is reflected back by the colors and textures of the environment and what, if any lighting is already available there. (See C11 and C12.)
- Start working on a storyboard of what will be in frame for either the key shots in each scene or every shot in the film (these can be done with apps or drawn very simply; stick figures are fine).
- Go on a scout with the other heads of department, production design, sound, gaffer and, if possible, camera assistant and grip, to look at the practicalities of shooting in the locations. Assess access to the location, interference of extraneous sound, availability of electricity, and safety of equipment and personnel, etc. You never know if having the same ideas as the director or having something new to add is more likely to get you hired.Roberto Schaefer2
- Produce a shot list and photo/video or storyboard, ideally shot at the location with people standing in for your cast. These should be at the same or a similar aspect ratio/shape that you are planning to shoot, because your shots will look very different depending on the shape of the frame. This is a good time to test out aspect ratios (see C6) if you arenât sure. The lower the budget the more important this is because you will have less equipment and fewer people with enough experience to make optimal decisions on the spot while you are shooting. This shot list will get refined later but it is important to produce it early to help you prepare your equipment list, and for production to work out how long each scene will take to shoot. Use a directorâs viewfinder app on your Smartphone (from around $10) that allows you to p...