NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Film lighting

Cinematography literally means "writing in the movement", and is the discipline of making lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for the cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography, though many additional issues arise when both the camera and elements of the scene are in motion. Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links This work is copyrighted. ... Photograph of a handheld digital ambient light meter, showing an f-stop of 5. ... Audrey Tautou (pronounced roughly as toe-too) (born August 9, 1978) is a French actress, born in Beaumont, Puy-de-DÃ´me, France. ... Movie poster for A Very Long Engagement A Very Long Engagement (Un long dimanche de fianÃ§ailles) is a novel by Sebastien Japrisot, on which a 2004 film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and distributed by Warner Bros. ... Architect lamps Dark lighting in a concert hall allow laser effects to be visible In the 2005 Classical Spectacular performance, a state-of-the-art lighting system was used to accompany the music Lighting refers to the devices or techniques used for illumination, usually referring to artificial light sources such... A camera is a device used to take pictures (usually photographs), either singly or in sequence, with or without sound recording, such as with video cameras. ... See also: Photograph In common usage, an image (from Latin imago) or picture is an artifact that reproduces the likeness of some subjectâ€”usually a physical object or a person. ... Lens and mounting of a large format camera Photography is the technique of recording and generating permanent images, by the capturing and preservation of physical stimulus-patterns on a layer of photosensitive material. ...

In the film industry, the cinematographer is responsible for the technical caliber of the images, but also works closely with the director to ensure that the aesthetics are supporting the story being told. They typically manage and orchestrate the entire camera and lighting crew on a set, and for this reason they are often called directors of photography (or DPs). Ensuring visual coherence and quality generally requires cinematographers to participate in every phase of a project's development. The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Aesthetics (or esthetics) (from the Greek word αισθητική) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty. ... Coherence is from Latin cohaerere = stick together, to be connected with, logically consistent. ...

Traditionally the term "cinematography" referred to working with celluloid film, but it is now largely synonymous with videography due to the popularity of digital cinema. Modern image processing has also made it possible to radically modify pictures from how they were originally captured. This has allowed new disciplines to encroach on some of the choices that were once the DP's exclusive domain. Film stock is the term for photographic film on which films are recorded. ... vid-e-o-graphy (videe ogruh fee) n. ... Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology, digital video or HD, to make, distribute and project motion pictures. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

1 Cinematographic decisions
2 Special effects
- 2.1 Frame Rate Selection
3 See also
- 3.1 External links

Cinematographic decisions

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cinematographer. (Discuss)

A professional who engages in cinematography, known as a cinematographer or Director of Photography (DP or DOP), makes many creative and interpretive decisions during the course of his or her work, from pre-production, shooting to post-production, all of which affect the overall feel and look of the motion picture. Many of these decisions are similar to what a photographer needs to note when taking a picture: the cinematographer controls the film itself, the lensing, aperture exposure, focus and the distance of the shot. The one difference is that cinematography has a temporal aspect, as compared with photography, which is purely a still image recapturing process. It is also bulkier and more strenuous to deal with movie cameras, and it involves a more complex array of choices, and as such a cinematographer usually needs to work co-operatively with more people than does a photographer, who could frequently function as a single person. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, AFC, meters Audrey Tautou on the set of A Very Long Engagement. ... Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, AFC, meters Audrey Tautou on the set of A Very Long Engagement. ... This is a list of notable photographers in the art, documentary and fashion traditions. ... In photography, exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the film (or electronic sensor in the case of digital photography) during the process of taking a photograph. ...

The Film: Film Stock, Width and Exposure

The photographic image is related to how the photographic aspects of a film affect the overall artistic effect of the movie, similar to how they affect a photographer. Some of these are in preproduction, such as the selection of the film stock, or in post-production, such as in laboratory work. Film stock can adversely affect how your intended film looks. The cinematographer can select the range of his or her color film stocks: three-color Technicolor yields rich, saturated colors which are very different from Eastman Kodak color strips. Choosing a slower (or low-speed, i.e., one that is not as sensitive to light) film stock gives starker, more "contrasty" blacks and whites with little range of grays in between. On the other hand, a faster (or high-speed) film stock will decrease contrast, giving a wider range of grays. Fast films are also typically grainier compared with slower ones. This is a list of notable photographers in the art, documentary and fashion traditions. ... Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involved a film, play, or other performance. ... Film stock is the term for photographic film on which films are recorded. ... Post production is the general term for the last stage of film production in which photographed scenes (also called footage) are put together into a complete film. ... Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor, now a division of Thomson. ... Eastman Kodak Company NYSE: EK is a large multinational public company producing photographic materials and equipment. ...

Laboratory work can also reproduce or augment effects. By controlling the temperature and varying the chemicals and strength and duration in which the film is soaked in, cinematographers can achieve very different looks on their film strips in the laboratory.

A range of film widths, from 8mm to 70mm and IMAX, give a choice between quality and price of the film. Most theatrical releases utilize 35mm and 70mm films. IMAX quality films have the highest quality, while 8mm have the least, although the latter is predictably the cheapest to use. An IMAX dome in Guayaquil, Ecuador IMAX (for Image Maximum) is a film projection system that has the capacity to display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film display systems. ...

The length of exposure does much to create darker or brighter images. Typically, a film is simply well exposed, but underexposure or overexposure can give cinematographers a range of creative ideas. For instance, overexposure is commonly used for mystic, overworldly atmospheres, while underexposure can make the film feel "darker" and more oppressive.

Filters

Filters, such as diffusion filters and contrast filters, are also widely used to enhance mood or dramatic effects. Certain cinematographers, such as Christopher Doyle, are well known for their innovative use of filters. The term filter may refer to: Filter (chemistry) — a device to separate mixtures, e. ... Christopher Doyle (born in 1952 in Sydney, Australia; Chinese name: æœå¯é¢¨) is an Australian cinematographer and member of the HKSC. He has worked with leading Chinese directors such as Wong Kar-wai, Zhang Yimou and Zhang Yuan. ...

Lens

Focal length

The camera does what a human eye does, that is, it creates perspective and spatial relations with the rest of the world. However, unlike one's eye, a cinematographer can select different lenses for different purposes. Variations in focal length is one of the chief benefits of such an advantage. Cinematographers can choose between a wide angle lens, normal lens and telephoto lens. Wide-angle lenses have short focal lengths and make spatial distances more obvious. A person in the distance is shown as much smaller while someone in the front will loom large. On the other hand, telephoto lenses reduce such exaggerations, depicting far-off objects as seemingly close together and flattening perspective. Zoom lenses allow camera operators to change their focal length at will. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The focal point F and focal length f of a positive lens, a negative lens, a concave mirror, and a convex mirror. ... Wide Angle (1999) is the debut album by British breakbeat trance producers Hybrid, re-released in 2000 as a double-CD edition entitled Wider Angle. ... In photography and cinematography, a telephoto lens is a lens where the focal length is significantly longer than the focal length of a normal lens. ...

Depth of field and focus

Focal length also affects the depth of field of a scene — that is, how much the background, mid-ground and foreground remain in sharpness simultaneously. A wide angle lens will have a greater depth of field than does a telephoto lens. More of the planes of a staged image will be in focus. In Citizen Kane for example, cinematographer Gregg Toland used a fast film stock and large depth of field to render different planes within a shot simultaneously focused, a practice that is known as deep focus. Deep focus became a very popular cinematographic device from the 1940s onwards in Hollywood. An example of very shallow depth of field in a macro photograph. ... Citizen Kane was the first feature film directed by Orson Welles (he had directed two short films previously), and is loosely based on the lives of the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the reclusive aerospace and movie mogul Howard Hughes, and the Chicago utilities magnate Samuel Insull. ... Gregg Toland (1904-1948) was an influential American cinematographer, most noted for his work on Orson Welles Citizen Kane. ... A scene from William Wylers film, The Best Years of Our Lives, exemplifies deep focus. ... ...

Aspect Ratio and Framing

Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of an image is the ratio of its width to its height. Beginning in the 1910s, motion pictures settled on a ratio of four to three (four units wide to three units high). Often written as 4:3, this ratio may be reduced by dividing both sides of the equation. Thus, 4:3 becomes 1.33:1 and this aspect ratio is commonly known as 1.33. For years, cinematographers were limited to this shape of image, but in the 1950s, widescreen ratios were introduced — granting them many more options in the shape of the frame. The aspect ratio of an image is its displayed width divided by its height (usually expressed as x:y). For instance, the aspect ratio of a traditional television screen is 4:3, or 1. ... A 32inch CRT widescreen television A widescreen image is a film image with a greater aspect ratio than the ordinary 35 millimeter frame. ...

The Close-Up

Medium Shot

Long Shot

A long shot may be used as an establishing shot, which puts a scene into context.

Camera Movements

Arguably the height of a cinematographer's art, the moving camera captures the essence of the (non-edited) cinema to conquer space and time. Again, Welles is one of the foremost practitioners of this craft, with his opening to Touch of Evil being one of the most well-known (and quoted) examples.

Duration of a shot: long takes

Lighting

Special effects

The first special effects in the cinema were created while the film was being shot. These came to be known as "in-camera" effects. Later, optical and digital effects were developed so that editors could more tightly control the process by manipulating the film in post-production. An in-camera effect is any special effect in a video or movie that is created solely by using techniques in and on the camera and/or its parts. ... An optical printer with two projector heads, used in producing movie special effects. ... Digital compositing is the process of assembling multiple images to make a final image, typically for print, motion pictures or screen display. ... Post production is the general term for the last stage of film production in which photographed scenes (also called footage) are put together into a complete film. ...

For examples of many in-camera special effects, see the work of early filmmaker Georges Méliès. Georges MÃ©liÃ¨s (December 8, 1861 â€“ January 21, 1938), full name Maries-Georges-Jean MÃ©liÃ¨s, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. ...

Frame Rate Selection

By varying the speed at which a strip of film moves through the camera, one may create fast or slow motion. For instance, if film is shot at 18 frame/s and then later projected at the standard 24 frame/s, all the action will appear speeded up. Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique whereby each film frame is captured at a rate much slower then it will be played back. ... Slow motion is an effect resulting from running film through a movie camera at faster-than-normal speed. ... Frame rate, or frame frequency, is the measurement of how quickly an imaging device can produce unique consecutive images called frames. ...

Contents

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