Cinematography Camera Techniques What to Know Key areas Shot Type Camera Angles Camera Movement Focus Production Elements Production elements include everything that you can see or hear on ID: 434066
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Camera Techniques" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Camera Techniques
CinematographySlide2
Camera Techniques: What to Know
Key areas
Shot Type
Camera Angles
Camera Movement
FocusSlide3
Production Elements
Production
elements
include everything that
you can see
or hear on
screen in a narrative.
They
include
:
Camera
Acting
Lighting
Mis en Scene (Visual Composition)
Sound
Editing
Cinematographers:
P
rimarily responsible for how the films looks
D
ictate how the camera and lighting will be used
W
ork
with
production designers, actors and editors to ensure the overall look comes together the way it was intended to.Slide4
Camera
A
ll
films are made with a camera and the camera is used in specific ways in order to tell the story
.
There
are four main elements of camera
:
Shot Type
Camera Angle
Camera Movement
Camera FocusSlide5
Camera: Shot Type
Shot Type
The
distance of the camera from the subject determines the shot sizes or shot type. Shot types include the following:
Long shot
(LS)
The
subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as possible.
Mid Shot (MS
)
Shows
some part of the subject in more detail whilst still giving
Medium close up (MCU)Half way between a MS and a CU. Slide6
Camera: Shot Types
Close up shot (CU
)
A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.
Extreme close up (ECU)
The
ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.
Cut away (CA)
A
shot of something other than the current action. Slide7
Camera: Shot Types
Cut
In
Shows
some part of the subject in detail.
Two shot
A
comfortable shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot
Over-the-shoulder-shot (OSS
)
Looking
from behind a person at the subject Slide8
Camera: SHOT TYPE
Point-of-view shot (POV
)
Shows
a view from the subject's
perspective
Establishing
shot
U
sually
the first shot of a film is an extremely long or wide shot that establishes the setting and location of the story. Slide9
Camera: Angles
The relationship between the camera and the object being photographed (i.e. the ANGLE) gives emotional information to an audience, and guides their judgment about the character or object in shot. Slide10
Camera: Angles
Bird’s eye view
This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle.
Familiar
objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (
e.g.
umbrellas in a crowd).
This
shot
can put
the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.Slide11
Camera: Angles
High Angle
Not
so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action to give a general overview.
High
angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant.
The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting – they are often seen as less powerful when shot from a high angle. Slide12
CAMERA: ANGLES
Eye-
level
A
fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that actors' heads are on a level with the focus.
The
camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground. Slide13
Camera: Angles
Low
Angle
These increase height and give a sense of power or authority to the character.
The
added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen. Slide14
Camera: Angles
Dutch
tilt
Sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, transition and instability.
This
technique is not as
common.Slide15
Camera: Movement
Panning
A
movement which scans a scene horizontally, that is left to right (or right to left). The camera is placed on a tripod, and is turned, usually to follow an object, keeping it in the middle of the frame.
Tilting
A
movement which scans a scene vertically, that is up and down, otherwise similar to a pan. Slide16
Camera: Movement
Tracking
Shots (a.k.a. Trucking or Dolly shots)
The
camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object.
Complicated
tracking shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane, or even a shopping trolley (for low-budget films).
A
dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character. Slide17
Camera: Movement
Hand-held
shots (Or Camera Vest Shots)
It
gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot, and is favoured by filmmakers looking for a gritty realism, which involves the viewer very closely with a scene.
This will be a favoured technique in the production of our mockumentary TV SeriesSlide18
Camera: Angle
Zooming
The
zoom lens means that the camera need not be moved (and saves a lot of time and trouble). The zoom lens can zip a camera in or out of a scene very quickly.
The
drawbacks include the fact that while a dolly shot involves a steady movement similar to the focusing change in the human eye, the zoom lens tends to be jerky (unless used very slowly) and to distort an image, making objects appear closer together than they really are.
Zoom
shots are usually avoided in most types of filmmaking with the exception of documentaries and
mockumentaries
.
In these cases, zooming in gives a more realistic look to your film and can by used in a humorous way.Slide19
Camera: Focus
Cameras are able to focus on certain objects within a frame, thus directing the audience’s attention towards the important information whether it is a significant object or an important conversation.
The depth of
field
H
ow
much of the information in the frame is in focus.