Cinematography is the art of photography and camera work in film-making. It refers to the choices of shot size, camera angle, camera movement, composition and lighting in order to tell the story. As we know, these elements of film-making (what we refer to as codes) can be used symbolically to create meaning.
SHOT SIZE
The camera's perspective can be altered in two ways. The camera can be physically moved (closer or further from the subject) or the lens chosen can give a wider or narrower vantage point (zoomed in or out). While this creates differing visual aesthetics, it is the resulting size of the subject that allows the audience to see different parts of the scene in full, or in detail. The shot size types are:
Extreme Wide Shot (EWS / ELS)
Wide Shot (WS / LS)
Medium Long Shot (MWS)
Mid-Shot (MS)
Medium Close-Up (MCU)
Close-Up (CU)
Extreme Close-Up (ECU)
In groups of three (3), each person choose a different shot size to learn about. Follow the link below to complete your worksheet and then share your findings with the group.
Watch this animated scene from 'Inside Out' (2015) and consider the theme and central message.
Watch again and then discuss with the person next to you, how is shot size used to alter our perspective and understanding.
In a new word document titled SCENE CASE STUDIES, write one paragraph explaining how the scene uses the code of shot size to create meaning.
CAMERA ANGLE
Just as shot size forces our perspective as the audience, the angle can generate an emotive response. Moving the camera higher or lower than your subject can influence the power we attribute to a character, or these angles can be pushed to the extremes to create abstract ways of viewing the mundane.
One of the most extreme cases of this effect in practice was in the 1941 film Citizen Kane where director Orson Welles dug holes into the floor in order to get the camera low enough to make the protagonist appear powerful.
In groups of 3 choose an angle to investigate and report back.
Other common camera angles include:
BIRDS EYE VIEW which is directly above the subject similar to a bird flying overhead.
SINGLE SHOT
TWO SHOT
OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT
CAMERA MOVEMENT
Just like the other codes of camera, movement can enhance the story by adapting to the actors blocking to reveal more, or by creating an immersive and unobtrusive depiction of events in real time. The most common movements of camera include:
PAN
TILT
DOLLY
TRACK
CRANE
ROLL
CAMERA MOVEMENT
Camera activity (draw a camera movement from the hat - go and utilise this movement with dramatic purpose).
On return look at what they achieved then
