Reasearch (Cinematography)

Cinematography

Cinematography is looking at the way that the shots in a film are framed. The angle that the shot is taken at, there are two angles that can be used in cinematography. The two camera angles are high angle and low angle which make the object or the person look inferior or vulnerable. Lastly the movement of the camera. All of these techniques in cinematography give the audience a different representation of the character or the characters and allow the audience to respond in different ways.

In cinematography there are many sizes, sizes in shots these shot sizes are used very specifically in films to outline the point that is being shown to the audience. These shots when they are used in the right way are really effective shot such as in thrillers if the shots are used effectively it can gain a chilling response from the audience.

The first shot size is extreme close up shot. This size shot is used to show details such as the face of an antagonist which only shows the antagonists eyes or the full face but really close up. This shot is used to really establish the character and to make the audience aware of the significance of the antagonist or the character. Also with the use of extreme close up shots it allows the audience to focus on one body part. Also extreme close up shot can make the scene very dramatic for example if someone is running away in a thriller and a close up is shown of their face then the audience can see the fear on the characters face and it will be really dramatic as they see from the characters point of view.

 

These shots show an example of extreme close up shots. These close up shots shows the important parts of the face to make the characters to stand out and make an impression on the audience.









This is an example of extreme close up shot from Harry Potter. This extreme close up was used in the scene in Harry potter because Harry's face is very important and that has the most detail on for the audience to see. This extreme close up is used because in this scene harry does not know what is going on and there is fear on his face and to capture that the is an extreme close up of Harry's face which also causes tension and suspense for the audience. Also the close up shows Dumbledore on Harry's glass and the audience will be curious to find out what happens to Dumbledore and keep the audience hooked in to find out what happens to Dumbledore.

Another shot is medium close up. This medium close up shot shows the head or the face of the character and part of the shoulders in the shot. The medium close up shot can be used for when two characters are in a conversation as it will show their faces and part of the body. This shot can just be taken to make the shot a light light by not being too close into the face but showing the face a a bit of the shoulders (less significant scenes), making the character familiar with the audience.

These are examples of medium close up shots. These shots really capture the emotion on the characters face and add tension as the close up shows the antagonist or the character looking straight at the audience.


 

This is a medium close up from the thriller batman. This medium close up of joker is very scary as it is used deliberately to scare the audience as it looks like joker is looking directly at the audience and in the film joker is looking at someone or something. This medium shot immediately plants questions in the audiences head and the audience is anxious.


Close up shots show the details that are important that the audience needs to see. The close up shot can show emotions of the character, facial expressions and a point of view to the audience. This shot only focuses on the important details which is wants to show the audience in particular scenes.



These are examples of close up shot from two different thrillers but both of these shot create the same level of tension and suspense because of the way the two characters faces dark and they are in a dark location which creates tension and suspense because the audience can sense that there is something bad about where the are are their faces say it all.

Mid shot is  another size  the mid shot is used for a shot that shows the characters head to wait area of the body. Mid shot is also used in films to show the audience in how there perception of people is everyday.


 












The mid shot are taken in thriller to add dramatic effects. For example in this thriller die hard the protagonist is shown in a mid shot this shows his body stance and his body composure, body language can tell the audience a lot of things in this picture by the protagonists body language it shows that a big action event has taken place and in his eyes there is fear because of the consequences. The mid shot is very dramatic for the audience as this shot can put question in the audiences mind in what really is happening also the is a level of curiosity.


Long shot shows the whole body of the character in the shot  and a bit of the background. The audience can establish  the background for the long shot of the character. The long shot gives a taste of the background and with the background the audience can get an idea of where the character is and with this the audience will be curious to find out what the character is doing there and what the place is like. The long shot is a hooker where it hooks the audience to stay watching and to stay curious. 

 
These are example of long shot where the whole body can be seen in the shot.

 
This long shot in the thriller batman is very thrilling and it gets a chilling response from the audience as the audience fear as it shows joker with a gun. This long shot is used to keep the audience in the dark about who joker is going to shoot and with that tension and suspense is built up as the audience are left in the dark


Extreme long shot gives a lot of details away with one shot, the shot gives a full view of the character and the surroundings as well.This allows the audience to get a feel of what is about to happen if the can see the surrounding it makes their experience easier watching the film.

 


 

This extreme long shot in Harry Potter is used to show what is in Harry's surroundings and the extreme long shot shows that harry is reaching for something cretes tension for the audeince that is watching. Also this shot creates questions in the mind of the audienece and keeps the audienec in the dark as to what is about to happen.


Establishing shot shows the whole senario, this shot only shows the senario it sets the sceen and it gives a veiw to the audience where the film is set. The establishing shot is used to ease the audience into the film it is almost like a quick preview of where the film is going to be based around.
 












 














This establishing shot from Grudge of the house it is used to set the scene and it is used to slowly ease the audience into the film. Also the establishing shot makes the house look and feel very innocent to the audience but but the audience dare not aware of the gruesome acts that have taken place in the house.


There are other shot sizes that are used in cinematography but they are not relevant to the coursework because these shots sizes can be very difficult to carry out but here are some other shot sizes.

There is point of view shot this is where the audience sees what the character sees. For example everyone who watches a football match see the whole pitch and all the player form one side to another but if a player took a shoot the audience would only see players faces and the goal or even a bit of the pitch that is what the player sees and the point of view shot shows the audience another prospective the first characters point of view.




 



Another shot is the over the shoulder shot this is where there is  a person with their back to the shot and there is another person faces the camera. This is a great shot because in horror or thriller films this can beused to scare the audience as the antagonists can creep  up on its victims.

Camera Angles

Camera angles to position and to cater for the audience visually. The camera angles allow the audience to see everything from every possible angle, some angles may give the audience a better view. The camera angles are very important to keep the audience engaged and interested.

High camera angle it is when the camera film from the top. The camera films looking at the character from above. This camera angle is used to make the character look small, vulnerable, weak and defenseless. This camera angle can be used in a genre or in a films. This is ideal to use in films when a character is portrayed as weak. Also in thriller films the audience can be made to feel sorry for the character or every to feel scared for the character. For example the high camera angle can be used for when a bird goes into kill its prey the prey would be made to look small and weak and the bird will look big and dominate.

 


Low camera angle it is when the camera is at the bottom looking up at the character.  This low camera angle makes the character look much big, powerful, dominate and scary when the camera angle is at the bottom.This will make the audience feel vulnerable looking up at the character and also it will put fear into the audience looking at this big dominate character. This low camera angle can be used in a thriller for when the attacker or the antagonist goes in for the kill, the victim is made to look small and timid while the attacker/ antagonists is made to look powerful in the killing and this leaves an impression on the audience and they fear the character.

Camera Movements

Camera movements is when the is a change in or shift in view for the audience. Also it can be the change in the frame and the prospective this is all done by the movement of the camera.

Panning camera movemnet is when the camera moves accross in a scen or in a frame. The panning movement can be used in horror movies when the camera moves across there is nothing there but when the camera  moves across for the second time there is something that pops out and scares the audience. Also the panning camera movement shows the audience the same prospective in a normal scene some of the audience can spot things in the frame because they can see everything but when the camera is moving across audience can only see what the camera will show when it is moving across. This movement keeps the audience in the dark.

The tilt movement is when the camera moves up and down. This movement can be used to show a top to toe prospective of a character or even of the area. With the tilt the audience can see everything that they need to see and the tilt adds suspense and tension as the camera slowly goes up and down leaving the audience unaware of what they will see. This tilt movement can be used for when someone bumps into something and the camera slowly tilts up from the bottom to the top and then the is a scary face or something else this techniques is useful to create suspense and then at the end give the audience a big shock.

Crane shot this movement is very flexible. This crane shot can be used to show one floor of the house and then the other floor in the house.

Zoom this movemnet is used to acpture the emotions of a character and also it is used to get away from all the other details in the frame to focus on the important part of the frame.

Point of view shot this is where the audience sees what the character sees. For example this piont of view can be used for when someone is running away from the antagonist and the audience can only see the characters feet or the way that they running this puts the audience in the characters place and prospective.

Hand held when the camera moves with the people.For example a hand held movement would be when someone is running through the forest with the camera in their hand this would be a hand held movement as you would see the camera move when the person runs.

Conclusion

With this cinematography post I have understood and gain a better understanding a lot, the things that I have learnt is all the different shot sizes that can be taken in cinematography. Also why these shot sizes are taken and what they represent and how they make the audience feel.