Cinematography basics
September 12, 2014 12:29 PM   Subscribe

What are the best resources to learn the basics of cinematography?

I am especially interested in:
1) Lighting
2) Use of colour
3) Positioning? Like where people stand in relation to each other, the set, and the camera.
4) E...editing? What makes a good transition, how long should scenes last?
5) Camerawork: framing, frame speed, lens effects

As you can see I'm not versed in this field at all so I'd like to learn from the very basics. I'm not super-interested in "how" side (the actual technical side - "how do you light a scene this way?") so much as the "why" side ("why is the light coming from the top?" - what effect does it have on the audience, and the story?).

I am also interested in the differences between film and television cinematography.

Books, free courses, especially relevant commentary, and articles all appreciated. Thanks!
posted by rebooter to Media & Arts (7 answers total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm not a cinematographer, just a photographer. But a few resources I've found useful in learning some basic cinematography principles I can make use of in photography have been The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel, the Master Shots series of books by Christopher Kenworthy, and On Directing Film by David Mamet. That list is ordered from most basic to most tangential.
posted by cribcage at 12:51 PM on September 12, 2014


Making Movies by the late great director Sidney Lumet is great for this. He discusses a number of his films in detail. Although the book is quite a bit broader than just cinematography, it's still truly terrific when it comes to the "whys" of how his films were shot--the creeping claustrophobia of 12 Angry Men, the gradual shift from naturalism to pronounced artificiality in Network.

Best of all, Lumet is a real mensch and comes off as effortlessly, ceaselessly likable. He somehow manages to be both articulate and conversational. He's a pleasure to read and he teaches his readers a great deal about making movies without ever being dry or scholarly.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:56 PM on September 12, 2014


rongorongo recommended The Grammar of the Shot and Grammar of the Edit to me in a question on film grammar1, 2 and they covered your #3 above, much of #4, and part of 5 (framing, eye lines, "crossing the line," transitions, among other things). I don't remember them talking about scene length, frame speed, or lens effects but couldn't swear that they didn't.

If cost is an issue, your local public library can probably get them through inter-library loan (my library has been able to get everything I asked for for free, except for one book. In the last 8 years I've requested 156 books and 4 articles through inter-library loan).
posted by johnofjack at 1:24 PM on September 12, 2014


There are a bunch of great videos on film concepts at Filmmaker IQ on Vimeo. The ones on editing and film format are especially good.
posted by octothorpe at 1:55 PM on September 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques is an essential classic. Sure a lot of movies break these rules, but you have to master them before you know how to break them. American Cinematographer Magazine's interviews are another really good resource for the "why" of what cinematographers do.
posted by Sophont at 2:19 PM on September 12, 2014


Positioning? Like where people stand in relation to each other, the set, and the camera.
Is blocking and usually involves collaboration with the director and maybe even the script.
Editing is done by editors, and involves different choices than yours as a cinematographer. The director will also have you keep shooting until the scene is done.
Watching wonderful cinematography is a great way to learn--I've always recommended Visions of Light. and every film that's won an Oscar in this category.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:26 PM on September 12, 2014


The Cutting Edge is a great documentary on editing, it's up on YouTube currently.
posted by octothorpe at 5:55 AM on September 13, 2014


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