Research: Cinematography - Miss Begum

Cinematography

Examples of cinematography:

Avengers: Long shot

Avengers: Medium close up

What is cinematography?

Cinematography is looking at the way the shot is framed, how the angle of the camera is taken and the movement of the camera within the movie clip. It is broken down in 3 main sectors that is the movement of the camera, size and angle that are crucial when making a movie because it will empathise what you are trying to portray.
Cinematography is an important micro-element in film because it emphasises the current moment to make it seem more dramatic and thrilling for the audience. The specific type of cinematography can be used to also let the audience know the importance of this specific character as these shots can either make a particular character look more dominant or submissive.

Key Terminology

(CU) Close Up - A close up shot is when it focuses on one object/ person which usually takes up the whole screen. This is so the audience can see clearly what is or about to happen. For example, a close up on someone's face. This helps us the audience to understand the character's emotions and mentality by their reaction.

(ECU) Extreme Close Up - An a extreme close is a shot that shows one single detail so the only thing that we can see is the object/ person up close such as someone's eye. This will then make the audience established clearly that this person is feeling upset or scared due to the reaction of their eye.




(MS) Medium shot - A medium shot is generally presenting the subject from the waist above.




(MCU) Medium Close Up - A Medium close-up lies between a close up and a medium shot. This shows the subject from the waist and shoulders.



(LS) Long Shot - A long shot is a shot that presents the subject from head to toe which allows the audience to know the character more by seeing how they look like. Sometimes this shot can been taken differently for example in 'low-key lighting' which then of course we wont be able to see how the character looks like, furthermore creating a common thriller convention of mystery.



(ELS) Extreme Long Shot - An extreme long shot usually shows the audience the subject followed by the background or scene that they're in. This is also called an 'Establishing Shot' which means that the audience is able to establish the character and the type of scene that they're in clearly.


(OSS) Over Shoulder Shot - An over shoulder shot is what it is, self-explanatory. This is an over shoulder shot which allows us to see clearly that they're talking, this is preferable used with two people to demonstrate that they're having a conversation. It usually flicks back to each person depending who is talking at the time. This is similar to the close up shot (reaction shot) because we can see the character clearly and how they're reacting to the other person talking.

Aerial Shot - An aerial shot is a camera shot filmed from an airplane, helicopter, blimp, balloon, kite or high building to get something similar to 'a birds eye view'. This is an effective shot as it allows the audience to establish the certain scenery which would put them in the characters mental state. This further creates excitement and suspense as they are now enable to feel how these specific characters feel.

Examples of camera shots

Suicide Squad (2016) Close Up Shot

This is a close up shot of the Joker from 'Suicide Squad'. In this scene the close up shot is used appropriately to portray the Joker as a twisted, disturbed, mischievous character. We are enabled to make this judgement because of the shot that is taken here. In this shot we can clearly see his expression which allows the audience to make observations about this specific character.

The Dark Knight (2008) Long Shot

This is a long shot used in 'The Dark Knight' to portray the mysterious, anti-superhero 'Batman'. In long shots, they can be used in various different ways for example in this picture, it shows the dark knight from head to toe but we are not able to see him clearly because of the 'low-key lighting'. This creates a mysterious feeling because we don't know the person behind 'Batman' but we are able to establish who he is from his silhouette.

Examples of camera angles

Harry Potter and the Dealthly Hallows Pt.1 (2010) High Angle

In this example, the angle of the shot is taken from above is a 'high-angle' which portrays the subject, in this case 'Harry Potter' to be belittled and less powerful than the person whom stands before him. It also shows the expression on his face that he is scared, furthermore demonstrating that the person before him is much more significant and powerful than he is.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Low Angle

In 'The Dark Knight Rises' it shows that this character Bane as an inferior, powerful and dominant character as the angle of the shot is taken from below 'low-angle' to make it seem he is bigger than usual. This is also cast in 'low-key lighting' which casts shadows on the character to make them seem mysterious and in some cases terrifying.

Examples of camera movements

• Panning Shot - A panning shot is when the camera moves alongside with the character, usually in a horizontal plane.
• Tilt Shot - A tilt shot is when the camera tilts up and down.
• Crane Shot - A crane shot is one of the most difficult camera movements to achieve because when the camera is movie, it is very flexible allowing it to move with the character going in many directions.
• Zoom - Zooming is a camera movement that captures the moment or retreats from it.
• Point Of View - A point of view camera movement is shot in the person's view so we are able to see what they're doing. It also gives us a feeling of being in the characters shoes which then experience their emotions and mentality in a better perspective which furthermore always creates a fantastic thriller.
• Hand-Held - The camera is moving with the person and held by that particular person.

This scene is from 'The Dark Knight'. The Joker is getting interrogated by Batman. There is a short panning shot in the beginning that follows the police officer out of the interrogation room. After that, the conversation between the Joker and the Batman is flicked back and fourth using the camera movement of the over the shoulder shot which shows the protagonist and antagonist coversating. This allows the audience to understand who is talking and when they're talking clearly demonstrating the characters emotions during the scene.
These shots enable the audience to establish the roles of each character without getting them confused. Particularly, the over shoulder shot allows audience to experience the characters point of view whether its the antagonist or protagonist. Furthermore, this makes the audience feel more tensed and excited about the scene as they are now able to feel the characters mental state.
This is a very conventional shot for thrillers especially because we're able to see the character talking with someone else yet we're not able to see the face of the second party which creates a thrilling experience for the audience.

This scene from 'The Hunger Games' shows the movement of the camera called a 'Crane Shot' which allows the camera move flexibly. The camera is moving a-lined with the protagonist whilst she is running which also makes the audience feel excited. It is moving from side to side, high and low to catch her every movement and demonstrate her struggles whilst running through the burning flames.
The crane shot allows audience to feel like they are apart of the scene as it moves flexibly around the protagonist, this makes the movie experience for the audience more exciting.
Moreover, this is a conventional thriller shot because it enables the audience to experience the action uniquely. It further creates a more tense atmosphere where the audience question themselves if the protagonist is able to get away or not. 

Conclusion: After researching on Cinematography, I now fully understand how important cinematography is to make a movie clip effective because without it, the audience wouldn't understand what is going on. Before deciding on what camera shots I want, I need to decide what I want to capture for my thriller trailer, for example if I want to capture the victims reaction, I must use a close up to ensure that the audience understands how this particular character feels. This really empathises it as it is a close shot of their face showing their reaction in detail. If I want to further make this victim look vulnerable, I know that I should use a high angle shot to make it seem that they are vulnerable. Overall, I feel as I am very confident in using these cinematography techniques to present my thriller trailer effectively.