Lesson 05Lesson 05:CinematographyCinematography
Professor Aaron Baker
In This Lecture…In This Lecture…
• The Photographic Image
• Lenses
• Framing
• Camera Movement
• The Long Take
• Cinematography in Raging Bull (1980)
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Cinematography Cinematography
• Literally, Writing in Movement
• Uses Photography (Writing with Light)
• Light Inscribes Patterns on Film Strip to Make Shots
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Film StocksFilm Stocks• Emulsion on Film Stock Records Image Made with Light• Fast Stock – Sensitive to Light, More
Contrast• Slower Stock – Less Sensitive, Less
Contrast• Contrast = Difference Between Light
and Dark Areas
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ProcessingProcessing
• Color Timing – Change Color
• Chemically, Digitally
1.Tinting – With Dye Add Color to BXW; Lighter Areas
2.Toning – With Dye Color Added to Darker Areas
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ExposureExposure
• How much light passes thru lens
• Filters-Day for Night/Blue-Glamour/Diffusion
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Clarence Sinclair Bull’s study of Gary Cooper, done for MGM in 1934
Frames Per Second (FPS)Frames Per Second (FPS)
• Rate at which Film passes thru Camera/Projector
• 24 FPS - Sound Film • More FPS Projected than
Shot = Fast Motion• Why Silent Films
Sometimes Jerky• Shot at 16-20, Shown at
24 FPS
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Slow MotionSlow Motion• Overcranking
• Film Shot at More FPS than Projected
• Director Sam Peckinpah used slow motion for violence.
• The Wild Bunch (1969) 11
Time Lapse and High Speed Time Lapse and High Speed PhotographyPhotography
• Shot slow, few frames: One per minute or hour
• Many frames shot per second to capture rapid movement
• The Matrix 300 FPS Slow Motion
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PerspectivePerspective
• Lens – like eye, controls light
• Focal Length Can Change
• Controls Perspective: How we See What we See
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Three LensesThree Lenses
• Wide Angle: <35mm; Bulge, Depth
• Middle Focal Length: Like Eye
• Telephoto: Long Focal Length; Flattens Space
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Zoom LensZoom Lens• Can Change Focal
Length• Change Perspective
Within a Shot • Please watch a zoom
out shot from Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Racking FocusRacking Focus
• Changes Perspective within Shot
• Focus Changed
• When we first see Wilson in The Limey (1999) the camera racks focus.
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Depth of FieldDepth of Field
• Focal Length Impacts Shape and Scale of Image
• Also How Much of Space in Focus
• Deep Focus
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Deep FocusDeep Focus
• Foreground, Middle-ground, Background All in Focus
• 1940s Faster Film, Shorter Lenses, More intense lighting
• Show More, Less Cutting
Special EffectsSpecial Effects
• Superimposition: One Image Over Another
• Process/Composite Shots: E.g. Back Projection
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Aspect RatioAspect Ratio
• Ratio Width/Height of Image
• 1:33:1 = Academy (1930s-50s)• 1:85:1 = Now• 1:66:1 = Europe• 2:35:1 =
Cinemascope
Widescreen ImageWidescreen Image
• Anamorphic Lens
• Squeezes wide image to fit on 35 mm film
• When shown widens image back to larger aspect ratio
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Framing Impacts… Framing Impacts…
• What’s Visible
• But Also from What Angle
• What Distance
• From a Static or Moving Perspective
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Shot DistanceShot Distance
• How Far Camera is from What Filming
• Gauged in Relation to Human Figures
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More Shot DistancesMore Shot Distances• Medium Long Shot (MLS)
• Medium Shot (MS)
• Close Up (CU)
• Extreme Close Up (ECU)
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Mobile FramingMobile Framing
• Pan – Side to Side on Fixed Axis
• Tilt - Up/Down on Fixed Axis
• Track or Dolly – Camera moves In/Out or Laterally
• Crane – In/Out, Laterally, Up/Down 32
Hand Held CameraHand Held Camera
• Mobility
• Unstable Image
• Associated with Documentary
• Realism
• Steady cam
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ReframingReframing
• Most Common Camera Movement
• Keeps Characters Centered
• Stays with Character Movement
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Cinematography and DurationCinematography and Duration
• Early Cinema, 1890s-1910s = Longer Shot Duration
• Classical Cinema/Continuity Editing = More Cutting, Shorter Shot Duration
• 1930s Filmmakers Experiment with Long Take = Shots of Longer Duration
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French Theorist: Andre BazinFrench Theorist: Andre Bazin
• Long Take and Deep Focus
• More Realism
• Less Alteration of Pro-Filmic Reality
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Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game 1939
Touch of Evil Touch of Evil (1956)(1956)
• Orson Welles• Long Take, Camera
Movement• Opening Shot = 3
minutes, 30 seconds• Please watch a scene
from Touch of Evil to see a long take
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One Shot Establishes…One Shot Establishes…
• Location (Two Countries)
• Noir Ambiance
• Major Characters
• Violent Crime at Center of Story
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ViolenceViolence
• Common in Hollywood Films
• Entertainment
• Genres:– Crime Films– Sci-Fi– Horror
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Boxing FilmsBoxing Films
• Graphic
• Less Entertaining
• Hard Life of Fighters
• Fewer Special Effects
• Hand Held Camerwork
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Raging Bull Raging Bull Graphic & Visually Graphic & Visually StylizedStylized
• Opening
• Slow Motion
• Stylized - Grace Matches His Violence
• Long Shot Allow Critical Distance
• Ropes Suggest Ring Imprisons LaMotta
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Fight ScenesFight Scenes
• Closer Shots
• Handheld Camera
• Put Spectator Close to Violence, Blood, Pain
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Scenes Outside RingScenes Outside Ring
• Jake’s Social Dysfunction
• More Medium and Long Shots
• Encourage Critical Distance for Viewer
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Last Robinson FightLast Robinson Fight• Shots from Jake’s Perspective
• Expressionist (Dark) Lighting
• Track In/Zoom Out
• Makes Robinson Look Monstrous
• Please watch this clip from Raging Bull
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Discussion QuestionsDiscussion Questions • What state of mind does this
cinematography suggest for the Jake LaMotta character?
• Why does he see Sugar Ray Robinson in this way?
• After viewing the film, post your response on the eBoard to these questions and to the comment of a colleague.