Chapter 5:CINEMATOGRAPHY

Question 1

Essentially, there are four points of view that maybe be employed in a film

Answer 1

• Point of View:

Question 2

Using the special techniques of the medium, the director manipulates us so that we see the action or the character in the way the director interprets them

Answer 2

o Director’s Interpretive:

Question 3

a viewpoint that brings us close to the action and increases our involvement. It provides us with the feeling and sense of immediacy of participating in the action without showing the action through a participant’s eyes

Answer 3

o Indirect-subjective:

Question 4

The viewpoint of a sideline observer, which suggest an emotional distance between camera and subject. The camera seems simply to be recording, as straightforwardly as possible, the characters and the actions of the story

Answer 4

o Objective:

Question 5

The viewpoint of a character participating in the action

Answer 5

o Subjective

Question 6

• An objective shot that shows a character looking at something offscreen…. cues us to wonder what the character is looking at.

Answer 6

(called a look of outward regard)

Question 7

shows us subjectively what the character is seeing.

Answer 7

• eye-line shot,

Question 8

A beginning shot of a new scene that shows an overall view of the new setting and the relative position of the actors in that setting

Answer 8

• Establishing shot:

Question 9

a strip of film produced by a single uninterrupted running of the camera)

Answer 9

• shot

Question 10

the camera remains in one position, pointing at one spot, as we might look at something with a frozen stare

Answer 10

fixed-frame movement,

Question 11

• Moving the camera’s line of sight in a horizontal plane, to the left and right, is called

Answer 11

Panning

Question 12

screen area with no dramatically or aesthetically interesting visual information) between the two subjects

Answer 12

• dead screen

Question 13

• Moving the camera’s line of sight in a vertical plane, up and down, is called

Answer 13

tilting.

Question 14

a series of lenses that keep an image in constant focus–allows the camera to appear to glide toward or away from the subject, but without any movement of the camera

Answer 14

• Steadicam,

Question 15

is a small, computerized, remote-controlled camera that can be mounted on the top of a lightweight magnesium pole or can “fly” on wires at speeds of up to twenty miles an hour and can go practically anywhere that cables can be strung

Answer 15

• Skycam,

Question 16

a shot, taken from some distance that shows the subject as well as its surroundings)

Answer 16

• long shot

Question 17

each shot must be composed so that the visual frame is loaded with cinematic information, and large blank areas (dead screen) are avoided–unless, as in some cases, there is a dramatic purpose for dead screen.

Answer 17

• live screen

Question 18

• A camera mounted on a truck or … may create the illusion of depth by moving toward or away from a relatively static object

Answer 18

dolly

Question 19

the use of special lenses that allow the camera to focus simultaneously and usually with equal clarity on objects anywhere from two feet to several hundred feet away

Answer 19

deep focus

Question 20

in one continuous shot focusing the camera lens, in turn, on objects in different planes of depth (different distances from the camera).

Answer 20

Rack Focus

Question 21

the use of s a subtle, light-diffusing filter to soften focus slightly and subdue the colors so that the whole film has the quality of Rembrandt painting
• Soft focus: a slight burred of focus for effect

Answer 21

• Rembrandt effect:

Question 22

• placing the camera above eye level, creating a …, which seems to dwarf the subject and diminish its importance.

Answer 22

High-angle shot

Question 23

• When the camera is placed below eye level, creating a …, the size and importance of the subject are exaggerated

Answer 23

low-angle shot

Question 24

a slight burred of focus for effect

Answer 24

soft focus

Question 25

exaggerates the perspective, so that the distance between an object in the foreground and one in the background seems much greater than it actually is.

Answer 25

wide-angle lens

Question 26

compresses depth so that the distance between foreground and background objects seems less than it actually is

Answer 26

telephoto lens

Question 27

• A special type of extreme wide-angle lens, called a ... lens, bends both horizontal and vertical planes and distorts depth relationships

Answer 27

fish-eye lens

Question 28

• Filmed at greater than normal speed and then projected at normal speed, the action is slowed-

Answer 28

Slow Motion

Question 29

o Stretch the moment to intensify its emotional quality o To exaggerate effort, fatigue, and frustration o To suggest superhuman speed and power o To emphasize the grace of physical action o To suggest the passage of time o To create a sharp contrast with normal motion

Answer 29

uses of slow motion

Question 30

o When using a fixed frame, the director creates the illusion of depth by filming the subject moving toward or away from the camera, either head-on or diagonally. Purely lateral movement, perpendicular to the direction in which the camera is aimed, creates a two- dimensional effect and, to avoid a flat image, should be minimized. o 2 Movement of Camera. A camera mounted on a truck or dolly may create the illusion of depth by moving toward or away from a relatively static object. As it passes by or goes around objects, we become more aware of the depth of the image. Because the camera eye actually moves, the objects on both sides of its path constantly change their position relative to one another. The change varies according to the changing angles from which the moving camera views them. Director Allan Dwan describes this illusion: “To get the real effect of a dolly at any time, you have to pass something.... If you dolly past a tree, it seems to revolve. It turns around. It isn’t flat anymore. But stand still and photograph a tree and it’s just a flat tree. o 3 Apparent Camera Movement (Zoom Lens). By magnifying the image, the zoom lens gives us the sensation of moving closer to or farther from the camera. Not surprisingly, the zoom lens may also be used to create the illusion of depth. But because camera position does not change during zooming, there is no real change in perspective. The objects to the sides do not change their position in relation to one another as they do when the camera moves. For this reason, a zoom lens does not create the illusion of depth quite as effectively as a mobile camera. o 4 Change of Focal Planes (Rack Focus). Most cameras, including still cameras, are designed to focus on objects at different distances from the lens. Because the eye is ordinarily drawn to what it can see best--that is, to the object in sharpest focus--the cinematographer can create a kind of three- dimensionality by using rack focus--in one continuous shot focusing the camera lens, in turn, on objects in different planes of depth (different distances from the camera). If the frame includes three faces, all at different distances from the camera, the cinematographer may first focus on the nearest face and then, while the shot continues, focus on the second face and then on the third, thus, in effect, creating the illusion of depth within the frame (Figure 5.18). o 5 Deep Focus. In direct contrast to the change in focal planes is deep focus-- the use of special lenses that allow the camera to focus simultaneously and usually with equal clarity on objects anywhere from two feet to several hundred feet away. This depth of focus approximates most clearly the ability of the human eye to see a deep range of objects in clear focus (Figure 5.19). The sustained use of this technique has a profound effect on the way the audience views the dramatic action. Writing about cinematographer Gregg Toland’s use of deep focus in Citizen Kane, Frank Brady explains: o 6 Three-Dimensional Arrangement of People and Objects. Perhaps the most important consideration in creating a three-dimensional image is how to arrange the people and objects to be filmed. If they are placed in separate focal planes, the cinematographer has a truly three-dimensional scene to photograph. Without such an arrangement, there is no real purpose for the various effects and techniques described above o Foreground Framing. A three-dimensional effect is also achieved when a shot is set up so that the subject is framed by an object or objects in the near foreground. When the object that forms the frame is in focus, a strong sense of three-dimensionality is achieved. When the foreground frame is thrown out of focus, or seen in very soft focus, the three-dimensional effect is weakened somewhat but not lost, and the entire mood or atmosphere of the scene changes o 8 Special Lighting Effects. By carefully controlling the angle, direction, intensity, and quality of the lighting, the director can further add to the illusion of depth (Figure 5.22). Occasionally, the director may even control the source and direction of the lighting for the purpose of expanding the limits of the frame. By positioning the light source out of camera range--to either side of, or behind, the camera--the filmmaker can cause the shadows of objects outside the frame to fall inside the frame, thus suggesting the presence of those objects. When these shadows come from objects behind the camera, they can add greatly to the three-dimensionality of the shot o 9 Use of Reflections. Directors also make imaginative use of reflections to create a sense of depth and pack additional information into a frame

Answer 30

• Creating an illusion of Depth