Cinematography

Question 1

cinematography

Answer 1

the art of moving pictures and technique in making movies.

Question 2

cinematographer

Answer 2

“Director of Photography” the film director’s main visual collaborator translates the ideas of the director and writer of film captures the images with a camera in most effective way possible

Question 3

frame

Answer 3

smallest unit 24 fr/sec

Question 4

shot

Answer 4

“action” to “cut!”

Question 5

scene

Answer 5

series of shots within one location and time

Question 6

sequence

Answer 6

series of shots edited together for a section, e.g. a dream

Question 7

when was Hitchcock born?

Answer 7

in England in 1899.

Question 8

when did Hitchcock die?

Answer 8

in Los Angeles in 1980.

Question 9

what was Hitchcock’s parents’ job?

Answer 9

they were greengrocers.

Question 10

what was Hitchcock’s religion?

Answer 10

roman catholic

Question 11

how did his stay in prison when Hitchcock was 5 years old inspire him?

Answer 11

it inspired him to write about terror being inflicted upon the unknowing.

Question 12

what are Hitchcock’s main themes in his movies?

Answer 12

fear, guilt and redemption.

Question 13

what year did Hitchcock enter the film industry?

Answer 13

in 1919.

Question 14

what year was Hitchcock sent to Berlin to work as an art and assistant director?

Answer 14

in 1924.

Question 15

what significant movement did Hitchcock learn about during his stay in Germany and how was that reflected in his films?

Answer 15

Hitchcock learned about German Expressionism. Expressionist set designs can be seen in his film ‘The Blackguard’

Question 16

What is Hitchcock’s most famous genre?

Answer 16

Thriller

Question 17

what are Hitchcock’s stories mostly about?

Answer 17

fugitives running from the law with a female sidekick

Question 18

how many films did Hitchcock direct during his career?

Answer 18

over 50 films

Question 19

how long was Hitchcock’s film career?

Answer 19

It spanned six decades

Question 20

what is Hitchcock most famous for?

Answer 20

he recognised the power of cut (editing) to create meaning.

Question 21

what was Hitchcock’s most productive decade?

Answer 21

1950-1960

Question 22

Name three of Hitchcock’s masterpieces:

Answer 22

Psycho, Vertigo and Rear Window

Question 23

What is ‘Alfred Hitchcock presents’?

Answer 23

Television series running from 1955-1965 and is considered very important in British TV history. It was directed by Hitchcock himself.

Question 24

what is a macguffin?

Answer 24

it is an item that sets the whole plot in motion but doesn’t ultimately matter to the storyline.

Question 25

explain shock in movies

Answer 25

shock takes only seconds and is very sudden and unpleasant. example: following a car driving down a road and suddenly something unpleasant jumps in front of the camera.

Question 26

explain suspense in movies

Answer 26

suspense can last for a long time. with it comes apprehension in the viewer as well as excitement, tension and anxiety. example: the viewer knows there is a bomb in a car right by a park where a lot of pedestrians pass by. for many minutes the viewer is waiting for the bomb to go off and not go off.

Question 27

explain horror in movies

Answer 27

horror is an intense feeling of fear, shock and disgust. it is often connected with pain and can last for minutes. example: after the shock of Norman being the real killer in Psycho wears off, and you see 'his mother' come closer, that is horror. Another example is seeing a dude having his hand cut off.

Question 28

camera shot

Answer 28

used to produce different responses to their audience. just like short sentences are used for impact in writing, certain camera shots are used for that effect as well.

Question 29

describing shots

Answer 29

you have to think about the FRAMING, LENGTH, ANGLE and MOVEMENT

Question 30

Answer 30

establishing shot: used to establish location, time period etc. in start of films or scenes.

Question 31

Answer 31

long shot used to emphasise a sweeping location around the character wide-angle lens useful

Question 32

Answer 32

medium shot the general all-purpose shot for a person it is typically from the waist up focuses on characters while still showing environment

Question 33

Answer 33

close-up shot the subject occupies most of the frame, allowing very little observation on the environment much more dramatic than long or medium shots emotions and reactions of character dominate the scene with this shot.

Question 34

Answer 34

extreme close-up magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality often shows only parts of the face; such as mouth or eyes with no background detail whatsoever very artificial shots and is used for dramatic effect

Question 35

camera angles

Answer 35

is the relationship between the camera and the object being photographed it gives emotional information to an audience, e.g. tilted shot makes one feel uncomfortable. the more extreme the angle = the more symbolic the shot

Question 36

birds-eye view

Answer 36

scene taken from directly overhead very unnatural and puts the audience in a godlike potition people made to look insignificant Hithcock fond of this style of shot

Question 37

high-angle shot

Answer 37

not as extreme as the bird's eye view camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give general overview the object photographed seems smaller and less significant character becomes part of a wider picture

Question 38

eye level

Answer 38

fairly neutral shot; camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing the scene, so that the subject's heads are on a level with the focus. It can imply normality as well as confrontation

Question 39

point of view shot

Answer 39

intended to mimic what a particular character is seeing puts the audience directly into the head of the character common examples: character drifiting into unconsciousness (camera 'closed'), or looking through a scope or binoculars.

Question 40

low angle shot

Answer 40

increases height (useful for short actors) gives a sense of speeded motion as well as confusion to the viewer makes one feel quite powerless the background of a low angle shot is often the sky or ceiling viewer psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen

Question 41

tilted angle (dutch tilt) also called oblique / canted

Answer 41

sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. not placed horizontal to floor level) it suggests imbalance, transition and instability and is very popular in horror movies. sometimes used to suggest POV shots

Question 42

worm's eye view

Answer 42

very low angle shot viewer feels extremely small and often insignificant

Question 43

camera movement

Answer 43

is used to follow the action reveal information to move the plot forward change the emotional mood of the scene (e.g. used to make someone appear more or less powerful or frightened etc.)

Question 44

pans

Answer 44

camera moves from side to side (horizontally)

Question 45

tilts

Answer 45

camera moves up and down (vertically)

Question 46

dolly shot (also called trucking or tracking shots)

Answer 46

camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Good way to portray movement

Question 47

hand-held shots

Answer 47

this aesthetic took a while to catch on with mainstream Hollywood gives a jerky, ragged effect (very obvious in the first part of the Hunger Games movie) gives a certain kind of gritty realism, often used to portray poverty (e.g. Winter's Bone)

Question 48

the Steadicam

Answer 48

is a heavy contraption which attaches a camera to an operator by a harness. the camera is stabilized and brought a new smoothness to hand held camera movement is VERY popular in movies and TV shows.

Question 49

crane shots

Answer 49

basically dolly shots in the air crane is a large, heavy piece of equipment but is an effective way to move the camera smoothly can move up, down, left, right or swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it

Question 50

aerial shot

Answer 50

varitation of a crane shot usually taken from a helicopter, popular to use drones in recent years often in beginning of a film to establish setting and movement have been used since the start of film but have gained popularity and is very popular today

Question 51

zoom lenses

Answer 51

contain a mechanism that changes the magnification of an image makes it so that the photographer can get a 'close-up' while still being some distance from the subject.

Question 52

dolly zoom

Answer 52

this shot sees the camera track forward from the actor whilst simultaneously zooming out, or vice-versa. Foreground stays the same while background increases or decreases across the frame Invented by Hitchcock in Vertigo creates a dizzying effect and is quite popular today.

Question 53

composition

Answer 53

how the shots are put together

Question 54

Answer 54

the rule of thirds suggests that you place your main subjects where the lines cross rather than centered in the frame makes a more compelling shot than if the subject is centered.

Question 55

genre

Answer 55

is a type of film this means that each film in a certain 'genre' has the same characteristics as the next one also called conventions example: all war films have soldiers, guns and death in them. all horror films have blood, monsters, a hero, dark tones and scary music.

Question 56

conventions

Answer 56

we expect to see certain things in all films of the same genre.

Question 57

the auteur system

Answer 57

contrast to genre films are rated on the basis of the expression of one person, usually the director. certain directors are known for certain types of films, e.g. Woody Allen and comedy, Hitchcock for thrillers...

Question 58

western

Answer 58

type of genre that is a major defining one of the American film industry sheriff, gun fight, train, cowboys, indians, etc.

Question 59

drama

Answer 59

dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations and stories involving intense character development and interaction. not focused on special-effects, comedy or action dramatic films are probably the largest film genre with many subsets.

Question 60

comedy

Answer 60

light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. subsets include romantic comedies, parodies and black comedies (satirical comedies)

Question 61

thriller

Answer 61

a type of film that promotes intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and nerve-wracking tension example: *Se7en*, *The Zodiac*...

Question 62

horror

Answer 62

horror films are designed to frighten and invoke our hidden worst fears, often with a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining the audience. often combined with science-fiction sub-genres include slasher, teen terror, satanic, zombies, serial killers etc.