Refraction, or bending of the light, occurs as light passes from one medium to another when there is a difference in the index of refraction between the two materials. 21.95mm x 18.6mm 408.27 sq. As with almost anything in film there is a certain amount of cheating that is possible; filmgoers can be very accepting of minor glitches. Light the people, not the sets. One drawback of this method is that most film projectors are far too noisy to be recording dialog; if its an MOS scene, this wont be a problem. Naturally, a characters hand will often dart in and out of the frame as the actor moves and gestures, but for a long static shot, they should be clearly in or out. This is more than just composition: the graphic design of the frame also conveys story information about the situation. Header cables are the power connection from the ballast to the light head itself. It is very useful for a number of small jobs and easily hidden or rigged above the set. (right, below) Reds FLUT in use. The basic rules of not crossing the line are well known to all working filmmakers, but many do not stop to consider the fundamental theory and perceptual issues that underlie this principle. With a few exceptions, everything has some element of directionality. Moreover, the results might also be in lines per picture height rather than lines per millimeter. Foreground/Midground/Background As we discussed in Visual Language, one of the key elements of film is that we are projecting three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional plane. These indicators show what color channels (Red, Green, Blue) have some areas that are being clipped. Small compact versions of the 2K and 1K soft lights are called zip lights (Figure 12.18). Also, some things in the scene dont reflect light so much as they generate their own light: lamps, a fire, windows, the sky, etc. While editing is not the cinematographers job, it is critical to understand that the job of the DP and director working on the set is to provide the editor with footage that he or she can use creatively and effectively. 24 FPS 120 60 40 30 24 20 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 2 1 25 FPS 100 50 25 20 10 5 4 2 1 Table 18.3. Some are immersible in water (Figure 14.19). It is important to remember that it is not the absolute (actual) size of the source that mattersit is the size of the source relative to the subject. It will also give the editor lots of things to cut away to. Omnimax is a variation which employs a curved screen and anamorphic lens. To deal with this, day exteriors can be approached in three ways: filling with large daylight balance units such as a large HMI, bouncing the existing light with reflectors, or covering the scene with a large silk to control the contrast. (right) The key establishing shot from Kubricks The Shining gives information about the location, the terrain, and the layout of the hotel, as well as a vague sense of foreboding. Deviations from these combinations always risk noticeable flicker. Even with the most accurate weather predictions, it is impossible to know if there will be clouds or not around sunset, by being ready early and having an alternate plan, the DP ended up with a beautiful shot. per axis (a typical size) there are 4,913 nodes total. cinematography: theory and practice 2 Figures 1.2 through 1.5. Cine Meter II with both an overlay waveform and false colors displayed. (right, bottom) The same Expose to the Right frame as shown on the waveform. Its something we have to be aware of at all times. The problem is illustrated in Figure 10.4. The Technique of Film Editing. (top) A landscape scene without a filter (left) and with a LEE Sepia 2 and .75ND filters. Tilt The tilt is up or down vertical rotation of the camera without changing position. Light balancing gels also deal with warm versus cool color but in smaller ranges and more subtle corrections. cinematography: theory and practice 352 Nobody talks to the DP except the director, operator, First AC, and DIT (and they know how to pick the right time). The Y-axis is increasing negative density, which we can think of as brightness of the imagemore exposure means a brighter image. The human eye can accommodate a ratio of 100:1 under static conditions (without adaptation with the iris or changing chemically from scotopic to photopic vision or vice versa). As a result, monitors on the set generally display a converted image; most often the log image is converted to Rec.709 by a LUT either internal on the camera, externally through a LUT box, or with a monitor that can host LUTs. It ties the two characters together and helps put us in the position of the person being addressed. in use on the set. The primary exposure is called the A Frame and the secondary underexposed image is the X Frame. (opposite page, top) Tiffens Black Diffusion/FX series gives a silky-smooth look to textured surfaces. Thats theory, but reality is not so simple, especially in scenes that involve a lot of movement by the characters or very emotional scenes. To solve the problem, engineers shifted the frame rate to 29.97. Suppose a camera assistant decides hes going to be a hero and yank on the rope to get it out of the way. (Photo courtesy Owen Stephens at Fill-Light). Jump cuts as a stylistic device stem from Jean-Luc Goddards first feature, Breathless. This is what makes backups and redundancy so critical. In this particular film, light is used as a metaphor in a very clear and sustained way. An assistant holds a Datacolor SpyderCheckr color reference and MOS slate at the head of the roll. Polanski is a master of this story technique, and he makes it truly visual. This may range from everything fully rigged and hot for a night exterior to only having the power run for a small interior. An image displayed on the vectorscope that is part of DaVinci Resolve, a color correction program. The waveform trace in the black regions is now a very thick line, indicating lots of noise in the darkest areas. A shuttle drive of all files delivered to the post house. Fisher, Inc). This is fundamental to cinema: the camera is the eye of the audience; how the camera takes in the scene is how the audience will perceive it. When appropriate, add texture to your lights with gobos, cookies, and other methods. In the barn, as they make love they are engulfed in stripes of moonlight alternating with darkness. You must be very thorough when placing an order. First, you must establish the person looking, or the audience will not know whose POV it is. These are specially constructed rigs which have exterior controls for the on/off switch and focus. See Table 6.1 for just a few of the most commonly used types. Visualize it this way: imagine a camera on a mount that can be dollied around the subject instantaneously, lets say 90, with the film running at very high speed. However, to a great extent, the DP on a film project can include their artistic intents into the negative. Eyelines in Over-the-Shoulder Coverage When shooting over-the-shoulder coverage, the camera height will generally be at eye level for the characters. This can be done in several ways, from as simple as photographing a test chart and plotting the results all the way up to more high-tech methods which require specialized equipment. Open Face Some 2K, 1K, and 650 units are available as open face lightsthat is, they have no lenses, but they do have some spot/flood focusing (Figure 12.15). Figure 11.9. Another famous example is at the beginning of Apocalypse Now where Coppola cuts from helicopter blades to the ceiling fan in a Saigon hotel room. In this case, the grips would have known what it was, would have known how to deal with it and also would have had the training to know that you ask the actors and crew to move off the set before dealing with anything over their heads. These are colors that can only be achieved by mixing. Particularly on crashes and explosions, some may also be crash cams and will either be in a reinforced housing or be expendable. GoPros are a widely used option for this application. This movement in the frame is important not only for the composition but also plays an important role in what order the viewer perceives and assimilates the subjects in the frame. Camera Supports for Movement What moves we can make is dependent on what type of equipment is supporting the camera. Rehearsal is a time saver, as it usually reduces the number of blown takes.

The line is established by the first view of the scene the audience sees. A prime lens has only one focal length, unlike a zoom, which is variable in focal length. Basic Technique There is an endless variety of ways to move the camera; it is useful to look at a few basic categories of types of moves to provide a general vocabulary of camera dynamics. When a dolly is on the floor (i.e., not on track) and you want to move forward, there are two choices. We know the basic goalto get an image that will yield the best results in the end. If the dolly is on the floor, then it is left or right in relation to the subject. Altitude (height). The nook light is a compact, raw-light unit, usually fitted with an FCM or FHM 1000-watt bulb. The key grip may operate the dolly, or there may be a designated dolly grip. (right, bottom) A shot from O Brother, Where Art Thou? Knowing where middle gray falls on a log curve is useful in certain circumstances, but log curves should almost never be viewed as an exposure reference. Were working on a digital cinema version, but for now, this will do as dailies are frequently viewed in Rec.709. Although a high resolution image can appear to be sharp, it is not necessarily so, and an image that appears sharp is not necessarily high resolution. Duties include: Loading digital recording media or film magazines on the camera on film shoots.

To be an insert instead of a cutaway, it has to be something we saw in the wider shots. Several things can be done to alleviate this problem. The Tyler mounts for helicopters isolate the camera from vibration and steady it so it can be operated smoothly. Many types of effect shots require the camera to be locked down so that not even the slightest movement of the camera is possible. Figure 11.37. Comment 2801 W Alameda Ave. Burbank, CA 91505 (818) 846-3101 Figure 16.19. A neutral axis resets screen direction; once you go to a neutral axis shot of any type, you are free to come back to the scene with a new screen direction established for the scene. Different ISO, color spaces, RAW, Log mode, etc. With a motion picture negative, you can always go back to the original. Take notice of where the lens is pointed and hold the slate in that line. The ScreenAlign is placed in front of the monitor and visual comparison can be made between the monitor display and the device. If everything is the same, just say the take # and go! There are actually two things called ACESFigure 6.19 is the color space of ACES; were going to talk about the ACES workflow later. No matter how large and complex a production is, you are always still doing it one shot at a time. This has the added benefit of providing an optical viewfinder instead of a video one. Lighting is your primary tool in establishing mood and tone, which add layers of meaning to the content. The waveform (green) now fills the full range from 0% to 100%, the histogram (yellow) is now much wider and the effect indicator (blue) shows the changes that have been made. My real job description is to light a set and the ideas all come from a 300-400 year period of painting during the Renaissance throughout the 15th, 16th, 17th centuries in northern Europe. (previous page) The basic elements of exposurea light, a light meter, and a person to interpret what the light meter says. However, since dailies grading is usually going to incorporate the ideas of the DP and director, they need to be exportable and reusable. The operation of various forms of subsampling. A downloadable DIT Log and Camera Media report in Excel form from Fallen Empire Digital Production Services. In discussing lenses, it is a common practice to refer to lenses in reference to what they would do on 35mm film (as well talk about in the chapter Optics & Focus) although this will likely fade as there are fewer and fewer people who have experience with shooting film. Make sure that the slate is already in the frame when the camera begins rolling. Retain file structure! Extreme close-up photography has a set of problems all its own. Address: Be the first to receive exclusive offers and the latest news on our products and services directly in your inbox. Again, the tendency is to put the actor in the center of the frame. I just ask them to think about what it will cost them if an entire days footage is lost due to faulty hard drives or the costly delays in production when there arent enough. This is a powerful tool of visual storytellingthe ability of optics to alter our perception of the physical world. As a result, it just flatly illuminates the subject evenly. Although all these people assist in this, it is the directors fundamental responsibility to get the shots. This is far more important than being stylish, doing fancy moves, and so on. It is the only part of the image that gets recorded. Since the light is on for both the positive and negative side of the sine wave, it reaches its maximum at twice the rate of the AC: 120 cycles per second for 60-hertz current and 100 cycles per second for 50-hertz current. Very light smoke is often used as diffusion for the image and can add a sense of depth to the shot. The shorter the focal length (such as 18 mm), the wider the angle of view and the greater the area seen. In Figure 5.39, the audience will see, for no reason they can understand, that Ralph is on the left side facing right and Lucy is on the right side facing left. It is also used when the camera needs to be mounted in a remote place, such as on top of a ladder. Redcode Red cameras record using Redcode RAW codec, which has the file extension .R3D and is, as the name states, a RAW format. Heres a simple example: in a wide shot, he is not wearing a hat. Note also the snoot boxes on the two tungsten zip lights. It may deliver enough exposure itself, but if it is in the frame or even near the frame, it will flare the image badly and degrade the shot. (Fortunately, moving the foreground actor usually involves moving the key only a little to make sure it is on the correct side of the face.) Shoot all the shots on one side before moving to the other side of the scene. It is important to remember that all these controls interact with each other to some extent. The same frames used for nets can be covered with white silk-like material that is a medium heavy diffusion. The output of an AC power source is a sine wave. This happens throughout an image with less exposure, but also within darker regions of the same image for a given exposure. Using a spot meter to set exposure requires a high-level understanding of exposure theory. Another characteristic of hyperfocal distance is this. The goal is to have your cinematography help tell the story, establish a mood and tone, and add up to a coherent visual presentation. Establishing Establishing is the ability of the camera to reveal or conceal information; think of it as a visual equivalent of exposition, which in verbal storytelling means conveying important information or background to the audience. What is good lighting? Lighting has nearly infinite permutations and variations. It shows color balance and also when individual color channels are clipping. cinematography: theory and practice 232 image control & grading 233 Figure 11.44. It is a handy reference but it is no substitute for a good eye and a well-calibrated monitor. Noir was the birth of the protagonist who is not so clearly defined as purely good or evil. The closer the subject is to the image plane, the less the depth-of-field. Also, the reflectance of things within the scene. When asked about what emotions the actor was expressing, the audience said he was either showing tranquility, hunger, joy, or great sorrow. While 1D LUTs are useful for adjusting contrast and gamma per color channel, 3D LUTs are usually more flexible 3D LUTs can cross-convert colors between channels, alter saturation, and independently control saturation, brightness, and contrast.

It is not correct, however, to just have them switch places.

Its nice to have choices. Figure 9.25. It allows you to look directly into a light without being blinded. Putting in an ND 1.2 filter blocks four stops of visible light but doesnt block far red at all, so opening up the stop allows four stops more of the far red to pass to the sensor. Having it all rest on the final pitch is, of course, a given cinematography: theory and practice 54 in any baseball movie, but the cinematography and the metaphor of lighting and lightning together with the mystical glow of the dying sparks, strongly reminiscent of triumphal fireworks, gives this scene a magical quality that makes it one of the most memorable final scenes in American cinema and visually one of the most moving. 2020 is the gamut for UHD video. First, it allows the editor or video transfer person to coordinate the visual image of the stick coming down with the audio of the clap, thus achieving sound sync. People do get killed and seriously injured. The electrics and grips carry out the DPs orders. Cheating the Turnaround In any of these cases, it is possible to move the camera and lights only a little and just move the actors. Art Adams puts it this way, I find myself using an incident meter much more often now. Often the production trailer, makeup, and wardrobe trailers will have their own built-in generators but they might need some single extensions to distribute the power to where its needed. When unsqueezed, the aspect ratio in projection is generally 2.35:1. (Illustration courtesy of Light Illusion). On the left is the sound recordist. One lux is the illumination produced by one standard candle at 1 meter. The DIT (Digital Imaging Technician) is also part of the camera team but operates somewhat independently. Ensuring that all technical requirements are in order: correct film speed, shutter angle, and so on. Focus and optics remain much the same and, of course, elements of visual storytelling such as composition, camera movement, color, and staging are as important to the overall success of a project as they have ever been. High key: Lighting that is bright and fairly shadowless with lots of fill light; often used in fashion/beauty commercials. The History of Art. The FAY bulbs are dichroic daylight bulbs; tungsten bulbs (FCX) can also be used. Figures 13.20 and 13.21 show a scene lit by a practical table lamp. In this example, many stops at the bottom have linear, gamma, log 207 Figure 10.19. in. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1981 Dmytryk, Edward. For this reason, only nodes are precisely calculated; between nodes, the value is interpolated, meaning it is less precise. Also, the filament will not be properly supported and will sag and possibly touch the glass. Producers sometimes balk at the number of hard drives I recommend they buy or the quality that costs a little more. It is possible to use dimming to establish a warm color look for the scene. In this rig, two Mole-Richardson Maxi Brutes are mounted on candlesticks which are secured to the basket of the crane. See the ground glass chart for some of the combinations of Super35 and other formats (Figure 19.14).

Here are some very brief definitions of the primary steps of the workflow.