Cinematography

Cinematography

Cinematography is the process of obtaining motion picture photography.. It captures moving images and has many shots and angles Each shot in a motion picture is important and delicate and there is a designated name for each and every one. A Cinematographer's job is very important to the process of filmmaking but it is also a position that is invisible to viewers of the final production.

Origin

  In 1891, W.K.L. Dickson invented the first successful apparatus called the Kinetoscopethat was used for capturing content on film. However; the problem with his invention was that only one person at a time could view the recorded content. In 1894,Charles Francis Jenkins produced a movie projector called the Phantoscope which allowed the first motion picture to be debuted. The phantoscope also allowed for a multiple person audience to view the picture. In 1895, Louis and Auguste Lumiere came up with the Cinematographe which was considered an improvement from Jenkin's invention. The Cinematographe took,printed and projected the film to the audience and thus is what is used today to show motion pictures.

Camera Angles

  An important function of a cinematographer is to be aware of proper camera positions and angles while capturing a an image for the screen. There are many camera angles involved in producing an acceptable shot for the audience. A high angle shot means that the camera is positioned higher than the viewer's eyeline. In order to obtain this type of shot, the camera is positioned above the subject being filmed as if looking down at the scene. A low angle shot is a shot in which the camera is positioned below the eyeline and makes the shot appear as if the audience is looking up at the scene. A point of view is when a the camera is showing a scene from the viewpoint of a particular character in the movie. To obtain a point of view shot, the cinematographer must place the camera to the side of the person whose point of view is being depicted. There are angles which also can be depicted from the above angles such as an extreme long shot is a high angle shot which is captured from very far away. A medium long shot is closer up than an extreme long shot and the people and settings in the scene become more visible. A medium shot is portrayed from the knees or waist of the character up and a medium close up is obtained from the chest up. There are two types of shots which show the person in the scene in a very personal position. The close-up shows from the shoulders up and then the extreme close-up shows strictly from the neck up or it could show an eye, hand or other particular body parts and is an extremely rare shot to show in a movie.
  Cinematography is very important when producing a motion picture for an audience. Camera shots are essential to capturing the entire story being told and if the cinematography is badly done, the entire movie is bad.