The Elements of Cinematography

The most basic unit of cinematography is the shot—a continuous exposed piece of film without stops or edits. Each shot orchestrates four important attributes: framing, depth of field, color, and movement. In cinematographic terms, point of view refers to the position from which a person, an event, or an object is seen (or filmed). The aspect ratio describes the relation of width to height of the film frame as it appears on a movie screen or television monitor. Onscreen space refers to the space visible within the frame of the image, whereas off screen space is the implied space or world that exists outside the film’s frame.

The scale of the shot—the distance between the camera and the shot subject—is described by a variety of terms, including close-ups, extreme close-ups, medium close-ups, long shots, extreme long shots, medium shots, and medium long shots. A deep-focus shot is one in which multiple focal planes—foreground, middle ground, and background—are all in sharp focus.

Film shots are positioned according to a multitude of angles, from straight on to above or below. High angles present a point of view from above, directed at a downward angle on individuals or a scene, while low angles present a point of view from below, directed at an upward angle.

The film camera can be moved in a variety of ways to create a moving frame that seeks to replicate aspects of human vision in the natural world. While on a tripod, the camera can pan or tilt to provide horizontal or vertical movement. Reframing refers to the movement of the frame from one position to another within a single continuous shot. A tracking shot changes the position of the point of view by moving the camera forward or backward or around the subject, usually on tracks that have been constructed in advance. The camera can be mounted on a dolly to create tracking shots, on a crane for overhead shots, or on a Steadicam (essentially a gyroscope harness worn by the camera operator) to create smooth moving shots. For example, the long, flowing shots of Danny riding his tricycle through the hallways of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining (1980) were created using a Steadicam. A handheld shot allows freedom of movement like a Steadicam, but results in a shaky image, such as often seen in documentary war footage, for example.

Animation traditionally refers to moving images that are drawn or painted on individual cels that are then photographed onto single frames of film. Stop-motion animation is created by manipulating three-dimensional objects (often clay figures) and by exposing one frame of film at a time to create movement, as seen in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). After the runaway success of Pixar Studios’ Toy Story (1995), contemporary animated feature films are more commonly created using digital technology.

Special effects cinematography includes not only computer-generated imagery (CGI) but also manipulations like slow motion, fast motion, process shots, and matte shots.