lecture notes | cinematography for directors & producers

director of photography
(AKA: Cinematographer, First Cameraman, Lighting Cameraman - Abbreviations: DP, DOP)

Definition of Cinematography

Cinematography is the art and craft of the authorship of visual images for the cinema extending from conception and pre-production through post-production to the ultimate presentation of these images. All and any processes which may affect these images are the direct responsibility and interest of the cinematographer.

Cinematography is not a subcategory of photography. Rather, photography is but one craft which the cinematographer uses in addition to other physical, organizational, managerial, interpretive, and image manipulating techniques to effect one coherent process.

Cinematography is a creative and interpretive process which culminates in the authorship of an original work rather than the simple recording of a physical event. The images which the cinematographer brings to the screen come from the artistic vision, imagination, and skill of the cinematographer working within a collaborative relationship with fellow artists.

- John Hora, ASC (ASC Manual)

Cinematography - literally means "writing in movement" / relates to photography, "writing in light"

The director of photography is the director's right hand - DP's help the director make the hard decision - it is a collaboration - DP's are the 2^nd in command - it requires leadership over the crew, they set the mood for crew & the work pace

Production designer is the left hand - the triad: together the director, cinematographer, and production designer make up the look of the film

Position of immense responsibility: creativity and financially - the money of the production rests in the negative

The DP creates the film the director and DP have envisioned for each scene - the visuals are the subtext to the dialog

Uses lighting to evoke proper time, place and atmosphere

Film stocks, camera lens and angles used to most effectively tell the story

The difference between a Polaroid and a portrait

Henri Matisse painting of "a pipe" - it's not a pipe, it's a painting of a pipe - question of semantics, but within that question lies what a cinematographer does

Good taste and cinematography

Daniel Pearl (cinematographer): ...what makes cinematographers sort of weird entities is that we are perhaps artistic nerds. We have to have a foot both in the arts. We have to understanding painting. We have to understand light. We have to understand architecture, interior design. We have to understand even poetry and literature because we have to take pictures that match the emotions of our scripts. So in a way we're Renaissance artists, or at least we have to have an understanding of the arts that affect our work. But at the same time, we're mathematicians and scientists. The technical side of our job is extremely math intensive, and the laws of physics rule everything about light.

Duties

Chooses the lighting sources - balancing realism & dramatic potential of more stylized effects

Outlines lighting plan

Chooses camera, lighting, grip, equipment & vender

Refers crew to production manager: Camera Operator(s), Camera Assistants, Gaffer, Key Grip

Has say in design and color - sets, wardrobe, make-up - selection of locations

Involved in protecting coverage / editorial overlap

Screen direction (with script super) - lighting continuity

Research of authenticity - used for inspiration

Testing - lighting effects / make-up, wardrobe, set colors / gels / lab process / filtration / blue & green screen / miniatures / in camera effects - combination of effects - best serves story

Participates in postproduction: chooses release print stock, color timing of answer print, participates in video transfer, works with visual effects supervisor so that lighting continuity is maintained

The difference between video & film experience

When you learn with film, you learn to "pre-visualize" the result since it not available to you on the set. You do this by lighting something, imagining how it will look, then when you see it the next day, compare what you got with what you imagined. Slowly the two will come closer together. Then if someone wants you to work on video, you can light the scene by eye, then look at the monitor to confirm what you are doing, as opposed to "lighting by monitor".

When a Lighting Director from TV wants to go into shooting films it is a very traumatic process as they are suddenly cast into a world where the result is not available. This tends to make them very nervous! When the reverse happens, a DP finds it a breeze to shoot with a monitor available as when, for instance, you can see no detail outside a "hot" window, you just reduce the lighting outside until you can, or put some ND on the window.

Not uncommon to join a few weeks before principle photography - if possible, include the cinematographer as soon as possible

Conflict: aspirations for photography vs. maintaining schedules and budget

The ONLY one on set who cares the most about the quality of the image

The Camera And Lighting Crew

Fights the frontlines - they try to setup quickly and efficiently while producing good work and maintain the schedule

Camera Department 

Camera Operator

Deliver framed and followed subject matter

Inform director of anomalies re: framing, subject matter contained

Instructed by director and cinematographer about the desired framing - how long to hold, who to follow, frame in a logical manner

(With AC) follow focus, proper zoom, rehearsal & takes 

First Camera Assistant

Thread proper film stock, place specific filter, designated T-stop

Feedback from Camera Op re: focus, zoom lens, coordinates zoom moves with camera & dolly

Assisted by 2nd 

Second Camera Assistant

Fresh film loaded, ready

Present slate - accurately - keeps accurate camera reports

Maintains and informs production about the supply of film

Time sheets 

Loader

Lighting Department  

Gaffer (aka Chief Lighting Technician)

DP sets goals for scene - CLT instructs crew, sees the exact placement, focus of each light - CLT sets, DP sweetens

Participates in production meetings / tech scouts

Implements lighting plans

Lighting preparations & equipment required

On set: execute the lighting scheme, organization & operation of lighting crew

Gaffer looks out for problems - inadequate light, overexposure, hot spots, ugly shadows, etc.

First rate gaffer knows: balance of light and shade / modeling facial features / separation of bkgrd & frgrd

Watches over the performance of the lighting crew / thinks ahead for power requirements & lights / forestalling delays

Stays by DP / electrician stays near CLT / rest are off set 

Best Boy Electric

CLT chief assistant / heads electric dept & equipment

Compiles list of lighting equip / supers load-in / organizing supplies & equip on truck / supers unloading @ set / tracks inventory & damage / supers the load-out

Plans route of cables and distro

Supers time cards & paperwork

Deals with other departments / fire marshal / rental house & suppliers 

Electricians (aka juicer or spark)

Places lights / focus of lights

Loads/unloads lights

Provide power & light to other dept (wardrobe, makeup, sound, etc.)

Safety of set

Not usually licensed journeymen, only lighting movies 

Grip (aka hammer)

Headed by Key Grip

The Key Grip sometimes is the same level as the Gaffer, other times works under the Gaffer

Supervises the grips

Works with non-electrical lighting equipment

Silks, flags, reflectors, rigging, dolly & track, cranes, jib arms, etc.

Electrician does lighting - grip does shading

Safety of rigging

The Best Boy Grip is like BBE

Specialists: Rigging Grip / Dolly Grip 

Cinematography For Directors

Ignorance is not an excuse in the eyes of the law - nor is it in filmmaking

Don't discount the technical aspects of filmmaking. Never say, "I'm only about the creative, not the technical" - it's all technical and it's becoming more so. "You may have the greatest idea for a painting, but you need to know how to paint it." - Gordon Willis, ASC

Tools to communicate vision: photographs / paintings / other films / any other visual source, i.e. commercials, music videos, coffee table books, fashion photographs, magazines (tear sheets) / music

Often mentioned painters: Caravaggio / Edgar Degas / Albrecht Dürer / Edward Hopper / Rembrandt / Titian / Vermeer

Often mentioned photographers: Paul Strand (pioneer of Straight Photography)- Alfred Stieglitz (pioneer of photography as an art form) - Ansel Adams (majestic landscapes of the American West) - Weegee (Arthur Fellig) (1930-50 New York City, turned tabloid murder photos into an art form) - Walker Evens - Lee Miller (model turned combat photo-journalist) - Mark Steinmetz (portraits of youth, usually with a sense of displacement and isolation) - Berenice Abbott (architectural studies of New York City in the 1930s) - Roy Decarva (documenting the African-American experience and its cultural icons) - Dorothea Lange (Depression era photographer) - Herb Ritts (photographer, music video director)

Image and sound (from "Filmmaking" by Bob Foss)

Linda Brown (cinematographer) - Be aggressive about looking through the lens. Admit what you don't know, and be proactive about learning it. Women tend to be less aggressive - DON'T. If you haven't been taught something, you can't know it. It's no big deal...learn it.

A camera is a camera - flexible like a pen, it can write in any language using the grammar of cinema - visual story telling

Ex. The Great Train Robbery, Edwin S. Porter (1903) / A Trip to the Moon, Georges Mélies (1902) / Battleship Potemkin, Sergei Eisenstein (1925)

Good and bad photography or appropriate and inappropriate photography

The first day of the shoot is like the first time - there are not "table readings" for cinematographers 

Use of the Lighting

C.B. DeMille - Lighting is to film what music is to opera.

There's nothing mysterious about lighting: "You put a light up and turn it on. If you like it, you leave it. If you don't, you move it."

Lighting for cinema is more than just illumination of a set - impact comes from manipulation of lights - good camera work is really good lighting / great lighting, makes a great composition, a great shot - lighting creates the environment for story telling. Lighting is at the heart of filmmaking. It is technical, inspirational, and it is sensual.

Lighting in the US vs. Europe: Lighting for actors vs. lighting for the scene (generally)

Lighting is lighting: the same principles apply whether you are part of a two-person crew or a theatrical feature. Let's lay to rest the myth that an entirely different style of lighting is called for video or film.

Daniel Pearl: ...once you've mastered the understanding of the quantity of light, then your entire focus shifts to quality of light. The color. The direction. Its softness or its hardness. Where is light? Where is shadow?

John Schwartman, ASC: ...you get paid to keep your work consistent before the light is perfect and after the light has gone away.

Light and dark help direct composition and focus attention

Bright areas draw viewers attention to objects and gestures / highlights cue to texture of surfaces

Shadow areas conceal detail and build up suspense - Types: cast shadows & attached shadows (shading)

Light shapes our perception: we see far more than we touch or smell

It reveals form / texture: old face, grain of wood, spiders web, glass and gems

Distance

Color (cultural and psychological power: color theory)

Directs our focus

Establishes mood, time, and atmosphere

Unifying or divisive

Quality of light

Indirect/direct, hard/soft, natural/artificial, specular/diffuse, ambient/sourcey, punchy/wrapping, splashing/slamming, contouring/frontal, flat/chiro scuro, strong/gentle, shadowy/high key, modulated/plain, skimming/direct, focused/general, snappy/mushy

Directions of light

Frontal / sidelight / backlight / under-light / top light - Key / fill relationship

Low-Key / High-Key

Color: filter on lens / gel on lights / paint on set / the dye on clothes

TIP: The trick to lighting great exteriors is to find great locations and choosing the right time of day.

TIP: Shoot coverage when you can control the light much easier - Shoot the wide-shot first or last when the light is right

 Use of the Camera

The camera should not be treated like just a recording device - It should be treated as a cinematic endeavor - "point-and-shoot" practice growing with the growth of digital video

Tools of the trade: Framing - movement - lens choice - stock - in-camera effects - post effects - lab process - post-process - distribution

Help to develop the intention of the scene - Pace, timing & rhythm

Screen geography: 180 rule / triangle system / Letter pattern (A, I, L)

The further from the camera the operator is from the camera, the further from the audience the story is. Example:

Handheld Camerawork: very intimate, place the audience within the personal space of the character of the story

Crane Shot: mechanical, places us far outside the character's personal space

If you chose to neglect the importance of the camera, do radio instead

Tools for directors and DPs:

Aspect ratio and format - intimate / epic: 1.37:1 (television) - 1.66:1 (Super16) - 1.79:1 (high def) - 1.85:1 (American wide-screen) - 2:1 (Univision) - 2.2:1 - 2.35:1, 2.40:1 (scope)

Format: Film / video:

FILM: Super8 / 16mm / Super16 / 35mm / 65mm etc.

VIDEO: miniDV / DVCam / DVCPro / BetaSP / digital beta / Hi-Def (480p 720p 1080i etc)

Characteristics and manipulation:

Film: high & low contrast stocks - amount of grain - telecine & lab process (pushing, pulling, flashing, skip bleach, cross processing, timing, printing, coloring) negative/reversal stocks / digital and optical post-manipulation

Video: set-up cards / color matrix / gain / white balance / paint box control / post-manipulation / skin-detail

Ex. "Pearl Harbor": Shot anamorphic - also 8mm, 16mm, 35mm - why? Created in the moment - feels real (time & place)

Speed of motion: over-crank (slow motion) / under-crank (speed up), ramping (used in commercials: example, slow motion changes to normal speed), flo-mo (Matrix effect), motion control (MoCo), motion capture (MoCap), time-lapse, shutter angle (relates to: motion blur)

The lens:

Think of the lens as defining the actor's stage

Perspective relations: focal length: wide-angle (expanded), normal, telephoto (compressed), zoom lens (zoom in to emphasis, zoom out to reveal)

Framing: ECU / CU / MS / FS / LS / WS

Depth of field & focus: Staging in depth / deep focus / split-field

Plane of events:

Levels of intimacy: omniscient / character-related / neutrally observing

Angle / level / height / distance of framing

Low angle / eye level / bird's eye view

Composition: balanced/unbalanced / open (realistic) & closed (staged) framing / point and line / shape and pattern / emphasis and balance / rule of thirds / perspective and point-of-view / negative space

Motion: pan, tilt, tracking (dolly), crane, hand-held

Reframing: to establish relationship or to breakaway, change of time, countering

To cover action

Panoramic shot

Panning and lenses

Tracking/zooming in & out: In to emphasis & Out to reveal

Collaborator

Working with the director - symbiotic

Be prepared - knowing you material is often more important than knowing the technical aspects of filmmaking

Hiring process

Casting like an actor, DP's personal style - what does the DP bring to the film

Evaluating the reel: are the scenes on their reel different from one another, does it show a level of depth and what is the quality of work

Make sure you can talk to one another - hire someone you can fight with so you get what's best for the picture (no "yes-man/woman") - sometimes a happy set makes for a bad film

Don't hire someone solely because they promise you a free camera package, film processing, etc.

If you really want someone, ask him or her what he or she needs in order to come on board. If the DP is working for free, make sure something is in it for them

Spend some time with the DP before the project, but don't expect them to endlessly hold your hand before production

The cinematographer is evaluating the director as much as the director is evaluating the cinematographer. How well do you understand the story and visual grammar of how you're going to tell it?

Taking on the project - script read (viewer, DP), is it fulfilling for me, challenges (too much or interesting)

Storyboards and shot lists - both offer a plan of attack, you can always chuck them later while on set - design and discovery

Prior to filming director should have a precise understanding of the environment of the story including:

Sets, locations, major props, costumes, and makeup

Tests footage on any design elements and adjustments are made

100% trust in your DP - are they serving the story or their demo reel (Sometimes motivated self-interest is a good thing, know when it works for the story)

Provide the best possible copies of work, DP needs this for their reel - it also provides feedback

On the Set

Location vs. stage

TIP: Shoot location first, then stage (unless weather conditions are reliable) - issue of controllability

Video split: Tap makes for public opinion, use with caution / only use a tap for framing, it is NOT a measure of the quality of light or image / use it to review rehearsals, but watch the takes by the camera

Block, Light, Rehearse, Tweak, and then Shoot!!! - Order of conducting the set - often forgotten, especially during crunch time - can save time if followed!

Cinematography For Producers

The enemy of art is the lack of limitations - Orson Welles

Ignorance is not an excuse in the eyes of the law nor is it in filmmaking

Producer should be concerned with: quality of the film, maintain schedule & budget

If you want it to look like film - shoot film! No matter what video format you choose - 24P, HD, SD - it'll always be video

You pay for it now, or you pay for it later

DP serves two masters, the director and the producer

If you don't have time or money to do it twice, you don't have money or time to do it wrong

If you can't make the film right, don't do the film! - Making a $150K film on $100K... maybe / Making a $150 film on $5K... not likely!

Know your budget: How much is allocated for the camera budget: camera rental, grip and lighting, salaries... The camera budget is completely dependent on the type of story and the script. Have the cinematographer involved in the process.

Pre-production

Know what things are and what they cost

The "getting-to-know-the-rental-house" game - call rental houses in your area and abroad, even if you don't have a project - introduce yourself and ask to get a rental catalogue and rate card - ask for names of various personnel. The next you need to rent something, who'll know who to talk to.

Limit the variables: From the cinematographer: testing and planning are all critical to insuring the quality of the negative (but, must have the support from the director and producer)

Lowering your budget: limit cast members (combine parts into one character), shorten scenes, use controllable locations and fewer of them, etc.

If the script calls for lots of day exteriors, don't schedule shooting in the winter when days are shorter / if the script calls for lots of sun, don't schedule the shoot in the winter when it's likely to rain. / etc.

Producer should develop a team, and works to foster that spirit - good movies are good because of a united effort

The importance of pre-production testing: Pay a dollar now for peace of mind, or run the risk of spend two later

Principle Photography

You can have it to fast, inexpensive or with quality - pick two

The further the operator is from the camera, the longer the shot takes to set-up and complete

The lighting requirements for video are mostly a question of lowering the contrast to the point where video can deal with it. The dynamic range of film is something like 10 times that of the best currently available Digital Video format.

When ever possible, pay the crew something - You're allowed to expect hard work if people get paid

If your crew doesn't get paid:

Set them aside and thank them (earnestly!)

Feed the crew well and limit the workday to 12 hours

Friends vs. pros

Friends get bored (they don't know what they don't know) - friends can be taught to do things, but that means less time for whoever is teaching to focus on the shoot

Pros don't need to be explained how to do things - you'll need less people on the set with pros

If a crewmember doesn't work out, give them a dollar and fire them! (Just kiddin')

The importance of film dailies for film projects

Used to judge lighting / check focus / audience feel / closer to final look

Good dallies can be cut to into a trailer (no additional cost to production)

Video dailies (colorist/DP) no common language & skew the cinematographer's eye

1000' (or 400') feet of rehearsal footage / selective prints / set a magazine aside to film the rehearsal before the take - this magazine gets process and a print is struck to review

Peace of mind!! Ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure! (STORY: NY film production - print showed that 90% of the negative to be out of focus)

The writer often takes days, months, even years to work out a scene - while the DP often only gets 30 minutes to light it

Art often gives way to coverage - the cinematographer's job is to not let that happen whenever possible

Conclusion

You can do a lot with a little - but you can't make something from nothing

Use DV to work things out and learn, but you still have to do your homework

Don't forget about the importance of paying your dues

Tim Maurice-Jones (cinematographer) "I hate when you look at a film and they clearly haven't planned out a look. One person is wearing red and someone else has on a blue jacket and the set is painted green and the whole thing looks like a splintered mess. That's what I see if I walk out of my house. The cinematic experience should be more than what you see every day; it should be something special."

Everything stems from a good script - A good script will attract good actors, which will create good buzz, which will attract a producer, etc. - Linda Brown (cinematographer)

Don't sabotage your own script by either trying to wear too many hats or cutting necessary corners by trying to save too much money - Linda Brown (cinematographer)

Don't skimp on sound - Sound is the one of the most expensive part to fix in post-production and is the most obvious indicator of a low-budget production.

Filmmaking is not as easy as it looks and not as complicated as some people make it out to be. - William Burke

Special thanks to:

Richard Crudo, ASC / Daniel Pearl / John Schwartman, ASC / Linda Brown

Tim Maurice-Jones / Nancy Schreiber, ASC / Oliver Stapleton, BSC / Blain Brown

Andrew Lazlo, ASC / John Bailey, ASC / Harry Box

COPYRIGHT 2005.
This material is the sole property of Eric G. Petersen.
This material may not be changed, reproduced or cited without the expressed written consent of Eric G. Petersen.