Cinematography: Theory and Practice: For Cinematographers and Directors

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This book covers both the artistry and craftsmanship of cinematography and visual storytelling. Few art forms are as tied to their tools and technology as is cinematography. Take your mastery of these new tools, techniques, and roles to the next level with this cutting-edge roadmap from author and filmmaker Blain Brown.

This 4th edition has been thoroughly updated throughout to include detailed information on the latest lighting and camera equipment, as well as expanded and updated discussion on the following areas: shooting on a budget, color spaces with emphasis on the new UHD standards, the decision-making process in choosing what lights and equipment to use, considerations concerning power issues, safety and what electrical supply is needed for various types of lights, an examination of the cinematographer’s role in preproduction, and much more.

Topics Include:

• Visual storytelling

• Continuity and coverage

• Cameras and digital sensors

• The tools and basics of film lighting

• Methods of shooting a scene

• Continuity and coverage

• Exposure

• Color

• Understanding digital images

• Using linear, gamma, and log video

• Image control and grading on the set

• Data management and the DIT

• Optics and focus

• Camera movement

• Set operations

• Green screen, high speed, and other topics.

Whether you are a student of filmmaking, someone just breaking into the business, working in the field and looking to move up the ladder, or an experienced filmmaker updating your knowledge of tools and techniques, this book provides both the artistic background of visual language and also the craft of shooting for continuity, lighting tools and methods, and the technical side of capturing images on digital or on film.

The companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/brown) features additional material, including lighting demonstrations, basic methods of lighting, methods of shooting a scene, using diffusion, and other topics.

Author(s): Blain Brown
Edition: 4
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2021

Language: English
Pages: 510

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Introduction
The Website
Contents
01 Writing with Motion
Writing With Motion
Building a World
The Visual Language of Cinematography
Storytelling With Light
Defining the Frame
The Lens and Space
Perspective
Light and Color
Movement
Camera Angle
Information
Detective POV
Visual Texture
Visual Metaphor
Naturalism vs Stylized
Putting It All Together
02 The Frame
More Than Just a Picture
Principles of Composition
Unity
Balance
Rhythm
Proportion
Contrast
Texture
Directionality
The Three-Dimensional Field
Creating Depth
Relative Size
Linear Perspective
Atmospheric Perspective
Forces of Visual Organization
The Line
Compositional Triangles
Horizontals, Verticals, and Diagonals
The Power of the Edge
Frame Within a Frame
Positive and Negative Space
Movement in the Visual Field
The Rule of Thirds
Rules of Composition for People
Headroom
Noseroom
Other Guidelines
Lens Height
Dutch Tilt
Aspect Ratios
03 Language of the Lens
The Lens in Storytelling
Foreground/Midground/Background
Lens Perspective
The Lens and Space
Compression of Space
Selective Focus
Flare/Glare
04 Continuity
Continuity
Shooting For Editing
Thinking about Continuity
Types of Continuity
Continuity of Content
Continuity of Movement
Continuity of Position
Continuity of Time
The Prime Directive
The Action Axis
Screen Direction
These Are the Rules—But Why?
Screen Direction
What Establishes the Line?
The Purpose of Screen Direction
Directional Conventions
Exceptions to the Rule
Reverse
Turnaround
Planning Coverage
Cuttability
The 20% and 30 Degree Rules
Moving Shots
Chase Scenes
Going Through a Door
Entering and Exiting Frame
Neutral Axis to Exit Frame
Prop Continuity in Coverage
Eye Sweeps
Group Shots
Cutaway Eyeline Continuity
Eyelines in Over-the-Shoulder Coverage
Eyelines for a Seated Character
05 Shooting Methods
What Is Cinematic?
A Question of Perception
The Frame
Static Frame
Camera Angles
The Shots: Building Blocks of a Scene
Wide Shot
Establishing Shots
Character Shots
Full Shot
Two Shot
Medium Shot
Close-ups
Over-the-Shoulder
Cutaways
Reaction Shots
Inserts
Connecting Shots
Reveals
Pickups
Transitional Shots
Invisible Technique
Involving The Audience: POV
The Fourth Wall and POV
The Shooting Methods
The Master Scene Method
The Master Scene Method
In-One and Developing Master
The Developing Master
Freeform Method
Overlapping or Triple-Take Method
Walk and Talk
Montage
Establishing the Geography
Introductions
The Time
The Characters
Other Editorial Issues In Shooting
Jump Cuts
Types of Edits
The Action Cut
The POV Cut
The Match Cut
The Invisible Cut
06 Cameras
The Digital Signal Path
Digital Signal Processor
HD Recording
UHD
RAW vs. Baked In
RAW Camera Signal Path
Viewing Stream
Definitions
Digital Negative
Chroma Subsampling
Pixels
Resolution
Photosites
Pixels and Photosites Are Not the Same Thing!
Digitizing
OLPF
Digital Sensors
CCD
CMOS
3-Chip
Making Color from Black-and-White
Bayer Filter
Demosaicing/DeBayering
What Color Is Your Sensor?
How Many Pixels Is Enough?
Shooting Resolution
Shutters
Spinning Mirror
Rolling Shutter and Global Shutter
Sensor Size and Depth-of-Field
ISO in Digital Cameras
Noise
IR and Hot Mirror Filters
Bit Depth
Frame Rates
The Film Look vs. The Video Look
07 Measuring Digital
The Waveform Monitor
External Sync
Types of Display
Color Bars In Detail
Using the PLUGE in Monitor Calibration
Monitor Probes
Legal and Valid
The Vectorscope
Hue/Phase
Using the Vectorscope On the Set
Color Bars On the Vectorscope
White Balance/Black Balance
Gamut
Video Test Cards
The Deceptively Simple Neutral Gray Card
Why Isn’t 18% Gray Also 50%?
Calibration Test Charts
DSC Labs Test Charts
The One Shot
The X-Rite ColorChecker
ChromaMatch & ScreenAlign
Skin Tone
Measuring Image Resolution
08 Exposure
Exposure Theory
What Do We Want Exposure to Do for Us?
Controlling Exposure
Change the Bucket
The Elements of Exposure
Light
F/Stops
Shutter Speed/Frame Rate/Shutter Angle
The Response Curve
Underexposure
Overexposure
Correct Exposure
Higher Brightness Range in the Scene
Two Types of Exposure
How Film and Video Are Different
We’ll Fix It in Post
The Bottom Line
Exposure in Shooting RAW Video
Digital Exposure
The Tools of Exposure
The Incident Meter
The Reflectance Meter
A Different World of Exposure
Setting Exposure with the Waveform Monitor
F/Stops On the Waveform
The 18% Solution
Exposure Indicators in The Camera
Zebras
Histogram
Traffic Lights and Goal Posts
False Color Exposure Display
Arri Alexa False Colors
Strategies of Exposure
Don’t Let It Clip, but Avoid the Noise
Texture & Detail
The Dilemma
Using Light Meters
Meter the Key
Using the Waveform Monitor
Placing Middle Gray
Start at the Bottom or Start at the Top
Expose to the Right
Zebras
The Monitor
Know Thyself and Know Thy Camera
Blackmagic Camera Exposure Advice
09 Linear, Gamma, Log
Dynamic Range
Linear Response
An Ideal and a Problem
Linear as Scene Referred
The Classic S-Curve In the Image
Film Gamma and Video Gamma
Video Gamma
The Coincidence
Rec.709 and Rec. 2020
The Rec.709 Transfer Function
Rec. 2020
Studio Swing Levels, Full Range and Legal Video
The Code 100 Problem
Hypergamma/Cinegamma/Film Rec
Sony Hypergamma terminology
Gamma in RAW Video
The Inefficiency of Linear
Log Encoding
Brief History of Log
Superwhite
What You See Is Not What You Get
Log and RAW—Two Different Things
Proprietary Log Curves
Sony S-Log
Arri Log C
Canon-Log
Panalog
RedCode
Red Log
18% Gray In Log
Variation in Log Curves
10 Color
Color Terminology
Color Temperature: The Balances
Warm and Cool
White Balance, Black Balance, and Black Shading
Magenta vs. Green
The CIE Diagram
Gamut
Video Color Spaces
Rec.709 and Rec. 2020
DCI P3
AMPAS ACES Color Space
The Matrix
Color Balance with Gels and Filters
Conversion Gels
Light Balancing Gels
Color Correction Gels
Correcting Off-Color Lights
HMI
Industrial Lamps
Color as a Storytelling Tool
Film Color Palettes
11 Image Control
Getting the Look You Want
At the DIT Cart
What Happens At the Cart
Color Correction and Color Grading
Lift/Shadows
Gamma/Midtones
Gain/Highlights
Curves
Log Controls
Log Offset Color and Master Controls
Exporting and Reusing Grades
LUTs And Looks
1D LUTS
3D LUTS
LUTs and Looks: What’s the Difference?
Controlling the Image in Front of the Lens
Diffusion and Effects Filters
Camera Lens Filters for Color Correction
Warming and Cooling Filters
Contrast Control in Black-And-White
Polarizers
IR Filters
12 Lighting Sources
The Tools of Lighting
Color Balance
Color Rendering Index
Daylight/Tungsten Sources
LED Lights
Remote Phosphor LEDs
HMI Units
Xenons
Tungsten Lights
Fresnels
Open Face
PARs
Soft Lights
Barger Baglights
Color-Correct Fluorescents
Other Types of Units
SoftSun
Cycs, Strips, Nooks, and Broads
Chinese Lanterns and Spacelights
Self-Contained Crane Rigs
Ellipsoidal Reflector Spots
Balloon Lights
Handheld Units
Equipment for Day Exteriors
Improvising Lights
Box Lights
Christmas Tree Lights
Projector Bulbs
For More Information On Lighting
13 Lighting
The Fundamentals of Lighting
The [conceptual] Tools of Lighting
The Attributes of Light
Hard vs. Soft
What are the Goals of Good Lighting?
Full Range of Tones
Color Control and Color Balance
Shape
Separation
Depth
Texture
Mood and Tone
Shadows
Reveal and Conceal
Exposure and Lighting
Some Lighting Terminology
Working with Hard Light and Soft Light
Hard Light
Soft Light
Direction
Avoiding Flat Front Lighting
Light from the Upstage Side
Backlight and Kicker
Intensity
Texture in Lighting
Color
Lighting Techniques
Ambient
Classical Lighting
Bringing it through the windows
Practicals and Motivated Lighting
Basic Principles of Lighting
Light From the Upstage Side—Reverse Key
Back Cross Keys
Ambient Plus Accents
Lighting with Practicals
Lighting through the Window
Available Natural Light
Available Light Windows
Motivated Light
Carrying a Lamp
Day Exteriors
Fill
Silks and Diffusion
Open Shade and Garage Door Light
Sun As Backlight
Magic Hour
The Same Scene Lit Seven Different Ways
14 Controlling Light
Hard Light and Soft Light
Scrims and Barndoors
Flags, Solids, and Nets
Chimeras and Snoots
Softboxes
Eggcrates
The Window Problem
Cookies, Celos, and Gobos
Dimmers
LED Dimmers
Hand Squeezers
15 Gripology
Definitions
Reflectors
Flags and Cutters
Nets
Cuculoris (Cookies)
Grids and Eggcrates
Open Frames
Diffusers
Butterflies and Overheads
Holding
Grip Heads and C-Stands
Highboys
Clamps
Wall Plates, Baby Plates, and Pigeons
2K Receivers and Turtles
Side Arms and Offset Arms
Other Grip Gear
Sandbags
Apple boxes
Wedges
Candle Sticks
Studded Chain Vise Grips
16 Camera Movement
Camera Movement in Filmmaking
Camera Operating
Motivated vs. Unmotivated Movement
Basic Technique
Types Of Moves
Pan
Tilt
Move In / Move Out
Zoom
Punch-in
Moving Shots
Tracking
Countermove
Reveal with Movement
Circle Track Moves
Crane Moves
Rolling Shot
Camera Supports for Movement
Drones
Handheld
Stabilizer Rigs
Camera Heads
The Tripod
High-Hat
Rocker Plate
Tilt Plate
The Crab Dolly
Dolly Terminology
Car Shots
Aerial Shots
Other Types of Camera Mounts
Steadicam
Cable-Cam
Splash Boxes
Underwater Housings
Motion Control
17 Optics & Focus
The Physical Basis Of Optics
Refraction
Focal Length and Angle of View
F/Stop
Focus
Mental Focus
Circle of Confusion
Depth-of-field
How Not to Get More Depth-of-Field
Hyperfocal Distance
Nodal Points
The Rear Nodal Point and Special Effects Shots
Zooms and Depth-of-Field
Macrophotography
Exposure Compensation in Macrophotography
Depth-of-Field in Close-Up Work
Calculating Depth-of-Field in Close-Up Work
Close-Up Tools
Diopters
Extension Tubes or Bellows
Macro Lenses
Snorkels and Innovision
Specialized Lenses
Lens Extenders and Filter Factors
Lens Care
Back Focus
18 Set Operations
Making It Happen
The Director of Photography
The Cinematographer’s Tools
Gaffer Glass
Laser Pointer
Director’s Viewfinder
Digital Still Camera
The Shot List
Putting the Order Together
Reading the Script
Talking to the Director
Location Scouts and Tech Scouts
Coordinating with Other Departments
The Team and The Order
The Page Turn
Tests
Camera Crew
Operator
First AC Duties
Second AC
Loader
DIT
Camera Crew Reports, Equipment & Tools
Camera Reports
Camera Assistant Tools and Supplies
AC Prep
Camera Prep Checklist
The Team
Lighting Technicians (Electricians or Sparks)
Grips
Other Units
Set Procedures
Block, Light, Rehearse, Shoot
The Process
Room Tone
Set Etiquette
Set Safety
Lighting, Electrical, and Grip
Crane Safety
Slating Technique
Verbal Slating
Tail Slate
MOS Slating
Slating Multiple Cameras
Timecode Slates
Jamming the Slate
What to Write on the Slate
When to Change the Letter
The European System of Slating
Pickups, Series, and Reshoots
VFX
Insert Slates
Finding the Sun
19 DIT & Workflow
Data Management
Basic Principles
Cover your Rear
Standard Procedures
Maintain Your Logs
Procedure—Best Practices
Locked and Loaded
Get Your Signals Straight
Always Scrub
Three Drives
Do Not Drag and Drop
Logs
File Management
File Naming
Download/Ingest Software
ShotPut Pro
Silverstack
Proprietary Data Management Software
External Recorders
Ten Numbers: ASC-CDL
Goodbye, Knobs
Primary Correction Only
SOP and S
ACES: What It Is, What It Does
AMPAS and ACES
The Stages
ACES Terminology
20 Power & Distro
Measurement of Electricity
Potential
Paper Amps
Electrical Supply Systems
Single-phase
Three-phase
Power Sources
Stage Service
Generators
Large Generator Operation
Guidelines for Running Small Generators
Paralleling Small Generators
Tie-ins
Tie-in Safety
Determining KVA
Wall Plugging
Load Calculations and Paper Amps
Ampacity
Color Coding
The Neutral
Distribution Equipment
Tie-in Clamps
Busbar Lugs
Connectors
Bull Switches
Feeder Cable
Distribution Boxes
Lunch Boxes, Snake Bites, and Gangboxes
Extensions (Stingers)
Zip Extensions
Planning a Distribution System
Balancing the Load
Calculating Voltage Drop
Electrical Safety
Wet Work
HMI Safety
Grounding Safety
GFCI
21 Technical Issues
Shooting Greenscreen/Bluescreen
Lighting for Greenscreen/Bluescreen
Dimmers
Dimming LEDs
Dimmer Boards
Working with Strobes
High-Speed Photography
Lighting For Extreme Close-Up
Effects
Smoke
Fire
TV and Projector Effects
Day-for-Night
Moonlight Effect
Water EFX
Rain
Lightning
Gunshots and Explosions
Time-Lapse Photography
Time Slicing
Transferring Film To Video
Flicker
Shooting Virtual Reality
Dealing With Audio
Double System vs. Single System Sound
Lock It Up!
Microphones
Mic on the Camera? No!
Directional Mics
Shotgun Mics
Mic Mounts
Wireless Lavs
Phantom Power
Mic vs. Line Input
Audio Basics
Rule #1
Rule #2
Scratch Track
Wild Track
Foley
Room Tone
ADR Is Expensive
Shooting To Playback
Timecode Slate
Backmatter
Dedication
About the Author
Acknowledgments
About the Website
Bibliography
Index