Now i know the basics of short films i want a more in-depth understanding in Cinematography and how i can add this to my short film.

What is Cinematography?

Before a film ever makes it to the screen, it’s first a script— descriptions of what the characters do and say, as well as the events that happen to them. But for that script to become a movie, it requires the transformation of those descriptions into moving images. That’s where cinematography becomes essential to the filmmaking process. So I need to do some research on script writing for my comedy aspect and script layout in general.

What are the Cinematographers main focus?

Define Cinematography

”Cinematography is generally defined as “the art of making motion pictures.” But a truer description is that without cinematography, there is no motion picture. A Screenwriter might create the story and a Director may guide how the Actors perform, but it is the Cinematographer who permanently captures that story and the Actors in it.”

”But cinematography is so much more than just recording what happens on location or a sound stage. It is a language that is not spoken but seen. Showing not telling Because beyond what the Actors do or say is how the audience watches it all unfold. At its core, cinematography is the visuals that support the story being told.” This is great because i can add a phone or a clock showing the audience that they have gone back in time and then the character has these powers.

”Not only do those visuals show the audience what is happening from scene to scene, but they also have the ability to influence their response to what they are seeing. How? Through the many different elements that cinematography encompasses, including camera placement, camera movement, focus, lighting, composition and equipment choices.” Having a camera angle that goes in and out of focus slowly shows that one of the characters is thinking about something and thinking out what to say to the interviewer. Also, I could have him lock focus on the clock so that i can show the audience that he is checking to see if he has gone back in time or not.

Camera Placement

”A film is only a live performance without a camera to capture it for future viewing and enjoyment. But where a Cinematographer chooses to place the camera in relation to the action or conversation unfolding in front of it can heighten the meaning of a particular scene. I will use this because i need to show the audience what the two characters personalities are like. So for the interviewee, i can have him laughing and joking around to show that he is remembering what he has done in the past because he can’t tell the interviewer what he has done.” For the interviewer, for example, i could have him slouching showing the audience that he doesn’t want to be having the interview but he has too. This shows that the interviewer is lazy and has a cant be bothered attitude.

”For instance, perhaps the scene being shot is a date at a restaurant. If the Cinematographer decides to place the camera far from the couple at dinner, the audience may sense that they are spying on an intimate moment. Or the space between the camera and couple might be used to mirror the emotional distance between the two individuals on the date.” I can use this concept in some of my imagination sequences where if i have my actor demonstrating an extremely talented skill i can make that a wide shot to show that he is competing for this task from afar distance when in reality he is quick closeup too, its just the way the angle looks that make it look like a hard task.

”Conversely, should the Cinematographer decide to place the camera right at the dinner table, the effect could be one of claustrophobia. That one or both of the individuals on the date feels pressure to be or act a certain way. With every single shot, the Cinematographer is making a choice about how the camera placement will influence the emotional weight of the scene.” I could definitely use this in my interview scene because i need to have my interviewee feel uncomfortable (and stook in a loop) so I could have a tight over the shoulder shot to make this happen.

Lighting

”While the Gaffer — or Lead Lighting Technician — is in charge of the execution of the lighting design, the Cinematographer typically is the person who decides what that design will be.” This will be me. However, i need nor information about lighting which i am going to find out in the next two paragraphs.

”Lighting has become such a fundamental component of supporting a film’s story that many people take for granted its use in different genres. For instance, to highlight their lighter tone and emotion, comedies are often filmed with high-key lighting that removes any areas of darkness or shadows. In direct contrast are thrillers or noir films, which tend to favour low-key lighting to emphasize the moodiness and mystery of the stories being told.” This relates to my short film because my interview is going to be realistic and not very action based. More comedy realism because people find jokes funnier if they can relate to them and if the lighting is bull and close to real life people are going to find them even funnier. This is shown in shows like The Inbetweeners and The Office. I will ask my audience about this later on in my blogs. However, i am going to have my imagination sequences being shot is a log format so that i can do what is best with the lighting by editing the colour correction. I am also going to do a blog about this in the future when i get to editing my imagination sequences and my interview scene.

”Regardless of genre, lighting is always a fundamental consideration that a Cinematographer can use to subtly influence the tone of the film and the audience’s emotional response to it”. I mentioned this briefly before but this point emphasizes it more. With my interview scene i am going to have the lighting on a mid-scale as if it is too bright the realistic aspect will be taken away so I will have to make the lighting not as bright but if it isn’t that bright i will just up the iso on the camera to a minimum level because if it is too high i won’t be able to edit the colours in post.

I know need to develop my idea by using this information, and past information, into developing my idea.

Ref:

Hutchinson, P. (2019). One perfect shot: the unsung power of cinematography. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/10/cinematography-cinematographers-films-role-directors-artistry

Keizer, A. (2019). What Is Cinematography?. [online] Careers In Film | Film Schools & Colleges. Available at: https://www.careersinfilm.com/cinematography/

Coming from my Proposal Blog I wanted to get a little bit of knowledge about the basics of short films. This would help me re-jog my memory about short films as I had no created on in a while.

What is a short film?

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A short film is any motion picture not long enough to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as “an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits”

How do you write a good short film?

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1. The Shorter the Better. …
2. Keep the Practicalities of Writing in Mind. …
3.  Make It Visual. …
4. Find Single Moments. …
5. Tell a Story. …
6. Engage the Reader. …
7. Beware of Cliches when Writing Short Films. …
8. Fade Out.

How Long should a short film be?

I needed to no this information because in my Pitch I was asked ”how long do you think a short film will have to be?” and I said 1+ mins. Wrong!

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There is no official consensus or definition for the length of a “short.” Any film shorter than 50 minutes qualifies as a short film for the Sundance Film Festival, while any film with a run-time under 40 minutes is eligible for the shorts categories at the Academy Awards.

This was the problem i faced in my original idea where my short film was going to be too short and must be a lot longer. So now Cinematography is the next step so that i can develop my knowledge on Cinematography, camera placement, lighting ext… and add this too my short film.