Cinematic Elements
Cinematic Elements
sound track: all of the music and sounds that are featured in a
film; sounds chosen by a composer
Types of lighting
Low-key: characterized by a lot of shadows with sharp
contrasts between dark and light
High-key: characterized by brightness, openness, and
light
Side: one side of the actor’s face is lit more than the
other so that one side of their face is darker than the
other
Front: when a character is brightly lit, without shadows
Properties of lighting:
color
Angle: where the light is in relation to the actor
intensity: how bright or dark it is
Set
Location where the film is made
Can be:
indoor or outdoor
built for the film or found (filmed on location)
Storyboard artist –
Storyboard – series of
pictures/sketches to plan out what
each shot will look like
Draws up a storyboard for the film
Photography Unit –
Determines camera movements,
focus, framing, and lighting
Cinematographer – in charge of
photography unit
The Design Team (continued)
Sound
Sound Unit - Responsible for on-set recording of dialogue and
sound effects
Composer – responsible for putting all of the sounds together
on a film in the editing process
Editor–
Takes the raw footage and assembles it, keeping with the
director’s vision
Work starts after the movie is filmed
Cinematic Technique
This is based off of what the director is trying to communicate about the film
Long shot
objects appear to be seen from a distance
we would see the actor’s entire body
can show setting
Medium shot
Between a long and a close-up
If an actor were in the shot, we’d view them from the waist up
Most shots are medium shots
Angles
The position of the camera in relation
to the subject (what’s being filmed)
Types of angles
Pan: moving left to right horizontally; kind of like scanning scenery by turning
your head from left to right
Tilt: camera stays stationary, but moves up and down on a fixed point
Zoom: focus of a stationary camera changes within a shot; making the object
appear closer or farther away
Duration
The length of time passed within a single shot
Long take: slower; gives more time for the audience to take
in the image
Short take: fast-paced; creates rapid, energetic feel; can be
used to create suspense
Mise-en-scène
Camera moves
from side to
side.
Tilts
Camera
moves up
and down
Zoom Lenses
Widest
Wider
Closer
Closest
Hand held shots
Aerial Shot
Composition
How the shots are put together.
The layout and structure of a shot can tell us a lot
about what the shot represents, how the characters
are feeling, their relationships with each other, etc.
The rule of thirds
The Rule of Thirds is a good principle to keep in mind
when arranging your subject matter within your photo:
Imagine two horizontal and two vertical lines dividing
your photo into thirds with four intersecting points—just
like a tic-tac-toe board. The Rule suggests that you
place your main subject where the lines cross rather
than centered in the frame, and situating the horizon on
the upper or lower line usually makes a well-composed
landscape photo. For portraits, placing the person’s face
where lines cross can make a more compelling photo
than if the person is centered.
Creating meaning
Lighting
3 Point Lighting
Low Key Lighting
Low-key lighting (or ambient lighting) is a style of
lighting for photography, film or television. It attempts
to create a chiaroscuro effect. In traditional photographic
lighting, three-point lighting uses a key light, a fill light,
and a back light for even illumination. Low-key lighting
requires only one key light, optionally controlled with a
fill light or a simple reflector.
High Key Lighting
High-key lighting is a style of lighting for film,
television, or photography that aims to reduce the
lighting ratio present in the scene. This was originally
done partly for technological reasons, since early film
and television did not deal well with high contrast ratios,
but now is used to suggest an upbeat mood. It is often
used in sitcoms and comedies. High-key lighting is
usually quite homogeneous and free from dark shadows.
The terminology comes from the key light (main light).
Colour
Production design
Sets, props and costumes
Production design is the creation and organization of the
physical world surrounding a film story.
Music
Diagetic
Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied
to be present in the action:
narrator's commentary
sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect
mood music
Non-diegetic sound is represented as coming from the a source outside
story space. The distinction between diegetic or non-diegetic sound
depends on our understanding of the conventions of film viewing and
listening. We know of that certain sounds are represented as coming
from the story world, while others are represented as coming from
outside the space of the story events. A play with diegetic and non-
diegetic conventions can be used to create ambiguity (horror), or to
surprise the audience (comedy).
Another term for non-diegetic sound is commentary sound.