What is Cinematography?

December 20, 2010
By Sarah N Caffrey


There are several definitions that are given for Cinematography. It basically comes down to the decision of what techniques, lighting and recording of scenes, pictures and sequences that are going to be used to make a movie to be shown in a Cinema. These are skills you will learn if you choose a career in this field of the multimedia communications industry.

There are many courses taught at film schools in California that will give you the skills and education you need to break into the industry of multimedia communications. These skills will also include what you need to be a cinematographer. In the late 1800's, French Inventor, Louis Le Prince produced the first recorded type of cinematography. In 1895 the first ever paid viewing of this type took place in Paris.

Have you ever taken a picture of the family and have their faces wash out because the light was too bright? This happens in Cinematography also, if the lighting is not adjusted properly. The lighting in scenes used to be adjusted manually, but with today's technology they can use computer imaging and controls to get the right lighting.

In the early stages of cinematography, the director and the cinematographer were the same person. Now those are individual positions. The director's perspective of the scenes, lighting and movement in these modern day film has to be focused on what he thinks the public wants to see. From that point or perspective, he has to decide which lighting, filtering and other techniques need to be used to present the proper views.

The right coloring is important to make the film feel real. For example, you wouldn't want your green foliage to show up greenish-blue, and you don't want the actor's faces to be red. Using the right coloring and filtering techniques is important, especially when shooting in the out of doors.

The director will decide how the atmosphere shall be generated. The cinematographer will help by using the right techniques to capture the feeling the director is aiming for. There are many different steps used to get just the right qualities in a film. The atmosphere of the film must appear real in order to appeal to the audience.

Since the beginning of cinematography, there have been several cinematographers whose productions and techniques became famous. Some of these you will learn about as you attend the online film school. You will learn their history, creations and techniques. Some of the most famous include Gianni Di Venanzo from Italy, Frederick Archibald Young from England and Sven Vilhem Nykvist from Sweden. Their techniques are now well known among cinematographers today.




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