5 C's of Cinematography

Camera Angles

Camera Angles is a major part of cinematography and makes up the composition of each particular shot. By using different angles it can change the emotion and the way the audience react to the film. Examples of camera angles are as follows;

There are five categories for shots in film and these are used to describe how much can be seen in the image and are determined by the field of territory. (Dorai, C & Venkatesh, S. 2002) These stages are Extreme close-ups, Close ups, Mid shots, Long shots, Extreme long shots. Here is an example of each.

Extreme Close Ups:
An extreme close up (ECU) is an image which is a shot which is used to cause emotion or connect between the audience and the person or object being filmed.

On the left is an example of this, in the Bucket List, this shot is used when Edward (Jack Nicholson, pictured) and Carter (Morgan Freeman) are doing their bucket, accepting their fate.

This ECU is used because at this point in the film, the cinematographer wants the audience to feel the excitement and the joy of the characters which fits into the genre of comedy.

Close Ups:

On the right is an example of a Close Up (CU) these are wider than an ECU but are still closer in than would be used in real life, it allows for the viewer to see the detail in the image but unlike in the ECU it doesn't feel as in the audience's face.

These are common in romance and comedy as it creates a connection between the audience and the characters that is stronger than in mid shots, but doesn't have the uncomfortable feeling of ECUs which are not commonly used unless they have purpose such as showing an object or emotion that moves along the plot of the film.

Mid Shot:
The most common used angle. The mid shot, is the used as the standard shot. This is often used as it "represents how we interact with people in life" (Mamer, B. 2013). The medium shot mimics the way people commonly look at other people and these are used continuously through film as it adds an element of realism to the film for viewers.

Long Shot:
A long shot (LS) is one which shows the scene as a whole and stereotypically shows the characters full body within the shot, these take away that intimacy between the audience and the characters. It does though give the audience an insight into the environment and aids the development of the audience's bearings.

Long shots also establish where the scene is and gives insights into the lives that the characters lead. This helps in giving hints to the audience about what is happening within the film at this point.

Extreme Long Shot:
Extreme Long Shots are uncommon, these are used particularly in documentaries but as they show so much landscape, it can take away from the film. Films such as the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings use these types of shots as a way to show the audience the grandeur of the locations. An example is when Gandalf reaches the castle.

The image instantly shows the importance of the journey and the power of which Gandalf has. The use of angles affects the height of Gandalf and he looks almost half of the size of the castle which gives him a higher significance coming into the next scene.

Continuity:
Continuity is keeping things which happen to occur in the correct order. When filming, film crews to be more efficient will shoot it out of order as then they can shoot all scenes in one location whilst they are there. This can sometimes mean that errors occur on set.

This can be seen in many films such as Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Goodfellas. On the right is two shots which are cut together in the film Goodfellas, but as can be seen in the shot, in the close up she is holding the gun with her palm open where as in the medium shot she holds it sideways. These errors are very common and need to be watched out for as this can make the audience stop believing and become disinterested.

Cutting
This is a cut within a film. To move a story along through cutting. This also enables the use of the Kuleshov theory which allows for the use of third meaning to add an emotion.

On the left is an example of this effect. There are three copies of the same image of a man but when cut together with the three separate images the audience can believe that the man is feeling upset, hungry or happy, even though the image of the man is the same.

Kathryn will be using this type of editing in the scene where Carter is talking to April over the phone and looking at the photo and the necklace.

Composition
There are many rules of composition and this is a strong point for cinematographers to consider when working on a film. Following rules such as the rule of thirds, and mise en scene.