Lesson 05Lesson 05:CinematographyCinematography

Professor Aaron Baker

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Previous Lecture Previous Lecture

• Editing• Continuity and

Discontinuity• The Limey (1999)

In This Lecture…In This Lecture…

• The Photographic Image

• Lenses

• Framing

• Camera Movement

• The Long Take

• Cinematography in Raging Bull (1980)

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Part I: The Photographic Part I: The Photographic ImageImage

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Cinematography Cinematography

• Literally, Writing in Movement

• Uses Photography (Writing with Light)

• Light Inscribes Patterns on Film Strip to Make Shots

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Film StocksFilm Stocks• Emulsion on Film Stock Records Image Made with Light• Fast Stock – Sensitive to Light, More

Contrast• Slower Stock – Less Sensitive, Less

Contrast• Contrast = Difference Between Light

and Dark Areas

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High ContrastHigh Contrast

• Technicolor Stock

• Saturated Colors

• Special Camera, Processing

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ProcessingProcessing

• Color Timing – Change Color

• Chemically, Digitally

1.Tinting – With Dye Add Color to BXW; Lighter Areas

2.Toning – With Dye Color Added to Darker Areas

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ExposureExposure

• How much light passes thru lens

• Filters-Day for Night/Blue-Glamour/Diffusion

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Clarence Sinclair Bull’s study of Gary Cooper, done for MGM in 1934

Frames Per Second (FPS)Frames Per Second (FPS)

• Rate at which Film passes thru Camera/Projector

• 24 FPS - Sound Film • More FPS Projected than

Shot = Fast Motion• Why Silent Films

Sometimes Jerky• Shot at 16-20, Shown at

24 FPS

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Slow MotionSlow Motion• Overcranking

• Film Shot at More FPS than Projected

• Director Sam Peckinpah used slow motion for violence.

• The Wild Bunch (1969) 11

Time Lapse and High Speed Time Lapse and High Speed PhotographyPhotography

• Shot slow, few frames: One per minute or hour

• Many frames shot per second to capture rapid movement

• The Matrix 300 FPS Slow Motion

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Part II: LensesPart II: Lenses

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PerspectivePerspective

• Lens – like eye, controls light

• Focal Length Can Change

• Controls Perspective: How we See What we See

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Three LensesThree Lenses

• Wide Angle: <35mm; Bulge, Depth

• Middle Focal Length: Like Eye

• Telephoto: Long Focal Length; Flattens Space

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Zoom LensZoom Lens• Can Change Focal

Length• Change Perspective

Within a Shot • Please watch a zoom

out shot from Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Racking FocusRacking Focus

• Changes Perspective within Shot

• Focus Changed

• When we first see Wilson in The Limey (1999) the camera racks focus.

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Depth of FieldDepth of Field

• Focal Length Impacts Shape and Scale of Image

• Also How Much of Space in Focus

• Deep Focus

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Deep FocusDeep Focus

• Foreground, Middle-ground, Background All in Focus

• 1940s Faster Film, Shorter Lenses, More intense lighting

• Show More, Less Cutting

Special EffectsSpecial Effects

• Superimposition: One Image Over Another

• Process/Composite Shots: E.g. Back Projection

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CompositingCompositing

• Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)

• Different Images Joined in One Shot

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Part III: FramingPart III: Framing

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FramingFraming

• Creates Different Points of View

• Defines Image

• Stable

• Mobile

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Aspect RatioAspect Ratio

• Ratio Width/Height of Image

• 1:33:1 = Academy (1930s-50s)• 1:85:1 = Now• 1:66:1 = Europe• 2:35:1 =

Cinemascope

Widescreen ImageWidescreen Image

• Anamorphic Lens

• Squeezes wide image to fit on 35 mm film

• When shown widens image back to larger aspect ratio

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Framing Impacts… Framing Impacts…

• What’s Visible

• But Also from What Angle

• What Distance

• From a Static or Moving Perspective

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AnglesAngles

• Low – Looking up

• High – Seeing Down

• Canted – Tipped

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Shot DistanceShot Distance

• How Far Camera is from What Filming

• Gauged in Relation to Human Figures

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Shot DistancesShot Distances

• Extreme Long Shot (ELS)

• Long Shot (LS)

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More Shot DistancesMore Shot Distances• Medium Long Shot (MLS)

• Medium Shot (MS)

• Close Up (CU)

• Extreme Close Up (ECU)

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Part IV: Camera MovementPart IV: Camera Movement

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Mobile FramingMobile Framing

• Pan – Side to Side on Fixed Axis

• Tilt - Up/Down on Fixed Axis

• Track or Dolly – Camera moves In/Out or Laterally

• Crane – In/Out, Laterally, Up/Down 32

Hand Held CameraHand Held Camera

• Mobility

• Unstable Image

• Associated with Documentary

• Realism

• Steady cam

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ReframingReframing

• Most Common Camera Movement

• Keeps Characters Centered

• Stays with Character Movement

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Part V: The Long TakePart V: The Long Take

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Cinematography and DurationCinematography and Duration

• Early Cinema, 1890s-1910s = Longer Shot Duration

• Classical Cinema/Continuity Editing = More Cutting, Shorter Shot Duration

• 1930s Filmmakers Experiment with Long Take = Shots of Longer Duration

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French Theorist: Andre BazinFrench Theorist: Andre Bazin

• Long Take and Deep Focus

• More Realism

• Less Alteration of Pro-Filmic Reality

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Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game 1939

Touch of Evil Touch of Evil (1956)(1956)

• Orson Welles• Long Take, Camera

Movement• Opening Shot = 3

minutes, 30 seconds• Please watch a scene

from Touch of Evil to see a long take

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One Shot Establishes…One Shot Establishes…

• Location (Two Countries)

• Noir Ambiance

• Major Characters

• Violent Crime at Center of Story

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Part VI: Cinematography in Part VI: Cinematography in Raging Bull Raging Bull

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• Realism and Stylization

• Violence and Dysfunction

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CombinationCombination

ViolenceViolence

• Common in Hollywood Films

• Entertainment

• Genres:– Crime Films– Sci-Fi– Horror

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Boxing FilmsBoxing Films

• Graphic

• Less Entertaining

• Hard Life of Fighters

• Fewer Special Effects

• Hand Held Camerwork

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Raging Bull Raging Bull Graphic & Visually Graphic & Visually StylizedStylized

• Opening

• Slow Motion

• Stylized - Grace Matches His Violence

• Long Shot Allow Critical Distance

• Ropes Suggest Ring Imprisons LaMotta

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Fight ScenesFight Scenes

• Closer Shots

• Handheld Camera

• Put Spectator Close to Violence, Blood, Pain

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Scenes Outside RingScenes Outside Ring

• Jake’s Social Dysfunction

• More Medium and Long Shots

• Encourage Critical Distance for Viewer

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Last Robinson FightLast Robinson Fight• Shots from Jake’s Perspective

• Expressionist (Dark) Lighting

• Track In/Zoom Out

• Makes Robinson Look Monstrous

• Please watch this clip from Raging Bull

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Discussion QuestionsDiscussion Questions • What state of mind does this

cinematography suggest for the Jake LaMotta character?

• Why does he see Sugar Ray Robinson in this way?

• After viewing the film, post your response on the eBoard to these questions and to the comment of a colleague.

SummarySummary

Cinematography-Image

-Framing

-Long take

-Realism/Stylization in Raging Bull

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End of Lecture 5End of Lecture 5

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