Sunday, July 7, 2013

Research on Cinematography & Camera Shot

Cinematography
Cinematography is the art or science of the motion pictures photography, it is the technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film, the cinematographer could also be referred to as the film director's main visual collaborator.
(Resource from Wikipedia)

Camera Shot Types
There is a convention in the video, film and television industries which assigns names and guidelines to common types of shots, framing and the picture composition.

EWS, Extreme Wide Shot
The view is so far from the subject that he/she isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot.
In the extreme wide shot, the view so far from the subject, that he/she isn't even visible, The point of this shot is to show the subjects surroundings. The EWS is often used as an "establishing shot"-the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place. It is also useful in the scenes where the action is very spread out, for example, in a war movie an extreme wide shot can show the scale of the action. The EWS is also known as extra long shot.

VWS, Very Wide Shot
The subject is barely visible. Often used as an establishing shot.
The very wide shot is much closer to the subject, than an extreme wide shot, but still much further away than a wide shot, the subject is visible here but only just, the emphasis is very much on placing him in his environment. This often works as an establishing shot, in which the audience is shown the hole setting so they can orient themselves. The VWS also allows plenty of room for action to take place, or for multiple subjects to appear on screen.

WS, Wide Shot
The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible. AKA: long shot, full shot.
In the wide shot, the subject takes up the full frame. Giving some small amount of room above and bellow the subject can be thought of as safety room. As with many shot types, the wide shot means different things to different people.

MS, Mid Shot
Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the who subject.
The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. In fact, this is an approximation of how you would see a person "in the flesh" if you were having casual conversation, their lower body part of the picture is unnecessary. The mid shot is appropriate when the subject is speaking without too much emotion or intense concentration. It also works as well when the intend is to deliver information, which is why it is frequently used by television news presenters. You will often see a story begin with a MS shot of the reporter (providing information) followed by closer shots of interview subjects(providing emotions and reactions) As well as being a comfortable, emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement.

MCU, Medium Close Up
Half way between a MS and CU. The medium close up is a half way between a mid shot and close-up shot. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.

CU, Close Up
A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.
In a close up shot, a certain feature or part of the subject takes up most of the frame. A close up of  a person usually means a close up of their face (unless specified otherwise) Close ups are obviously useful for showing detail and also can be used as a cut-in. A close up of a person emphasizes their emotional state, whereas a mid shot or wide shot is more appropriate for delivering facts and general information, a close up exaggerates facial expressions which covey emotion. The viewer is drawn into the subject's personal space and shares their feelings.

ECU, XCU, Extreme Close Up
The ECU gets right in and shows extreme details.
The EXC (also known as XCU) gets right in and shows extreme details. You would normally need a specific reason to get this close. It is too close to show general reactions or emotion except in very dramatic scenes.

Cut-In
Shows some other part of the subject in detail.
Like a cut away, but specially refers to showing some part of the subject in detail. Can be used purely as an edit point or to emphasize emotion etc. For example, hand movements can show enthusiasm agitation, nervousness etc.

CA, Cut Away
A shot of something other than the subject. A cut away is a shot that's usually something other than the current action, it could be a different subject, a close up of a different part of the subject or just about anything else. The cutaway is used as a "buffer" between shots (to help the editing process) or to add interest/information .

Two Shot
A shot of two people framed similarly to a mid shot. There are a few variations on this one, but the basic idea is to have a comfortable shot of two people. Often used in interviews or when two presenters are hosting a show. A "one shot" could be a mid shot of their of these subjects. A "threeshot" contains three people. A two shot could also involve the movement of action. It is a good way to follow the interaction between two people without getting distracted by their surroundings.

OSS, Over Shoulder Shot
Looking behind a person at the subject. This shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame. This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other's point of view. It's common to cut between these shots during a conversation, alternating the view between the different speakers. This shot can be varied quite a bit to include the shoulder or back of a person facing the subject.

POV, Point Of View Shot
Shows a view from the subject's perspective. It is usually edited in such a way that it is obvious whose POV it is.

Weather Shot
The subject is the weather, can be used for other purpose, e.g. background of graphics. In this type of shot the subject is weather. The sky takes up 2/3 of the frame, This type of shot is common in television programs   where the weather is particular interest. Although the usual purpose of this shot is to show the weather. It is also useful as an establishing shot, for setting the general mood or for overlaying graphics. A weather shot doesn't have to show the sky. Other shots often used to illustrate the weather include: puddles, people sunbathing or snow man etc.

Noddy Shot
Common in interviews, this is a shot of a person listening and reacting to the subject. The noddies are edited into the interview later.

(Resource from www.mediacollege.com )




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