Pre Production: Thinking about Cinematography

Cinematographer tips

When thinking about how I could shoot my film, I knew it would be important for me to get some tips online. Youtube has been very helpful for me in the past so I came across a very helpful video from DSLRguide on youtube. I have summarised some of the most helpful points I learnt through this video.

1. "CHOOSE LOCATIONS WITH LOTS OF SPACE"

"Ceilings and walls are a big challenge when you’re trying to position lights high enough to be out of the frame, and the cameras far back enough that you don’t have to use an 11mm lens. One of the biggest deal breakers when i’m looking at locations is small spaces!" - Interesting as I never had any issues thus far because I've been fortunate to work in areas that are spacious in comparison to 

2. "SUBTRACT LIGHT with diffusers"

If the lighting looks bad, you just need to add more lights, right? Usually not. He claims that blocking and diffusing light gives you full control over the exposure of your background, and any other part of the scene, because each light becomes more independent, not just filling the whole room. An example is then given; 

This was really an eye opener for me because a concept so simple really made the biggest difference. When you stop shooting for a while you almost forget all the basic principles but this video reminded me that sometimes less is more. Since I will be shooting outside in a natural surrounding there are elements that can be unpredictable such as sunlight and the wind etc. But with this simple demonstration I am now reminded that I can be in better control of the set.

3. "MOTIVATED LIGHTING within scenes"

when we see someone face lit up, but they are surrounded by darkness, our subconscious mind asks, where is the light coming from? There have been lots of short films i’ve seen where the lighting is nice, but it somehow feels intangibly fake and glossy, you can really feel that it’s ‘lit’. I think where a lot of those short went wrong was to not show lamps on a table, street lights through a window, large fluorescents, windows and moonlight in the scene itself. This is another great point hence why my test shoot consisted of me testing this out. Although I did not get good results, this is something that I was already putting in motion so it gave me confidence that I was on the right track.

4. "MORE THAN CAMERA + LIGHTING"

He claims that what you point the camera at is just as important as the way you point that camera at it. When we see a film at the cinema, it’s worth remembering that a lot of time, money and creativity has been put into the set design and costumes of everything single frame. It’s easy to give that credit to the DP, but the reality is that a huge part of the visual side of film comes through the world that the audience is placed in. -This is an excellent point because before, I was basing everything on the lens capability as well as light changes but I need to closely focus on the other aspects as well such as locations, costumes, anything that has to do with the world of film

How and Why will I shoot?

The intended style of Hideaway will be a mixture of handheld and stabilised shots. I will use  handheld movement for his everyday movement as well as deliberately increased movement for when my character's mental health starts to destabilise and decline. This will further illustrate his anguish and allow the viewer to have a greater connection to how it may feel in that situation. 

Since this is short film which aims to evoke emotion and create a greater understanding about the character's situations, I think it is important to be within the character's personal space to further illustrate what he's going through. Generally speaking, this means I will mostly have a mixture of Close ups (CU's), Medium Close ups (MCU's) and Mid shots. The CUs will have a very nice effect on both my character's features as well as the art process when the paint flows across the canvas. The Mid shots will be used when my characters come together and interact. This will enhance the intimacy between them. I will make use of Wide shots for when my characters are outside, embracing their surroundings.


In 'Mastershot' by Christopher Kenworthy, he states; 

"The best directors always look for ways to reveal the scene without too many cuts. This keeps the audience engaged with the scene and makes any visual revelation much more powerful". 

(Kenworthy, 2012:100)

He then goes on to talk about how you can combat this by having all your characters in the scene somehow, mirrors can help because you can place the camera in a way where the other character is shown. This minimises the need for cuts as you can see what is going on in both sections. This was an interesting concept for me because I had not thought about using mirrors as an advantage. So far there isn't a need for me to incorporate this style but it is good to know. The emphasis on minimising cuts is important to me because my aim is to create a natural, seamless looking film. When creating my shot list I will attempt to create it in a way that minimises cuts.

In my story, one of the main focuses is to show the development of a friendship between my two main characters. It is important for me to understand the best ways to approach this. Following on within 'Mastershots', Kenworthy dedicates a section to dialogue scenes and notes how staged glances between two characters who are sitting next to each other can be "much more compelling to watch than having both characters stare at each other directly". (Kenworthy,2012:182) This is very true, hence why I have written scenes where both Lily and Isaiah each have an individual moment where they stop and admire each other when the other person is doing something. E.g in the summer house where Lily is painting, Isaiah will give her small gaze. Kenworthy illustrates the camera set up in order to achieve this look, the camera will need to be head height for each character and slightly over the shoulder so that they are connected at all times.

Another interesting and helpful point Kenworthy makes is about eye contact and how powerful it can be. Similarly to the previous point, he states that creating a build up or "visual tension" between the two characters before they finally make eye contact can be "one of the most enduring images in cinema". It allows the audience to see the budding relationship without the actors saying it out loud. By having them go back and forth with it allows the audience to anticipate it, this can be more effective than having the characters make eye contact the whole time. I agree with this also, but only to some extent because I still do think that after that visual tension is built, later on in the story where the character's relationship has already developed, the long gazes and and eye contact can also have a really nice impact when it's not overused. I aim to create visual tension between Lily and Isaiah as their friendship is very innocent and blossoms as time goes by.

I found another video by DSLR guide where he speaks about composition and how it can be used to enhance the narrative. He made it known how angles can pin point and shift the roles within a narrative. For example; The main character is standing in the background, whilst the conversation occurs in the foreground, however when the character in the background rises up and takes control, he becomes bigger, closer and more pronounced. Making the others look smaller illustrates the shift in position and creates seamless story telling.

This was very interesting to see, I will consider how I place Isaiah when he's having dinner with his parents as I want to show a contrast. I could make Isaiah seem more pronounced at the dinner table, centred so the audience can see, however it is juxtaposing to the narrative because he's almost invisible to the parents. This again creates seamless story telling because his invisibility is shown in a way that isn't so "invisible". It gets the point across effortlessly. I would pair that shot with a soft dolly in to further ensure Isaiah's emotions are seen. Example below; 














What Kit?

It's important that I get clean, crisp, well lit shots when getting CU's and MCU's. Having great Depth Of Field is key when achieving these shots as it allows the audience to feel closer to the subject. To achieve this, I will make use of the Canon 50mm Lens as this allows me to get close to the subject without standing too close. This lens is great for portraiture as it is known for allowing a nice amount of light in to create clear, crisp shots as well as fantastic depth of field. The only downside to this is if you want anything bigger than an MCU, You'd have to stand very far, thus illustrating its usability for closer shot types. This lens can also be used with the Sony A7s when a Metabones adapter is loaded onto it, The metabones adaptor is good but also has its limitations e.g. slower sensor times because it is using the sensor to convert. Below is an image of the depth of field you can achieve. This was shot with a Sigma 50mm by Director Philip Bloom.

 Below is the Sony A7s's Low light capability. Image 1 is what the eye can see, Image 2 is what the a7s was able to pick up when set to an ISO of 40'000.  

 This was considered the "sweet spot" because it was the right balance between losing detail and illustrating a well lit scene.

For the medium shots I will be using a lens that allows me to have a good range whether that is shallow depth of field but also crisp and clear long shots. Since a Riverside is an important part of my story, I have to be able to capture it as much as possible. I aim to obtain a Wide angle lens as well as a lense that allows me to do both.