Cinematographer
Seeing the World Through a New Lens
The Cinematographer is responsible for the overall composition of the on-screen image, including camera framing, picture composition, movement, and lighting. Their expertise and creative choices greatly influence the visual storytelling and the atmosphere of the film.
What is a Cinematographer?
At the heart of cinema is cinematography. In a professional film, the creative and technical choices about how the camera is used will most often be a dialogue between the director and the cinematographer, who operates the camera and makes all of the creative choices come to life. Depending on this relationship the creative choices may lie more with the director or more with the cinematographer.
I think the point of cinematography, of what we do, is intimacy. Is intent, is the balance between the familiar and the dream, it is being subjective and objective, it is being engaged and yet standing back and noticing something that perhaps other people didn’t notice before, or celebrating something that you feel is beautiful or valid, or true or engaging in some way.
Christopher Doyle
For the purposes of IB Film, it is important that the cinematographer role is responsible for the creative and technical choices related to the role, although collaboration with the rest of the team is essential (even more so for the collaborative film).
So, what are these choices? What falls under the role of cinematographer? Read on.
What is Cinematography?
Cinematography is the art of capturing an image on film. To do this effectively, a cinematographer must take all of the following factors into consideration:
Camera Movement
To Move or Not To MoveEvery choice the cinematographer makes about how the camera does or does not move has an effect on how the audience will interpret the meaning of the scene.
Framing & Composition
Proxemics and Framing are often confused. They are inter-related and complimentary elements that go into the designing of our shots.
Lenses & Depth of Field
Seeing the World Through a New LensCinematographers use lenses to help shape the world of their film. In addition to framing, light, camera position and movement, the choice of lens gives the cinematographer...
Lighting
Cinematography is Painting with LightJust like the medium of the painter is paint, and the medium of a welder is metal, the medium of the cinematographer is light. How we control light, how we reflect...
Proxemics & Shot Types
"I'm ready for my close-up"Norma Desmond, Sunset BoulevardAhot types and proxemics play crucial roles in the viewer's perception of the narrative, allowing filmmakers to convey deep emotion and meaning...
Tone
The tone of a film is it's emotional core.The tone should carefully shape the audience's experience, but also their understanding of the film's central themes.
Color
Color is a power which directly influences the soul.-Wassily Kandinsky
Blocking & Staging
Movement is at the center of cinema. Instructing how the actors move is primarily the role of the director. How the camera moves is primarily the role of the cinematographer.
Film Stock
In addition to the considerations above, another consideration of the cinematographer is film stock. Although you will be shooting video for this course, films have historically shot on, well, film. While you will not be choosing which film stock to shoot with, you may choose to emulate a certain stock in coordination with the director and editor in the color grading of the film. Choice of film stock is also something that could be relevant to an analysis of film.
Cinematography in Practice
Consider the following images from Ripley (2024) as examples. While writing this page, I caught the trailer and was immediately taken with the gorgeous cinematography. In the images below you can see how the cinematographer must make make creative and technical choices for every single shot, but there is also the film as the whole to consider. What do you notice about some of the similarities and differences in the shots?
Ripley: Images from Ripley (2024)
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Cinematographer’s Role at Different Stages of Production
Brainstorming
One of the cinematographer's primary responsibilities in IB Film is to define the visual concept of the film in collaboration with the director. You can learn more about brainstorming here:
Brainstorming
Brainstorming can be done independently, but it can also be effective to work with multiple brains.This page will guide you through the concept of brainstorming and provide multiple resources for developing your ideas.
Pre-production
After the script is complete they brainstorm with the team, engaging in discussions about how the elements of film can be used to tell the story, reveal themes and shape the mood of the production. At this point the director will want to think about the casting of the film, plan blocking, and think about various aspects of what they will need to construct and/or establish their mise-en-scéne. During pre-production the director also casts the film. This is an often overlooked and under-appreciated aspect of the role for new filmmakers.
- Brainstorm with the team regarding ideas, genre, concepts and group intentions.
- Research the chosen genre and any influences for the production of the film, identifying conventions and techniques in relation to the creation of image.
- Go over the script and storyboard and make notes about how these might be presented visually.
- Collaborate with the director about how mise-en-scène, locations and lighting will be handled.
- Collaborate with the editor about how transitions, effects and coverage will be handled.
- Create a shot list for each scene.
- Scout for locations and create notes regarding image and lighting concerns.
- Carry out test shoots using different focal lengths, camera placement, lighting techniques, and so on.
- Make a checklist of equipment for the shoot.
- Carry out planning and research for particularly tricky shots or sequences, for example, learning how to use green screen or create the “vertigo effect”.
- Create diagrams of each location showing lighting design, camera placement and movement.
For more information, see our Pre-produciton Page:
Pre-produduction
Good films come from good planning. While luck can be a good friend of the filmmaker, planning is insurance against when things go wrong. Plan for things to go wrong. They will.
Production
During the production process, the cinematographer will focus on the work of placing and moving the camera as well as lighting. This includes working with the director to synthesize the staging of the camera with the blocking of the actor, adjusting and moving lights and making sure the image is in focus and well exposed. Here are some of the cinematographer's responsibilities during the production phase:
- Prepare all filming equipment and make sure it is there and ready for filming.
- Set up and design all lighting to create mood and atmosphere.
- Set up and operate camera, as well as any additional film equipment, such as a tripod, dolly, crane etc.
- Communicate with the director regarding choices made and help solve any problems encountered during shooting.
- Make daily production notes with a description of choices made, changes to the original plan and any issues that arose during the film shoot.
- Make sure that footage is secure and back-up copies are made and stored in a group production folder.
- Communicate with the editor and sound person regarding choices of footage captured that may affect their roles.
In addition, it is is critical that the cinematographer follow the protocols for leading the shooting sequence. A discussion of this can be found on the page below, but this guide can be instrumental in making sure you have recorded what is necessary for the shot.
Production
Where the Rubber meets the RoadTransitioning from pre-production to production can be scary at first. However, if you have a strong pre-production process and a collaborative team, this can be the most rewarding and exciting part of the process.
Post-Production
During the post-production phase it is critical for the cinematographer to work with the editor to discuss which shots to use and, where appropriate, where to color correct for consistency. A cinematographer may also collaborate on the color grading as these choices are directly related to the manner in which the film was shot. It is also important to make sure that your important choices for cinematography are evident in the final cut of the film.
- Collaborate with the director and prepare for any scheduled re=shoots as a result of the editing process.
- Collaborate with the editor regarding choices in coloring or image alteration in post-production.
- Screen a first draft of the film and provide comments/feedback to the director/editor.
- Attend a test screening to a new audience and make a note of reactions and/or suggestions.
For more information, please visit our Post Production Page:
Post-production
The final phase of production brings the film together. Working towards the film's final form may take some unexpected turns towards the end.
Overall
While the director may guide the overall creative vision of the film, especially in professional productions, it is important to keep in mind that the filmmaker intentions that guide each role can serve as a reminder that each role must have their own creative vision; and the cinematographer's is one of image.
Don't Forget: Visual Evidence
Throughout each stage of production, the cinematographer should be collecting visual evidence relevant to their role.
Visual Evidence: Cinematographer
The Cinematographer's Work is at the Heart of Visual Storytelling How can you create visual evidence at every stage of production to support your filmmaker intentions?