Visions of Light, the Art of Cinematography (Arnold Glassman) questions.
1. What is the role of the cinematographer in film making?
The cinematographer has a very important role for film-making, without this role being taken, the setup and directional use for the recording equipment will be missing. The job of a cinematographer is to direct use of cameras, lighting and crews working on a film.
The role is very similar to that of a Film Director, there are a lot of similarities, however in some instances, where the role will be made more independent. The Director will even give the Cinematographer specifications which he expects the setup to look like.
The role is very similar to that of a Film Director, there are a lot of similarities, however in some instances, where the role will be made more independent. The Director will even give the Cinematographer specifications which he expects the setup to look like.
The responsibilities of the Cinematographer vary depending on what the Director chooses, however the main outlined responsibilities start with the Pre Production which is more of quality control, for example, researching both the practical and technical aspects of filming the scene by checking beforehand the weather forecast, locations and exploring new equipment and props to use for the film.
A lot of testing is done during this stage as it is crucial that everything is mapped out correctly so that everything goes smoothly on the time of filming.
A lot of testing is done during this stage as it is crucial that everything is mapped out correctly so that everything goes smoothly on the time of filming.
During the shooting stage, the Cinematographer will work as more of a mechanic by finding safety hazards and fixing any equipment which seems to have problems.
The preparation and quality control is most important during this stage, so the majority of the Cinematographers time is spend sorting this as well as training those who struggle with the technical side of film-making.
The preparation and quality control is most important during this stage, so the majority of the Cinematographers time is spend sorting this as well as training those who struggle with the technical side of film-making.
The only time the Cinematographer has a more technical role is towards the Post Production stage, when additional photography is needed for any special effects or 'Behind the Scenes' clips.
The technical side of lighting is also done at this point, fixing the colour grading of shots by compositing for different devices as it may be shown on different size screens which are more easily viewed by using different colour densities.
As well as supervising and approving any media coverage and double checking with the Director, the last role is optional, to do any advertising / publicity designs of any form, such as posters, websites or commentaries.
The technical side of lighting is also done at this point, fixing the colour grading of shots by compositing for different devices as it may be shown on different size screens which are more easily viewed by using different colour densities.
As well as supervising and approving any media coverage and double checking with the Director, the last role is optional, to do any advertising / publicity designs of any form, such as posters, websites or commentaries.
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3. Name two films which use colour in a very symbolic way, and describe what they suggest.
The Matrix is a film that uses colour in a symbolic way, the colour grading used in this film is of a yellow / green tone and is used throughout the whole film. Even the opening scene includes a custom typeface of green coding which is known to be used on early Monochrome Computer Monitors.
The Directors wanted to make a specific mood palette for the film, they wanted to link The Matrix with the Real World so the audience would be able to work out where the action was taking place by using this scale of colour.
The Directors wanted to make a specific mood palette for the film, they wanted to link The Matrix with the Real World so the audience would be able to work out where the action was taking place by using this scale of colour.
Another film that uses colour to it's advantage is 'WarHorse'. Unlike The Matrix, WarHorse uses colour grading to portray current emotion and feelings rather than comparison to other events.
Bright Summer like tones are used at the start of the film before and after Joey the horse is purchased for 30 Guineas. Everyone's happy at this point, the audience also feels this because of the time of day decided to film and the yellow / orange grading used for the atmosphere.
Shortly after, the family struggles to pay off rent and so the sky darkens when there is a possibility of losing both the horse and the farm.
The darker tones and grayscale are used after Joey leaves each destination to portray loneliness, I found this was used more often in the war scenes, used as a different emotion for danger.
In between the two scenes, there are a couple of shots where Joey is in a barn and the only light visible is shining through the stable window onto Joeys face, this symbolises hope for the war scenes to come.
Bright Summer like tones are used at the start of the film before and after Joey the horse is purchased for 30 Guineas. Everyone's happy at this point, the audience also feels this because of the time of day decided to film and the yellow / orange grading used for the atmosphere.
Shortly after, the family struggles to pay off rent and so the sky darkens when there is a possibility of losing both the horse and the farm.
The darker tones and grayscale are used after Joey leaves each destination to portray loneliness, I found this was used more often in the war scenes, used as a different emotion for danger.
In between the two scenes, there are a couple of shots where Joey is in a barn and the only light visible is shining through the stable window onto Joeys face, this symbolises hope for the war scenes to come.
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4. In the film Raging Bull why was the fight scene filmed at different speeds?
The full fight scene between Le Motta and Janiro in the film 'Raging Bull' was filmed at different speeds as a technique to convey feeling, having the scenes slowed down enough for the audience to closely visualise means they are able to empathise with the characters a lot easier.
Watching the fight scene myself I feel it is easy to see how each boxer is feeling at certain points.
The first couple of visual edits are found when Janiro is taking multiple hits to the face.
I noticed the second shot that changed speed, the shot continues for longer than the first and is positioned closer to Janiros face, doing this means we get to understand more about the shot, for example, if that shot was played at a normal speed we probably wouldn't have seen that Janiros nose was broken from the thrown punch.
Watching the fight scene myself I feel it is easy to see how each boxer is feeling at certain points.
The first couple of visual edits are found when Janiro is taking multiple hits to the face.
I noticed the second shot that changed speed, the shot continues for longer than the first and is positioned closer to Janiros face, doing this means we get to understand more about the shot, for example, if that shot was played at a normal speed we probably wouldn't have seen that Janiros nose was broken from the thrown punch.
The technique used for this scene also gave the feeling of defeat towards the end of the fight, as the camera followed Janiro to the floor, this was played slower than many of the other shots also to signal defeat. The sound was lowered and also distorted slightly at this point to prove than Janiro was not in the position to carry on fighting.
In my opinion, this is a very effective technique to use and was used at the right point during this film. Not only was it the point where everything was too fast and could be understood better when slowed down, but showing the emotion of each boxer and the technique really got the feeling across to the audience which is what the director aimed for.
In my opinion, this is a very effective technique to use and was used at the right point during this film. Not only was it the point where everything was too fast and could be understood better when slowed down, but showing the emotion of each boxer and the technique really got the feeling across to the audience which is what the director aimed for.
