Cinematography

Cinematography

Cinematography is the art of photography and camerawork in cinema; the act of framing shots in an attempt to make a film more immersive or to add a unique visual and artistic style to a film.

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a technique used to highlight a light subject in a dark setting to add additional dramatic tension to a scene.

Example:

The home office scenes in The Godfather.

Contrast

Contrast is the difference in colour or luminesce that makes an object distinguishable in a scene.

Example:

Sin City frequently uses this technique to enhance its comic book style.

Low Contrast lighting/ High-Contrast lighting

Low-contrast lighting is softer lighting, without any hard shadows, while High-Contrast lighting is lighting that used harder light to enhance shadows. Also known as High-key and Low-key lighting. High-key/High-contrast lighting can be used to create sharp shadows.

Example:

Two different shots from Rear Window.

Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting is lighting that comes from a light source and a reflector, attempting to make the lighting feel natural and dramatic. See Chiaroscuro.

Shadow Detail

Shadow detail is the detail rendered in the darkest part of a shot. This helps to add texture to a scene's surroundings.

Example:

The shadow detail can be seen in the shadows of the ridges.

Silhouette

Silhouette is when the lighting causes a subject to appear as a dark outline of themselves, usually used to enhance the dramatic tension of a scene or show the character of a person.

Example:

Rodger Deacon's use of silhouette in film.

Soft Light

Soft light tends to refer to light that tends to bend and form itself around objects, casting shadows with softer edges.

Example:

A shot from The Empire Strikes Back.

Hard light

Hard light is light that casts very sharp and visible shadows. Essentially the opposite of soft light.

Example:

A shot highlighting Casablanca's use of hard light.

Top Light

Top light is light originating from an angle above a subject.

Example:

A shot from No Country for Old Men.

Warm Light

Warm lighting is lighting cast in warm colours, often meant to highlight dawn, sunsets, or even to establish an ambience of warmth and friendliness.

Example:

The lighting from The Godfather's office scene.

Cool Light

Cool lighting is lighting cast in cool colours. This is usually used to add an atmosphere of 'coldness', both metaphorical and literal, to a scene.

Example:

The use of cool lighting in The Shawshank Redemption.

Lens Perspective

Lens Perspective is the transformation of an object based upon the perspective and focal length of the lens; this can make objects appear bigger or smaller than they actually are.

Example:

A variety of examples from different famous directors.

Fill Light

A fill light is any light that "fills in"/lightens areas of shadows in an image/shot.

Example:

An image comparing different forms of light.

Back Light

Back light is a light that illuminates the subject from behind. The use of a back light can cause a kind of halo effect around a character, as well as forming a silhouette.

Example:

This still from A Clockwork Orange.

3 Point Lighting

Three-point lighting is possibly one of the most common lighting configurations in cinema, consisting of three lights: the key light (which points towards the subject), the back light and the fill light. This serves to fully illuminate the subject, with as little shadows as possible.

Example:

This still shot from Pulp Fiction.

Natural Light

Natural light is simply natural sunlight or other natural light sources being used as lighting for a scene.

Example:

A still image from The Witch.

Practical Light

Practical lights are light sources that come from something visible in the scene, such as a lamp, light fixtures, television sets, candles etc.

Example:

The candle-lit scenes in Barry Lyndon.