2. My chosen Discipline: Film
• Key topics to research
-I would like to find out the science behind cinematography to understand why certain techniques and aspects are effective. So asking which techniques
can be used within each genre and style of film is rather important. I plan on doing this by researching different techniques used by seasoned
cinematographers and noticing the overall effect they have on the film and the immediate change it has on the scene.
-A very important aspect to look at when researching cinematography, especially since it's so subjective, is to understand where and how it all started.
For example, understanding when certain techniques were first introduced to film and if they have developed over time. Researching this will require me
to find information on older films that featured developed characters or narrative.
-Finding out what differentiates a good cinematographer from a bad cinematographer is key to understanding how techniques become effective, and
how to apply them. Looking at critically acclaimed films, noticing patterns and finding out why theyre patterns is key to this section as research as outliers
within a cinematographers performance or the reviewers score can change their view on their performance.
-looking at the evolution of cinematography itself in particular techniques or aspects such as budget or technology would help to show the drastic change
in cinematography through the chosen time frame. Doing this will require me to find two very similar films in both style and genre but released decades
apart.
-The final topic that is crucial to the density of my essay is looking at why cinematography is actually important, what it does for the film and how it
effects it overall. While cinematography is a very subjective topic, looking at different takes on the matter might show me some information I hadnt of
thought of before.
-
3. My Chosen Discipline
• I am looking at film because the balance between subjective and objective is very intriguing and makes for very strong opinions within people. It
means that many people get great enjoyment out of films that arent as techincally advanced as they could be. An example of this is Justice league
having a release gross of $278 million compared to blade runners 31.5 within north america. This is despite justice league getting blasted by reviewers
and audiences alike. I believe this is because people are becoming more easily pleased and are losing sight of what cinema is based on at its core, rich
story, immersive settings and emotional characters. This essay is to try and educate both me and the viewer that there is more to film than the first
layer and that each individual aspect of a film, both physical and mental, is therefore a reason. This common trend of viewers being intimidated by
long viewing times, relying on previous films for story points or even just a lack of advertising meaning that many artistic and well crafted fillms are
often overlooked. This means that very few films take risks and even fewer prosper because of said risk, leaving just cookie cutter blockbuster films in
their wake. Despite this, few films such as 1917 which chose to shoot the film to appear like it was a single shot have released to great critical and
commercial acclaim due to a push in advertising and a star studded cast, a luxury that very few films can afford.
• I wish to educate people on the different techniques within a film, making sure that they know what each shot symbolises. I believe a greater
knowledge of these techniques can enrich a viewer experience within a film due to the understanding of the film. Despite many modern films relying
on car chases and shootouts to excite a viewer, more advanced films that require more attention and thought leave a longer lasting impression on the
viewer and inspiring future directors. The reliance on action in a film is due to the bigger studios wanting to make franchise films and have a wider
audience than just the domestic audience. Action is used mainly because it can easily suffice most movie-goers and is a universal language, everybody
understand high intensity action. On the other hand, many artistic films such as Ad Astra or The lighthouse leave an excitement that lasts for longer
than others, if you have the will and patience to stay with them.
• I believe that I can implement my research into my essay very well due to my previous study of A level english literature which saw me writing essays
based around books that I had read prior. Extracting and implementing the information is important, but keep an unbiased point of view is crucial to
make sure the information is not skewed to suite my own opinion. I also have great experience in breaking down films to their core and looking at
each individual aspect due to my previous hobby of reviewing recently released films. I hope that I learn, in even greater detail, how to appreciate
certain aspects of a scenes layout, and the atmosphere surround it and to understand why I get certain emotions/feelings during certain scenes.
4. The beginning of
cinematography
• A cinematographer can also be known as the Director of
Photography and they are in charge of all the visual elements
of a film in the production team. This means that they make
creative choices that relate to the composition, lighting and
camera motion etc in each shot. This means that they are in
complete control of what the audience sees in each shot even
from color to depth of field. A cinematographers job places
him very close to the director due to how important they are
and because of this closeness, many cinematographers follow
the director from project to project. For example, famous film
director Martin Scorsese’s cinematographer is Michael
Ballhaus and they collaborated on 8 films together including
Goodfellas and The Last Temptation of Christ. The very first
example of cinematography was “Le Jardinier” or “The
Sprinkler Sprinkled” and was made by Lumiere and Auguste in
1895. Since copyight laws were not created back in 1895,
there were many copy cat films that were made and took
advantage of lumiere’s success and took it for themselves by
showing the picture all over the Uk and even france, where Le
Jardinier was originally filmed and distributed.
5. Quentin tarantino
Name:quentin tarantino
Age:56Nationality:American (Knoxville)films
they have worked one:Django Unchained, Pulp
Fiction, KIll bill 1&2Most recent work:Once
upon a time in HollywoodBio: quentin knows
how to utilize shots like wide shots to create
tension but also to show a characters desires.
He focusses on bringing the audience into the
moment, making them feel exactly what the
character is feeling. immersion is key for
quentin.
Michael Ballhaus
NameMichael Ballhausage:81
(deceased) Nationality:Germanfilms they
have worked on:Goodfellas, last
temptation of christ, Draculamost recent
work:The Departedbio:Ballhaus was
nominated three times for the
Academy Award for Best
Cinematography. Ballhaus’ ability to
use camera movements within certain
scenes created momentum that
create a whole other layer of emotion
to a scene.
Roger Deakins
Name:Roger DeakinsAge:70
Nationality:torquayFilms they
have worked on:Blade runner
2049,sicario, 1917Most recent
work:1917bio: Despite only
winning one oscar throughout
his career for bladerunner,
Roger is known for creating
some of the most atmospheric
settings in cinema due to his
use of colour and shot layout.
6. Roger Deakins Breaks Down His Award-Winning
Cinematography Career | Rotten
Tomatoes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B2LcltRAt4)
• Main points/notes of video
• Video is of roger deakins' past work and the differentiation of each piece from the last but mainly of how his work started, and what he has
learnt from his experience
• The basics of what he classes cinematography as, how it can be interpretted between each cinematographer
• How iconic scenes he created were made, incluuding the syncing scene in bladerunner 2049. He speakers of any issues that arose and how
he overcame them
• He talks of settings that he used for films, and how efficiency for changing of sets is important to create a coherent film.
• Who he has worked with is mentioned a lot, especially sam mendes due to him being the director of most of roger deakins films.
• Information of the films he worked on that involve camera effects, many of which are unknown to the viewer due to them not seeing the
production process
• Summary of how this information will help/inform me for my essay
This information not only gives me an insight on what roger deakins style of cinematography is, but also gives me an insight
into what cinematography is at its core. Different examples were used throughout the video to show different aspects of
films such as set building or characters narratives and how they are implemented into the film itself.
7. Joker Cinematographer Explains The Impact of Color in
Film | Vanity Fair
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th9pG9Q6Kuo)
• Main points/notes of video
• Explains the bare basics of applying colour to films and the necessities for it to be applied such as a digital negative
• Tells of the difference between hue and saturation in a way that is easily understandable and easy to comprehend
• Different techniques as to why you would implement colour such as the motions or to create depth. Complimentary colours are
useful for the depth effect
• Explains how each colour has a unique feeling and meaning to each shade. Sometimes a lack of colour can jusr as powerful
• Lawrence sher tells us of his personal preferences for certain naturalistic colours such as moonlight and colour temperature
• Shows how colour can be used to set an atmosphere for a large environment such as gotham in the joker and how cities looked in
the time era. Important features were street lights
• Tells us even more personal preference such as using sodium vapor to add a realistic light
• Summary of how this information will help/inform me for my essay
• This video showed me an incredible amount of detail on how many factors affect the films final
product, especially the colour. It has given me a greater understanding of how to implemenet colour
into my video essay as I now understand the reasoning behind adding certain colours into certain
scenes.
8. List of other sources
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXAr2yiYCV4
• Summary on what cinematography is and how it has evolved over the years
• https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/cinematography-techniques-no-film-school/
• lesser known film techniques that will be interesting to research into
• https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/2/8/what-is-cinematography/
• A more in depth article on what cinematography is but also why its important
• https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jan/10/cinematography-
cinematographers-films-role-directors-artistry
• Why cinematography is often overlooked, and why it shouldn’t be
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT2KzwBnWaM
• using examples of good cinematography then explaing how they are good
9. Evaluate Sources
• Provide a comparative analysis on the information you found, how
they link/oppose each other and how this will shape and inform your
essay plan and final piece.
• All of my pieces of information is based on past cinematographers since it is such a subjective part of film.
Seen as though there is no cookie cutter cinematographer, looking at it from multiple angles was crucial to
understanding just how important and the effects certain techniques have on the films they are featured in.
It was interesting to look at how two cinematographers took a different approach to creating certain
environments as Roger Deakins focussed on the physical layout of a set to try and create the tone he wants,
while lawrence sher focussed on colour to create a more emotionally driven environment. this will help my
essay as it will inform me of particular styles of cinematography that I can compare to older version and see
if there is a contrast between them.
10. References
• Masterclass. (2019). What is cinematography?. Available: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-what-is-
cinematography-and-what-does-a-cinematographer-do#6-duties-and-responsibilities-of-a-cinematographer. Last accessed
24/09/19.
• Anonymous. (2018). Basic cinematography techniques. Available: https://www.adorama.com/alc/14-basic-cinematography-
techniques-for-better-cinematic-shots. Last accessed 1/10/19.
• Abigail Schoenberg. (2011). What is Cinematography?. Available: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/2/8/what-is-
cinematography/. Last accessed 07/10/2019.
• Matt Vasiliauskas. (2019). The Directing Style of Quentin Tarantino. Available: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/shot-lists-
quentin-tarantino/#Tarantino-Stages-Wide-Shots. Last accessed 11/01/20.
• Erik Luers. (2018). Michael Ballhaus and his love for the moving camera. Available: https://nofilmschool.com/2018/08/watch-
michael-ballhaus. Last accessed 11/01/20.
• Anonymous. (---). michael ballhaus. Available: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000841/. Last accessed 11/01/20.
• Anonymous. (---). roger deakins. Available: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005683/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm. Last accessed
11/01/20.
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