Workshop 1 - Camera/cinematography

What is the importance of cinematography to a film?
As a class we discussed what we thought was the significance of cinemtography within films ;

- It's the way to convert a story into a film - turning what you see into an actual picture

- Lighting is essential as is sets a certain atmosphere, for instance - ambient lighting may perform a 'homely' and cosy mood whereas high key lighting may illustrate more of a happy tone

- It sets a specifc theme - The way a particular picture looks on the screen depicts what kind of programme/film it is. i.e. if there was a media product with very bright, primary colours and simple shots it will automatically portray that it is a children's show.

- It brings the diegsis of the film alive

- Don't have to use dialogue all the time - cinematography can help move the story along without the need of words. The angle of a shot, the type of shot, the movement of the camera, lighting - it can all be a part of telling the story.

- Everything in the frame needs to mean something




We watched a short indian film called
Colours and were asked, individually, to take notice of the effect of the cinematography within it.

At the start of the film you are able to see two silluettes who have absolutely no dialogue but you are able to see that there is an arguement or disagreement between them and the slow motion and darkness of the characters add to the sad atmosphere and help to set this gloomy mood. You then see a contrast with the first scene, there is now brighter natural lighting and the shot is in colour, with the green making it look more fresh and free creating a lighter mood and this time their body language suggests they are at a more intimate stage in comparison to the first shot of them.

For the next character, who is sitting alone in what appears to be a corridor or hallway, the camera is positioned in between two walls which create a sense of being trapped and isolated, being positioned within two boundaries. Again, the dark colours and natural lighting set a gloomy and depressing atmosphere and effectively shows the loneliness and seclusion of this person. With the camera moving closer and reaching more close ups it emphasises the troubled facial expression and immediately portrays that this person is unhappy and something is on her mind. Once again the same character is then seen in a different setting, with high key natural lighting and the shot is in colour. The close up of the girl allows the audience to see the wind slighty blowing her hair which is more uplifting and illustrates a more content atmosphere.

The film 'Colours' is a sequence consisting of flashbacks of people when they were their happiest, but are unfortunately experiencing bad times at the moment. This whole idea is portrayed through cinematography hand in hand with a soundtrack. It's a prime example of showing how important cinemaotraphy is to a film as it creates different effects and the audience will react to what atmosphere is created. The specific mood you are trying to creates is very dependant on the way the film looks and particular lighting.