Elements of CinematographyCamera: In film making multiple cameras (multiple camera positions of a single camera) are often

used. In editing phase scenes/shots are assembled in a way that the story is told in an effective way. In computer animation, a considerable amount of time is spent on pre-planning (e.g., storyboarding and animatics) so that a maximum amount of fully rendered scenes an/shots will be used for the final animation.

The topics in this handout are:

• Types of shots -- shot size, camera angle, POV, two shot, over the shoulder shot.• 180 degree rule• Camera moves• Composition rules• Safe areas

Types of shots: The followings are types of shots commonly used in film, video, and animation.

1. Shots with different shot sizes. One of the major distinctions among types of shots is the shot size. The shot size identifies how large and area will be visible within the frame. Among the following common shot sizes the distance between the camera and subject varies.

• Extreme wide shot (EWS) shows a broad view of the surroundings around the character and coveys scale, distance, and geographic location.

• Wide shot (WS) shows an entire character from head to toe.• Medium wide shot (MWS) shows a character usually cut off across the legs above or below the

knees. It is wide enough to show the physical setting in which the action is taking place, yet it is close enough to shot facial expression.

• Medium shot (MS) shows a character's upper-body, arms, and head.• Close-up shot (CU) shows a character's face and shoulders. It is close enough to show subtle

facial expressions clearly.• Extreme close-up shot (ECU) shows only a part of a character's face. It fills the screen with the

details of a subject.

extreme wide shot

wide shot

medium wide shot

medium shot

close-up shotextreme close-up shot

extreme wide shot

wide shot

medium wide shot

medium shot

close-up shotextreme close-up shot

The images are from "The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production"by John Douglass and Glenn Harnden

Notes: Indecisive cut and shock cutWhen cutting from a shot to another shot of a different shot size (e.g, from a wide shot to a medium wide shot) while framing the same subject, the difference in image size must be decisive. If the size of the subject does not change sufficiently, you will get the unpleasant effect of an indecisive cut and the audience will perceive it as a mistake or a distraction.

On the other hand, when cutting from a shot to another shot of a significantly different shot size (e.g, from a wide shot to a close-up shot), you will produce a shock effect which is most likely inappropriate. The usual compromise is to have a shot of a shot size that is inbetween the sizes of the two shots (e.g., from a wide shot to a medium shot, and then to a close-up shot).

2. Shots with different camera angles. Another one of the major distinctions among types of shots is the camera angle. Changing the camera angle changes the appearance and function of your shot.

Horizontal camera angles. Moving the camera around the subject horizontally while aiming at the subject creates different camera angles below:

1. Frontal. The frontal angle tends to flatten the three dimensionality of facial features and environments.

2. Three-quarter front. The three-quarter front angle is more often used than the frontal angle or profile because it shows more depth and volumes.

3. Profile.4. Three-quarter rear.5. Rear.

Vertical camera angles. Moving the camera around the subject vertically while aiming at the subject creats different camera angles below:

1. High angle. The camera is placed above eye level, looking downward. A high angle shot can make a character look smaller, younger, weak, confused, or more childlike.

2. Eye level. Most commonly used.3. Low angle. The camera is placed below eye level, looking upward. A low angle shot can make

a character look bigger, stronger, or more noble. It also gives the impression of height.

high anglelow angle

The images are from "The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production"by John Douglass and Glenn Harnden

Note: Indecisive cutWhen cutting from a shot to another shot with a different camera angle (e.g, from a frontal shot to a three quarter front), framing the same subject, the difference between the two camera angles must be greater than 35 degrees. If the difference is less than 35 degrees, and the appearance of the subject does not change sufficiently, you will get the unpleasant effect of an indecisive cut and the audience will perceive it as a mistake or a distraction.

3. POV shots. In a point of view (POV) shot, the camera is placed at the eye position of a character. (Birn, 8.2.4 POV Shots, pages 180-1)

4. Two shot & over-the-shoulder shot

• Two shot shows two characters.• Over-the-shoulder shot is a close-up of a character as seen over-the-shoulder of another

person in the foreground.

Two shot Over the shoulder shot

180 degree ruleIf you are using multiple cameras and plan to edit the different shots in a scene into a seamless sequence, an important rule to keep in mind is to place all the cameras on the same side of a line of action. A line of action is a path which your subject is traveling along or an imaginary line between two characters who are interacting. This rule is called "180 degree rule".

Look at the following camera placements:

If Camera 2 and Camera 3 are used, the audience stays on one side of the line of action. These shots are called

"reverse angle shots".

If Camera 2 and Camera 4 are used, the audience crosses the line of action. It's disorienting and confusing.

The images are from "The Five C's of Cinematography" by Joseph V. Mascelli

Camera movesThe camera position is often animated in computer animation for no good reason or no reason at all simply because the virtual camera can be moved easily. If you want to animate realistic and effective camera moves, study popular types of possible camera moves with a real camera. Try the following:

• Pan. The camera rotates from side to side, so that it aims more to the left or right. The camera does not change the location.

• Tilt. The camera rotates to aim upward or downward without changing the location. Tilt is sometimes called "pitch".

• Zoom. The camera's lens is adjusted to increase or decrease the camera's field of view, magnifying a portion of the scene without moving the camera.

• Dolly. The camera's actual position changes, such as to move alongside a moving subject or to travel closer to a character during a scene. Dolly in moves the camera closer to the subject. Dolly out backs the camera away from the subject. Dolly in and dolly out are sometime called "track".

The image is from "The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Imaging" by Isaac Kerlow.

Dolly vs. ZoomThe difference between dolly and zoom is that when you dolly, you are moving the camera in space, while zoom refers to changing the camera's focal length. When you move the camera, the perspective changes. Objects far from the camera change in relative size at a slower rate than objects which are close to the camera. That is what you see through your human eyes as you walk around, your perspective changes. On the other hand, when you zoom (i.e., when you change the focal length of your camera), your camera does not move and perspective does not change.

Composition Rules: The followings are useful guidlines you can use when composing a shot.

1. Rule of thirdsRule of thirds divides the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The points where the vertical and horizontal lines cross are aesthetically pleasing spots to place subjects or to have perspective lines converge. It is usually best to avoid placing horizon lines exactly in the middle of a frame, but to place the horizon either above or below center, approximately one-third or two-thirds up the height of the frame.

The images are from "Digital Lighting and Rendering" by Jeremy Birn and "The Art of Technique"

2. Teeter-totter ruleLighter weight can counterbalance a heavier weight if it is placed farther away from the center of the frame.

3. Avoid frontal angleThe frontal angle tends to flatten the three dimensionality of facial features and environments. Angling the shot produces more depth and volumes.

Shooting straight against walls produces flat compositions with little sense of depth in frame.

Angling the shot into walls produces receding perspectives and a better sense of depth.

Safe AreasText, e.g., the title of your animation, should be kept in the center 80% of the screen, within a guideline called the title safe area. To make sure that your audience will not miss any important action in your animation, the vital parts of your scene should take place within the central 90% of your frame, a guideline called the action safe area. Why? It's because what's outside the action safe area is invisible on most TV sets.

A master shot is a film recording of an entire dramatized scene, from start to finish, from an angle that keeps all the

players in view. It is often a long shot and can sometimes perform a double function as an establishing shot. Usually, the

master shot is the first shot checked off during the shooting of a scene—it is the foundation of what is called camera

coverage, other shots that reveal different aspects of the action, groupings of two or three of the actors at crucial moments,

close-ups of individuals, insert shots of various props, and so on.

Other Examples----

long shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or a wide shot) typically shows the entire object or human figure and is

usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings; however, it is not as far away as an extreme long shot

would be.

medium shot is a camera shot from a medium distance. The dividing line between "long shot" and "medium shot" is fuzzy,

as is the line between "medium shot" and "close-up". In some standard texts and professional references, a full-length view

of a human subject is called a medium shot; in this terminology, a shot of the person from the knees up or the waist up is a

close-up shot. In other texts, these partial views are called medium shots. (For example, in Europe a medium shot is

framed from the waist up.)

close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots

and long shots. Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene.

Close-ups are used in many ways, for many reasons. Close-ups are often used as cutaways from a more distant shot to

show detail, such as characters' emotions, or some intricate activity with their hands.

The 180° rule is a basic film editing guideline that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should

always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two

subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.