The Importance of a Cinematographer

Behind every breath-taking shot in a movie lies the skilled hand of a cinematographer. Cinematography is everything your eye sees in the frame when you are watching a movie. It is the artistic perspective through which the story depicted in a motion picture is shown.

In cinematography, the knowledge of a wide array of disciplines such as mechanics, optics and chemistry is used. A cinematographer’s work is the greatest influencer on how the picture looks. The decisions made in cinematography determine the look and feel of a movie.

A lot is included in the skills of a cinematographer, but there are certain points essential factors that are taken into account in every shot.

  • Light and color: Light and color leave a strong impact on the audience. There are different types of light that depicts different feeling and affects. It directs the viewer’s eye to what is important in the scene.
  • Using the right lenses: Through lens we can capture how we perceive the world. Different lenses gives different results. For example, a wide angle lens covers the big part of the scenery in the frame, which means that a film or your photos will look more natural. A camera with a wide angle lens is used to show the whole scene and how it works.
  • Point of view: The eye of the audience is the camera so it is important to show the audience the story from a proper viewpoint.

A cinematographer’s choices can arouse feelings of delight, sadness or humour in the story. Shot size and angle combined with lighting enhances the emotions and is the essence of cinematography.

Alongwith the above points, there are various shooting methods that affect the clarity in a scene.

  • Wide shot: A wide shot emphasise the scenery or the location around a subject.
  • Full shot: It displays the image of the character from head to toe and does not focus on the objects around the character. 
  • Medium shot: The medium shot is much closer than a wide one and the audience is able to see the character’s facial expressions.
  • Close ups: In a close up shot the focus is completely dedicated to one object and its details are displayed to the maximum level.

Becoming a successful a cinematographer is a dream of many aspirants. If you too have this dream then you should know that in order to succeed in the film industry you will have to learn the requisite skills and develop and hone them diligently to perfection. To do this, the first step is to join cinematography classes in a reputed film academy where you can learn the basics of the subject and then move on to advanced learning.

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