Have you ever wondered what makes a movie into a piece of cinematic art? The answer lies in cinematography. Derived from the Greek words “kinema” (meaning movement) and “graphein” (meaning to write), cinematography is the art of crafting the visual imagery we see on screen. At its best, cinematography can make a piece beautiful and moving, capturing emotion and delivering messages without a single word. The art of how a cinematographer uses a camera to capture such captivating images is vitally important, not just to give a film a signature look, but to embody filmmaking in its highest form.
Elements of Cinematography
There are many different techniques used to create cinematography in order to set and support a “look” for a film and to convey different moods throughout. The first of these deals with the composition of a shot. Filmmakers are responsible for everything in a specific frame, and the art of setting this frame via stage design and the position of actors is called mise-en-scène. Elements of mise-en-scène can include the physical items present in a frame as well as how two actors are positioned to show friendliness, tension or any other emotion the filmmaker wants to convey visually. No part of cinematic composition is accidental – every item captured in frame serves to enhance the story by providing additional information about a character, setting, motivation or the plot. Blocking is the term to refer to how actors are placed in the frame, which can show their relative power, feelings or position in the world or their journey. For example, placing a character close to another in one scene and then farther away in a subsequent scene, can show viewers that the dynamic between the characters has changed. Focus is another vital element of shot composition, telling our eyes where to look first in the frame and highlighting details we should pay attention to.
While cinematography will look different for each and every film, there are a few rules that cinematographers typically adhere to when composing a shot. First and foremost, the rule of thirds dictates where subjects ought to be placed in a frame. This technique divides a frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically, with key elements in the image placed at the intersections of these lines or on the lines themselves for a balanced, harmonious image. Similarly, symmetry in frame composition is important to ensure a frame feels balanced and that no parts of it feel empty – unless that’s the intent. Head/lead room, which is the amount of space between a subject and the top of the frame or sides of the frame, can also make a subject appear insignificant if there’s too much, or cramped and claustrophobic if there’s not enough. Depth of field can also add to the cinematic impact and meaning of a shot, since it helps our eyes decide where to look first in the frame and where to explore next based on relative importance. Perhaps the most important facet of all these rules is the impact they can have when they’re broken. Since they’re typically followed by most films, it can be startling when a film breaks one or more of these rules, giving cinematographers an immense amount of power to play with when composing shot lists for different films. Whether a cinematographer plays it by the book or decides to go against the grain, the visual narratives they create can be just as meaningful as they are nice to look at.
Camera positioning is another important facet of cinematography, especially in terms of the distance, angle, and movement of the camera in a scene. Distance can convey isolation and dissonance, while an extreme close up can feel intimate or even uncomfortable. Spatial relationships between the camera and various elements within the frame can also contribute to deeper meanings, since they can imply how things are associated and how characters might feel about them. Angles can indicate balance and harmony, but they can also signify a descent into madness and that things aren’t right in the film’s world. For example, a tilted/canted angle, also called a “Dutch” angle, is used to add a sense of unease or disorientation. Similarly, a high angle shot looking down on a character can indicate a lack of power, while a low angle shot looking up at a character can indicate authority.
How a camera moves is also vital to conveying emotion through cinematography. In regular sequences, cameras are usually held steady on various mounts to interfere least with the message of a film. Handheld filming, also called “shaky cam,” can be used to indicate chaos or disarray. Cameras can also pan and tilt to capture moving images and move through a frame. Zooming in and out can also be done on lenses without fixed focal lengths, but this technique is used more sparingly because the human eye cannot “zoom in” and “zoom out” when viewing something, so when the camera does, it can be off-putting. When a camera moves in unnatural and over-dramatic ways, it can feel forced and jarring, interrupting the natural flow of the film. Noticeable direction inserts the director into the film in a way, which is sometimes the intended purpose (Spielberg’s famous “reverse dolly zoom” shot in Jaws is a great example of this). Used unintentionally though, overzealous direction and cinematic design can take away from the beauty of a film and its story. Every time the camera moves, it tells viewers something about the visual narrative, making camera positioning a key component of cinematography.
Color in cinematography can help convey emotion, emphasize ideas, and can be implemented during shooting with colorful frame composition or through color grading in post-production. Both processes yield a visual image imbued with subconscious emotion. When we see red, we often think of anger. When we see blue, we often think of sadness. Green might equal peace and yellow might be symbolic of joy. These are ideas rooted deep in our minds already, and cinematographers make use of these emotional ties we have to color in order to visually signal the mood or feeling a certain scene is trying to convey, and in turn make us feel that emotion as viewers.
How a scene is lit is also a core part of cinematography, since light (or the lack thereof) can heighten drama, tell us time of day, help us feel a sense of place, and otherwise communicate information about a setting without a character having to point it out through dialogue. While the Hollywood standard to illuminate a subject and show depth and dimension is the three-point lighting system (key light, fill light, back light), cinematographers will often break this rule, making use of motivated lighting (lighting that has a logical source, often times this is sunlight) or even practicals (lighting elements included in the frame, such as a lamp) to create dramatic effect. The dispersal of light on a character can also tell us about their motivations. Antagonists are often partially obscured by light (especially shots of their eyes or face), signaling hidden motivations, while protagonists are bathed in full bright light, showing their goodness. Cinematographers can also combine these elements to create confusion and doubt around certain characters, adding to suspense and building on plot development.
Through each element, cinematographers are able to communicate all sorts of messages while upholding visual composition and artistry. They can make us feel joy, suspense, or sadness, and show us hidden motivations of a character before they play out on screen. Cinematography conveys such a depth of meaning in film, and learning how to analyze these visual elements to understand their significance can help you to appreciate movies and the cinematic arts like never before.
Cinematic Examples
Explaining a visual art like cinematography through words can only do so much – to truly appreciate the art, you’ve got to see it. Here are some examples of cinematography at its very finest within absolutely gorgeous films from different periods of time. Each frame within these movies is a visual treat, one from which you can extract so much meaning.
Her (2013)
Directed by Spike Jonze
Cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Tenet (2020)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema
1917 (2019)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Cinematography by Roger Deakins
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond
The Deer Hunter (1978)
Directed by Michael Cimino
Cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Cinematography by Andrzej Sekula
Gladiator (2000)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Cinematography by John Mathieson
Rashomon (1950)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa
Psycho (1960)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Cinematography by John L. Russell
Cinematography may be an underappreciated art, but it is perhaps one of the most fundamental pieces of filmmaking – and the most visually stunning as well. Next time you watch a film, pay attention to the framing and composition of different shots, and see if you can extract some meaning that you might not have noticed before. At the very least, enjoy the beautiful visual imagery and thoughtfulness put into creating cinematic masterpieces.