Cinematography is the art and craft of making motion pictures by capturing a story visually. In technical terms, cinematography is the art and the science of recording light either electronically onto an image sensor or chemically onto film.
Taken from the Greek for “writing with movement,” cinematography is the creation of images you see on screen. A series of shots that form a cohesive narrative. Cinematography composes each shot, considering, where everything in frame demands attention.
Critical Score: 6.8/10
A memorable scene for me would be the final chase sequence between Deckard and Roy Batty. I believe it summarises one of the key themes of the movie, humans vs. replicants, whilst also adding to the idea of replicants being children in terms of their social consciousness. Roy almost treats the chase as a game of hide and seek, not taking Deckard’s threat seriously.
Diegetic – Joker (2019)
The impact this scene from the Joker has on the audience is very powerful. The close up on Arthur in the mirror roughly manipulating his smile makes the audience feel uncomfortable and tense, just as Arthur is feeling. The director emphasized this by blurring everything in the foreground and background directing us to only look at Arthurs actions.
Intra-diegetic – The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Blair Witch Project uses “found footage” which allows the audience to feel as if they are really there with the characters behind the camera, they are part of the story. The impact this technique has on the audience can truly be terrifying especially when used in a horror film. The camera work makes the audience feel tense and engrossed in the action on screen.
Extra-diegetic – American Psycho (2000)
In this scene in American Psycho, Patrick is staring straight into the camera and into the audiences eyes while talking about what he is thinking through a voice over, this is creating a relationship between him and the audience, which is quite jarring when watching the film.
| Blade Runner (Scott, 1982) | CRITICAL SCORE: 7.5/10 | MEMORABLE SCENE: Deckard and Pris (Doll scene) WHY: When Pris is shot (retired) she lets out these horrifying screams making the scene raw and disturbing; her convulsions also enhance this scene, reinforcing how she isn’t human and is practically malfunctioning as a doll/robot would. Making her performance haunting for the audience. Her display of acrobatics highlights how she is inexperienced and child-like despite being in an adult body. |
I rate Blade Runner a 6.5/10
Diegetic- Jordan Peele’s close up in Get out; his fear and emotions are being emphasized through the use of close up. This extreme close up is used to mainly focus of his eyes that pretty much indicate his feelings of fear; this causes the audience to experience a tiny bit of that fear and sort of put themselves in the characters shoes and think about what he might be thinking in that catastrophic moment.
Intra diegetic gaze- Harley Quinn going down the slide in the end fight scene of Birds of Prey. This scene makes us see things from Harleys perspective which gives us the feelings of the euphoric emotions she is feeling.
Extra diegetic gaze- perspective of another character; and example of this is in Wolf of Wall Street when Jordan Belford talks directly to the camera. The effect this has on the audience is significant as it shifts our focus directly on Jordan and what he is saying.
What Is Cinematography?
Cinematography is the art of photography and visual storytelling in a motion picture or television show. Cinematography comprises all on-screen visual elements, including lighting, framing, composition, camera motion, camera angles, film selection, lens choices, depth of field, zoom, focus, colour, exposure, and filtration.
What Is a Cinematographer?
The cinematographer or director of photography is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera and light crews working on such projects and would normally be responsible for making artistic and technical decisions related to the image and for selecting the camera, film stock, lenses, filters, etc. The study and practice of this field is referred to as cinematography.Cinematography: the art of camerawork in filmmaking.
Cinematographer: a person who oversees or directs camerawork in filmmaking, especially one who operates the camera.
Cinematography
Blend of science and art used to capture, manipulate and store moving images for the purpose of creating a motion picture. Example of cinematography are the decisions made about lighting, camera filters and lenses when shooting a movie scene. The art, science, and work of photography in making films.
Cinematographer
A cinematographer, also known as a Director of Photography, oversees the camera and the lighting crew. They’re the person responsible for creating the look, colour, lighting, and framing of every single shot in a film.
In my opinion, I would rate Bladerunner as a film at 7/10. I enjoyed it overall, but it was difficult to follow the flow of the storyline at times. The worldbuilding and mise-en-scene worked well together to create a futuristic piece that’s grounded in our reality and future.
A scene that I found to be memorable was more toward the beginning, where the camera pans and slowly zooms out across different areas of the city as Deckard is escorted to the police station in the flying car. The shots implement elements from our current world, even today, with advertisements for Coca-Cola and the Atari building being one of the key structures, adding realism to the world the film has brought us to.