Filmmaker Jay Holben has been battling in the production trenches for most of his life. For the past 17 years, he’s chronicled his adventures in the pages of American Cinematographer, Digital Video, Videography, and TV Technology. Now, in Behind the Lens: Dispatches from the Cinematic Trenches, he’s compiled nearly 100 of his best articles on everything from camera technology and lenses to tips and techniques for better lighting. Whether you’re making independent films, commercials, music videos, documentaries, television shows, event videos, or industrials, this full color collection provides the tools you need to take your work to the next level and succeed in the world of digital motion imaging.Featured topics include:*Tech, including the fundamentals of how digital images are formed and how they evolved to match the look of a film, as well as image compression and control*Optics, providing a thorough examination of lenses and lens interchangeability, depth of field, filters, flare, quality, MTF, and more*Cameras, instructing you in using exposure tools, ISO, white balance, infrared, and stabilizers*Lighting, featuring advice on using lighting sources and fixtures and how to tackle common lighting problemsAdditional tips and tricks cover improving audio, celestial photography, deciding if film school is right for you, and much more.For over a decade Jay Holben has worked as a director of photography in Los Angeles on features, commercials, television shows, and music videos. He is a former technical editor and frequent contributing writer for American Cinematographer, the current technical editor and columnist for Digital Video, and the lighting columnist for TV Technology. The author of A Shot in the Dark: A Creative DIY Guide to Digital Video Lighting on (Almost) No Budget, Holben is also on faculty for the Global Cinematography Institute. He is now an independent producer and director.

The world of cinematography has changed more in the last few years than it has since it has in 1929, when sound recording was introduced. New technology, new tools and new methods have revolutionized the art and craft of telling stories visually. While some aspects of visual language, lighting and color are eternal, shooting methods, workflow and cameras have changed radically. Even experienced film artists have a need to update and review new methods and equipment. These change affect not only the director of photography but also the director, the camera assistants, gaffers, and digital imaging technicians.Cinematography: Theory and Practice covers both the artistry and craftsmanship of cinematography and visual storytelling. Few art forms are as tied to their tools and technology as is cinematography. Take your mastery of these new tools, techniques, and roles to the next level with this cutting-edge roadmap from author and filmmaker Blain Brown.Whether you are a student of filmmaking, just breaking into the business, currently working in the industry and looking to move up to the next level, or an experienced professional who wants to update their knowledge of tools and techniques, this book provides both a basic introduction to these issues as well as more advanced and in-depth coverage of the subject.The companion website features additional material, including lighting demonstrations, basic methods of lighting, using diffusion and other topics.Topics Include:Visual language Visual storytelling Continuity and coverage Cameras and digital sensors Exposure techniques for film and video Color in-depth Understanding digital images Waveform monitors, vectorscopes, and test charts Using linear, gamma, and log encoded video Image control and grading on the set The tools and basics of film lighting ASC-CDL, ACES and other new methods Optics and focus Camera movement Set operations Green screen, high speed and other topics.

Few cinematographers have had as decisive an impact on the cinematic medium as John Alton. Best known for his highly stylized film noir classics T-Men, He Walked by Night, and The Big Combo, Alton earned a reputation during the 1940s and 1950s as one of Hollywood's consummate craftsmen through his visual signature of crisp shadows and sculpted beams of light. No less renowned for his virtuoso color cinematography and deft appropriation of widescreen and Technicolor, he earned an Academy Award in 1951 for his work on the musical An American in Paris. First published in 1949, Painting With Light remains one of the few truly canonical statements on the art of motion picture photography, an unrivaled historical document on the workings of postwar American cinema. In simple, non-technical language, Alton explains the job of the cinematographer and explores how lighting, camera techniques, and choice of locations determine the visual mood of film. Todd McCarthy's introduction provides an overview of Alton's biography and career and explores the influence of his work on contemporary cinematography and the foreword, written expressly for this edition by award-winning cinematographer John Bailey, explores Alton’s often contentious relationships with colleagues, the American Society of Cinematographers, and the movie industry itself.

An in-depth examination of the techniques and films of some of the world’s greatest cameramen.

A unique tribute to art films as seen through the eyes of master cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, the winner of three Academy Awards.The volume is a compendium of Storaro's extraordinary fifty-year career and a tribute to the creative sources of his work, as celebrated through more than 500 illustrations that reflect his singular style.In cinematography, there is not just one kind of light, but an infinite range of variants: not only the day and night specified in the screenplays, but also the daylight and artificial light, the darkness and the twilight, the sunrise and the sunset, the sun and the moon. And each one tells a story, expresses an idea or an emotion, and digs down into the subconscious. "The Muses" are the female figures of Greek mythology who have inspired the cinematography of Storaro in terms of aesthetics, light, color, and value.

Through conversations held with fifteen of the most accomplished contemporary cinematographers, the authors explore the working world of the person who controls the visual look and style of a film. This reissue includes a new foreword by cinematographer John Bailey and a new preface by the authors, which bring this classic guide to cinematography, in print for more than twenty-five years, into the twenty-first century.

With the aid of photographs and diagrams, this text concisely presents concepts and techniques of motion picture camerawork and the allied areas of film-making with which they interact with and impact. Included are discussions on: cinematic time and space; compositional rules; and types of editing.

The French film director Robert Bresson was one of the great artists of the twentieth century and among the most radical, original, and radiant stylists of any time. He worked with nonprofessional actors—models, as he called them—and deployed a starkly limited but hypnotic array of sounds and images to produce such classic works as A Man Escaped, Pickpocket, Diary of a Country Priest, and Lancelot of the Lake. From the beginning to the end of his career, Bresson dedicated himself to making movies in which nothing is superfluous and everything is always at stake.Notes on the Cinematograph distills the essence of Bresson’s theory and practice as a filmmaker and artist. He discusses the fundamental differences between theater and film; parses the deep grammar of silence, music, and noise; and affirms the mysterious power of the image to unlock the human soul. This book, indispensable for admirers of this great director and for students of the cinema, will also prove an inspiration, much like Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, for anyone who responds to the claims of the imagination at its most searching and rigorous.

Newly revised and expanded, Film Lighting is an indispensable sourcebook for the aspiring and practicing cinematographer, based on extensive interviews with leading cinematographers and gaffers in the film industryFilm lighting is a living, dynamic art influenced by new technologies and the individual styles of leading cinematographers. Reporting on the latest innovations and showcasing in-depth interviews with industry experts, Film Lighting provides an inside look at how cinematographers and film directors establish the visual concept of the film and use the lighting to help tell the story. Using firsthand material from experts such as Oscar-winning cinematographers Dion Beebe, Russell Carpenter, Robert Elswit, Mauro Fiore, Janusz Kaminski, Wally Pfister, Haskell Wexler, and Vilmos Zsigmond, this revised and expanded edition provides an invaluable opportunity to learn from the industry’s leaders.

Delivering the most comprehensive coverage available, Herb Zettl�s SIGHT SOUND MOTION: APPLIED MEDIA AESTHETICS, 8e thoroughly describes the major aesthetic image elements -- light and color, space, time-motion, and sound -- as well as presents in-depth coverage on how they are creatively used in television and film. Real-world applications bring the text�s detailed coverage of aesthetic theory to life. It equips you to think critically about media aesthetics and apply them to production situations. Now presented in full color, the Eighth Edition�s engaging presentation is richly illustrated with strong visuals that often draw on traditional art forms, such as painting, sculpture, and dance.

The first in the FilmCraft Series, this beautiful book covers the complex craft of cinematography through discussions with notable cinematographers, like Vittorio Storaro and Christopher Doyle. With stills, photos from the sets, and in-depth exploration of both iconic and contemporary projects, from Psycho and the French New Wave classic The Week End to Chicago and Zhang Yimou's saga Hero. Get access to lauded professionals, who provide you with the perspective to think like the pros and create compelling visual stories. Apply the perspective you'll gain to your own work with practical tips, or just sit back and coast along this thoughtful, behind-the-scenes road.

The Essential Guide to the Cameraman's CraftSince its initial publication in 1973, Cinematography has become the guidebook for filmmakers. Based on their combined fifty years in the film and television industry, authors Kris Malkiewicz and M. David Mullen lay clear and concise groundwork for basic film techniques, focusing squarely on the cameraman's craft. Readers will then learn step-by-step how to master more advanced techniques in postproduction, digital editing, and overall film production.This completely revised third edition, with more than 200 new illustrations, will provide a detailed look at:How expert camera operation can produce consistent, high-quality results How to choose film stocks for the appearance and style of the finished film How to measure light in studio and location shooting for the desired appearance How to coordinate visual and audio elements to produce high-quality sound tracksWhether the final product is a major motion picture, an independent film, or simply a home video, Cinematography can help any filmmaker translate his or her vision into a quality film.

This book examines the art and craft of motion picture photography through a veteran professional cinematographer's personal experiences on five major motion pictures, each selected to illustrate a particular series of challenges for the photographer."Every Frame a Rembrandt" is an expression heard on sound stages and locations the world over. While in most cases the expression is used lightly and not infrequently with a certain amount of sarcasm, its true meaning speaks highly of most cinematographers' commitment to producing the best, most interesting, unusual and memorable images for the screen. Through the five films he selected for this book Laszlo is able to show the broad range of complexity in motion picture photography, from the relatively simple "point and shoot" in the typcal western to complex in-camera effects. In recounting his "war stories" Laszlo is able to show the day to day activities of a cinematographer before, during and after filming the project, discussing equipment, film stocks, testing, labs, unions, agents, budget requirements, and working with the director and producer. The five films discussed are Southern Comfort, The Warriors, Rambo: First Blood, Streets of Fire, and Innerspace. The book is illustrated throughout with production stills from Laszlo's extensive collection (12 in a color insert).

Five hundred movie stills and photographs highlight this comprehensive overview of European cinematographic art, which offers incisive analyses of one hundred seminal films---from Battleship Potemkin to The Elephant Man--along with a technical and creative history of the cameraperson's craft.

Visual narrative formulas for anyone involved in the film and tape industry.

Shot by Shot is the world’s go-to directing book, now newly updated for a special 25th Anniversary edition! The first edition sold over 250,000 copies, making it one of the bestselling books on film di-recting of all time. Aspiring directors, cinematographers, editors, and producers, many of whom are now working professionals, learned the craft of visual storytelling from Shot by Shot, the most com-plete source for preplanning the look of a movie. The book contains over 800 photos and illustrations, and is by far the most comprehensive look at shot design in print, containing storyboards from movies such as Citizen Kane, Blade Runner, Dead-pool, and Moonrise Kingdom. Also introduced is the concept of A, I, and L patterns as a way to sim-plify the hundreds of staging choices facing a director in every scene. Shot by Shot uniquely blends story analysis with compositional strategies, citing examples then il-lustrated with the storyboards used for the actual films. Throughout the book, various visual ap-proaches to short scenes are shown, exposing the directing processes of our most celebrated au-teurs ― including a meticulous, lavishly illustrated analysis of Steven Spielberg’s scene design for Empire of the Sun.

Since its initial publication in 1973, "Cinematography" has become the standard guidebook on filmmaking techniques that emphasizes the cameraman's craft. Now completely revised and updated, it clearly and concisely covers what today's filmmaker needs to know about camera structure and operation, lenses, film stocks, filters, lighting and light measuring, and accessory equipment. In addition it provides up-to-date information on sound recording, editing, video transfer, studio and location shooting, production logistics, and modern techniques of picture manipulation with optical printers -- a subject rarely treated in such detail in existing film books. Building on the groundwork he lays, Kris Malkiewicz explores more advanced techniques of overall picture quality control -- how the filmmaker can translate the envisaged image to the screen through coordinating all aspects of cinematography. As Malkiewicz explains, whatever concept is desired, the filmmaker must be in full control of the technology in order to ensure success. Illustrated with more than 350 photographs and drawings, this new second edition of "Cinematography" will continue to prove invaluable to filmmakers, film students, and film teachers.

Enhance the visual quality of your motion pictures and digital videos with a solid understanding of lighting fundamentals. This complete course in digital video lighting begins with how the human eye and the camera process light and color, progresses through the basics of equipment and setups, and finishes with practical lessons on how to solve common problems. Filled with clear illustrations and real-world examples that demonstrate proper equipment use, safety issues, and staging techniques, Lighting for Digital Video presents readers with all they need to create their own visual masterpieces.Features: Film style techniques for digital video productions Creating "movie" looks on a low budget Lighting for HD How to maximize existing light Interview setups color correction techniques in mixed lighting situations

The noted cinematographer discusses his technical and aesthetic approaches to cinematography in forty of his films and profiles some of the major stars and directors with whom he has worked

Newly revised and updated, Film Lighting is an indispensible sourcebook for the aspiring and practicing cinematographer, based on extensive interviews with leading cinematographers and gaffers in the film industry.Film lighting is a living, dynamic art influenced by new technologies and the changing styles of leading cinematographers. A combination of state-of-the-art technology and in-depth interviews with industry experts, Film Lighting provides an inside look at how cinematographers and film directors establish the visual concept of the film and use the lighting to create a certain atmosphere.Kris Malkiewicz uses firsthand material from the experts he interviewed while researching this book. Among these are leading cinematographers Dion Beebe, Russell Carpenter, Caleb Deschanel, Robert Elswit, Mauro Fiore, Adam Holender, Janusz Kaminski, Matthew Libatique, Rodrigo Prieto, Harris Savides, Dante Spinotti, and Vilmos Zsigmond. This updated version of Film Lighting fills a growing need in the industry and will be a perennial, invaluable resource.

The Fifth Edition of The Camera Assistant's Manual has been completely updated to reflect the technology of today, providing crucial guidance to student filmmakers as they prepare to enter the professional world and work as camera assistants.David Elkins has the technical know-how to provide students with easy to follow advice about how to act on set, what a camera assistant is expected to do, and all the tips and tricks that will make a first or second camera assistant ready to advance to the next level. Readers will learn how the skill sets of a 1st or 2nd AC (Camera Assistant) in film and digital (HD) intertwine, how they differ, and all they need to know to do both jobs well. The advancements in HD and digital video are only adding to an already demanding job, and this fifth edition of The Camera Assistant's Manual provides Camera Assistant novices and experienced ACs alike with valuable knowledge that they need to work in both formats. This nuts and bolts guide covers the basics of cinematography, how to maintain a camera, how to transport a camera, how to troubleshoot common problems that arise on set, and even advice about interviewing for the job. The new edition has also been updated to include new forms, checklists, tables, and illustrations that will be essential to the success of any camera assistant. Using problem solving skills, readers will hone proficiency both on the set and off, and they will find a vital tool for their toolkits in this book. * Completely updated for the latest film and video technologies, including the multi-skill set needed to work in both film and HD* The author's companion website provides online tutorials, clips, and techniques that camera assistants can easily use while on location (www.cameraassistantmanual.com)* Aspiring camera assistants will never be left in the dust again by using this complete guide

Master Shots gives filmmakers the techniques they need to execute complex, original shots on any budget. By using powerful master shots and well-executed moves, you can develop a strong style and stand out from the crowd.Most low-budget movies look low-budget, because the director is forced to compromise at the last minute. Master Shots gives you so many powerful techniques that you'll be able to respond, even under pressure, and create knock-out shots. When the clock is ticking and the light is fading, the techniques in this book can rescue your film, and make every shot look like it cost a fortune.Every technique is illustrated with samples from great feature films and computer-generated diagrams for absolute clarity.

Dialogue scenes are the most important moments in your film, but most directors get them wrong.If you block your scenes well, you do more than capture the basic scene; you echo the meaning, emotion, and drama of every moment. That is never more important than with dialogue.Whatever your budget, there is an exciting way to capture dialogue.It is a tragedy that so many directors are happy to open a scene with a moving master shot, and then just settle into dull coverage for the dialogue. You can do better than that and Master Shots Vol 2 gives you 100 ways to shoot dynamic dialogue.

Lighting is at the heart of filmmaking. The image, the mood, and the visual impact of a film are, to a great extent, determined by the skill and sensitivity of the director of photography in using lighting. Motion Picture and Video Lighting explores technical, aesthetic, and practical aspects of lighting for film and video. It covers not only how to light, but also why. This revised edition of Motion Picture and Video Lighting is the indispensable guide to film and video lighting. Written by an experienced professional, this comprehensive book explores light and color theory, equipment, and techniques to make every scene look its best, and is heavily illustrated throughout. Three new chapters discuss best practices of using light to benefit your film, and an extensive appendix includes discussion on additional tips and tricks. In addition, a robust companion website includes up-to-date video tutorials and other resources for students and professionals alike. Three new chapters: \nScene Lighting Lighting as Storytelling Controlling Light\n\nTopics include: \nLighting sources The lighting process Lighting basics LED, tungsten, Kino-Flo, HMI, and plasma lights Methods of controlling light Planning your lighting The basic methods: a lighting playbook Visual storytelling with light Understanding and controlling color Terminology Electricity and distribution Gripology Set operations The team: DP, gaffer, grips, lighting technicians Technical issues Lighting for greenscreen/bluescreen Typical equipment orders for large and small jobs Lighting for high speed and macro photography Lighting plans for small, medium, and large films\n

This book is a highly visual exploration of the best shots, moves, and set-ups in the industry. It reveals the secrets behind each shot's success, so it can be adapted to a director's individual scenes.Your job is to create shots that reveal story, expose emotion, explore character and capture the unique feeling of your film. At the same time, you should stamp your film with your own style. This book can help you do that, whatever your experience, because it challenges you to imagine a creative solution for every scene in your film.

Visual Storytelling covers all major components of creating powerful images including lighting, camera functions, composition and storytelling. However, the main focus of the book is not just creating compelling visuals, but more importantly creating images that inform and move the audience. Images carry emotional weight and Visual Storytelling teaches readers how to harness these emotions to maximize the emotion of the story, while minimizing the amount of dialogue necessary. What makes Visual Storytelling unique is that it not only covers the theoretical concepts of filmmaking but also the technical elements necessary to achieve the emotional outcome. This combination of theory and practice helps to create well informed and skilled filmmakers.

The essential handbook for directors and aspiring filmmakers who want to get the best visuals for their films while establishing a collaborative relationship with their cinematographer. This is the only book that focuses exclusively on the relationship between the director and cinematographer.

By Todd Rainsberger. ISBN 0-498-02405-9. From an Amazon reader review: This book is now out of print, but thanks to Amazon, it can be readily found, and more affordable than ever. My great-aunt helped the author with this important work, and I've learned so much about the cinematography of James Wong Howe, my great-uncle. It's a "must-read" for all students of film and cinematography. I'm so glad that the memory of JWH's life and work is preserved forever through Todd Rainsberger's exhaustive research and hard efforts.

The image that appears on the movie screen is the direct and tangible result of the joint efforts of the director and the cinematographer. A Hidden History of Film Style is the first study to focus on the collaborations between directors and cinematographers, a partnership that has played a crucial role in American cinema since the early years of the silent era. Christopher Beach argues that an understanding of the complex director-cinematographer collaboration offers an important model that challenges the pervasive conventional concept of director as auteur. Drawing upon oral histories, early industry trade journals, and other primary materials, Beach examines key innovations like deep focus, color, and digital cinematography, and in doing so produces an exceptionally clear history of the craft. Through analysis of several key collaborations in American cinema from the silent era to the late twentieth century―such as those of D. W. Griffith and Billy Bitzer, William Wyler and Gregg Toland, and Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Burks―this pivotal book underlines the importance of cinematographers to both the development of cinematic technique and the expression of visual style in film.

Introduction to Cinematography offers a practical, stage-by-stage guide to the creative and technical foundations of cinematography. Building from a skills-based approach focused on professional practice, cinematographer and author Tania Hoser provides a step-by-step introduction for both cinematographers and camera assistants to the techniques, processes, and procedures of working with cameras, lenses, and light. She provides hands-on insight into negotiating with production constraints and understanding the essentials of the image workflow from shot to distribution, on projects of any scope and budget.Richly illustrated, the book incorporates exercises and sample scripts throughout, exploring light, color, movement, ‘blocking’, and pacing scenes. The principles and techniques of shaping and controlling light are applied to working with natural light, film lamps, and, as with all areas of cinematography, to low budget alternatives. This makes Introduction to Cinematography the perfect newcomer’s guide to learning the skills of cinematography that enables seamless progression from exercises through to full feature shoots. Assessment rubrics provide a framework to measure progress as the reader’s ability to visually interpret scripts and enhance the director’s vision develops.The book also teaches readers: To understand and develop the combination of skills and creativity involved in cinematography; Photographic principles and how they are applied to control focus exposure, motion blur, and image sharpness; To identify the roles and skills of each member of the camera department, and how and when each are required during a shoot; The order and process of lighting on all scales of productions and the use and application of the four main types of lamps; How to use waveforms, false color, and zebras for monitoring light levels, and meters for guiding exposure choices; The principles of the color wheel, color palettes, and the psychological effects of color choices; How to shoot for different types of fiction and nonfiction/documentary films and how to apply these skills to other genres of TV and film production; Strategies for both starting and progressing your career within cinematography and the camera department.**Winner of 'Best new Textbook in Humanities and Media Arts' in the Taylor and Francis Editorial Awards 2018**

David A. Ellis has interviewed some of the most influential and highly regarded cameramen of the last half century and more, and he has assembled these exchanges in Conversations with Cinematographers. While their names may not be known by the general public, these men and their work have left indelible imprints on the silver screen. Among those interviewed are several award-winning artists:• Douglas Slocombe (Kind Hearts and Coronets, Julia, Raiders of the Lost Ark)• Oswald Morris (The Guns of Navarone, Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver!)• Christopher Challis (A Shot in the Dark, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Top Secret!)• Billy Williams (Women in Love, The Wind and the Lion, Gandhi)• Freddie Francis (Sons and Lovers, The Elephant Man, Glory)• Chris Menges (The Killing Fields, The Mission, The Reader)• John De Borman (The Full Monty, Hamlet, An Education)• Gilbert Taylor (Dr. Strangelove, A Hard Day's Night, Frenzy, Star Wars)• Jack Cardiff (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, The African Queen)• Nicolas Roeg (Fahrenheit 451, Far from the Madding Crowd, Petulia)• Alex Thomson (Excalibur, Legend, Hamlet)• Walter Lassally (Tom Jones, Zorba the Greek, Heat and Dust)• Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire, The Last King of Scotland, 127 Hours)Along with several camera operators who were also interviewed, these cinematographers recount their experiences on sets and reveal what it was like to work with some of the most acclaimed directors of all time, including Alfred Hitchcock, Fred Zinnemann, Carol Reed, John Huston, David Lynch, and Steven Spielberg. With valuable insight into the craft of moviemaking, this collection of interviews will appeal to film professors, scholars, and students, as well as anyone with an interest in the art of cinematography.

The book uses extensive illustrations to explain how to create extended sequence shots, elaborate moving camera choreography, and tracking shots with multiple story points.

Text: English, Spanish, French (translation)

In film history, director-cinematographer collaborations were on a labor spectrum, with the model of the contracted camera operator in the silent era and that of the cinematographer in the sound era. But in Weimar era German filmmaking, 1919-33, a short period of intense artistic activity and political and economic instability, these models existed side by side due to the emergence of camera operators as independent visual artists and collaborators with directors.Berlin in the 1920s was the chief site of the interdisciplinary avant-garde of the Modernist movement in the visual, literary, architectural, design, typographical, sartorial, and performance arts in Europe. The Weimar Revolution that arose in the aftermath of the November 1918 Armistice and that established the Weimar Republic informed and agitated all of the art movements, such as Expressionism, Dada, the Bauhaus, Minimalism, Objectivism, Verism, and Neue Sachlichkeit (“New Objectivity”). Among the avant-garde forms of these new stylistically and culturally negotiated arts, the cinema was foremost and since its inception had been a radical experimental practice in new visual technologies that proved instrumental in changing how human beings perceived movement, structure, perspective, light exposure, temporal duration, continuity, spatial orientation, human postural, facial, vocal, and gestural displays, and their own spectatorship, as well as conventions of storytelling like narrative, setting, theme, character, and structure. Whereas most of the arts mobilized into schools, movements, institutions, and other structures, cinema, a collaborative art, tended to organize around its ensembles of practitioners. Historically, the silent film era, 1895-1927, is associated with auteurs, the precursors of François Truffaut and other filmmakers in the 1960s: actuality filmmakers and pioneers like R. W. Paul and Fred and Joe Evans in England, Auguste and Luis Lumière and Georges Méliès in France, and Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton in America, who, by managing all the compositional, executional, and editorial facets of film production—scripting, directing, acting, photographing, set, costume, and lighting design, editing, and marketing—imposed their personal vision or authorship on the film. The dichotomy of the auteur and the production ensemble established a production hierarchy in most filmmaking. In formative German silent film, however, this hierarchy was less rank or class driven, because collaborative partnerships took precedence over single authorship. Whereas in silent film production in most countries the terms filmmaker and director were synonymous, in German silent film the plural term filmemacherin connoted both directors and cinematographers, along with the rest of the filmmaking crew. Thus, German silent filmmakers’ principle contribution to the new medium and art of film was less the representational iconographies of Expressionist, New Objective, and Naturalist styles than the executional practice of co-authorship and co-production, in distinctive cinematographer-director partnerships such as those of cinematographer Theodor Sparkuhl and director Ernst Lubitsch; Fritz Arno Wagner with F. W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, and G. W. Pabst; Rudolf Maté with Carl Theodor Dreyer; Guido Seeber with Lang and Pabst; and Carl Hoffmann with Lang and Murnau.

On Suspiria and Beyond is a book-interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli AIC ASC, who has collaborated with directors such as Vittorio De Seta, Michelangelo Antonioni, Dario Argento, Maurice Pialat, Valerio Zurlini, Francis Veber, Andrej Tarkovskij, Ettore Scola, Julie Taymor, Barbet Schroeder and many others. Tovoli is also the creator of the European Federation of Cinematographers Imago. The volume retraces all the stages of making Suspiria, from test shots to printing. It describes in detail the making of various sequences, relations with the director, explores the cultural premises of this immortal work and the historical context of the struggle for innovation in the cinematography of the Seventies. Above all, it reveals Luciano Tovoli’s passion and tireless search for an expressive use of color in films, providing us with a first-hand experience of an incredible adventure in aesthetics.

Cinematography is the art and craft of visualizing and recording the moving image. The cinematographer therefore has to use their technical and creative skills to photographically capture the mood of the film and the vision of the director. Done properly, they add the magic and depth to a film, giving it a defining edge. This practical book explains the principles behind cinematography, as well as the skills of the cinematographer. Having described the equipment, it looks at how to interpret the script and advises on how to find a visual style. Written by a respected cinematographer, it also explains the roles of the camera crew and the importance of working as a team.

"Simply put, Harry Mathias has done it again. "The Death & Rebirth of Cinema" solidifies Mathias's standing as THE great translator of film-to-digital imaging technology."The world's cinema has mostly left behind its 100-year tradition of cinematography on film, and begins its search for a new visual foundation. What is next for cinema, is what this book is about. This book discusses the big questions of the future of cinematography, in a cinema that is increasing preoccupied with technology and not with artistic moving images."Just as he did with "Electronic Cinematography" 30 years ago, Mathias cuts through the web of misinformation and lays out a brilliant method to gain control over new and constantly changing imaging technologies without losing sight of the valuable lessons cinematographers have taught us for over 100 years. Harry Mathias has the professional experience, technological savvy, and artistic integrity to connect the rich, foundational knowledge of past photographic systems to today's rapidly changing "technology of the month" attitude.--William McDonald,UCLA Professor & ChairDepartment of Film, Television and Digital Media, said about this book.This book teaches the vital new cinematography skills that are needed to make great films in a digital cinema world. It covers lighting, lens selection, image control methods, and much more--whether using digital cinema or (photochemical) film with today's technology-driven cinema.Mathias is a very experienced film cinematographer, one who also is a pioneer of digital cinema cinematography. He outlines concrete plans to take the best path forward to a digital imaging future, without leaving behind the photographic skills and lighting arts of films of the past.Exploring the path from our past to the future, this book is not only for cinematographers; it is for anyone who cares about telling dramatic stories visually to film audiences. Film directors, producers, production designers, art directors, editors, colorists, and film critics are all concerned with communicating cinematic images effectively to a theatre audience. Often the issue today is not how can this be done effectively with digital cinema, but how can it be done in spite of all this new technology. In this book, Mathias boldly sets out the plan to reach that cinematography of the future.What is important to cinema is image quality and the art of cinematography--and that is why the major skills required are the same whether a Director of Photography is using film or digital cinema. This book is about making images the right way, regardless of the camera technology being used.Cinema is, after all, technology in the service of art, not the other way around...

A friendly, hands-on training manual and reference for lighting technicians in motion picture and television production, this handbook is the most comprehensive guide to set lighting available. It provides a unique combination of practical detail with a big-picture understanding of lighting, technology, safety, and professionalism, essential to anyone doing motion picture lighting.The fifth edition delves into every aspect of lighting and features vastly expanded sections on controlling LED lights, color science, lighting control systems, wireless systems, Ethernet-based control systems, battery power, and modern set protocol for productions small and large. With a generous number of original images, the book illustrates the use of soft light, the effect of lighting angles, and how the gaffer and DP build an effective lighting plan around the blocking of the actors. This encyclopedic volume of technical knowhow is tempered with years of practical experience and a much-needed sense of humor.This is the ideal text for professional lighting technicians across film and television including lighting directors, gaffers, DOPs, and rigging crews, as well as film and television production students studying lighting, camera techniques, film production, and cinematography.It includes a revamped companion website with supplementary resources, forms, checklists, and images.

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Visual Effects offers a practical, detailed guide to visual effects for non-VFX specialists working in film and television. In contemporary filmmaking and television production, visual effects are used extensively in a wide variety of genres and formats to contribute to visual storytelling, help deal with production limitations, and reduce budget costs. Yet for many directors, producers, editors, and cinematographers, visual effects remain an often misunderstood aspect of media production. In this book, award-winning VFX supervisor and instructor Eran Dinur introduces readers to visual effects from the filmmaker’s perspective, providing a comprehensive guide to conceiving, designing, budgeting, planning, shooting, and reviewing VFX, from pre-production through post-production.The book will help readers:Learn what it takes for editors, cinematographers, directors, producers, gaffers, and other filmmakers to work more effectively with the visual effects team during pre-production, on the set and in post, use visual effects as a narrative aid, reduce production costs, and solve problems on location;Achieve a deeper understanding of 3D, 2D, and 2.5D workflows; the various VFX crafts from matchmove to compositing; essential concepts like photorealism, parallax, roto, and extraction; become familiar with the most common types of VFX, their role in filmmaking, and learn how to plan effectively for the cost and complexity of VFX shots; See visual effects concepts brought to life in practical, highly illustrated examples drawn from the real-world experiences of industry professionals, and discover how to better integrate visual effects into your own projects.