- Hey, folks! Welcome to course number seven in this training series. Here we're going to be looking at cinematography. But what is that? Well, for our purposes here it refers to using cameras and lights to tell a story. Cinematography is what makes everyday places and things feel larger than life. It makes desert landscapes feel more foreboding. It makes mansions feel more empty and hollow. It makes everyday boring locations like a field of crops feel absolutely terrifying.
So in this course we're going to learn how to pull off these types of magic tricks. And, you know, The Assurance was a great education. We're going to have a blast digging into that. But, since it did have a very specific feel and look, we also held a few other shoots we'll be looking at to show you even more tricks, as well as how to shoot different styles in case fantasy isn't your thing. Now, in some films like Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project, there wasn't really a focus on the standards of cinematography as we know them. The movies looked more like amateur footage or security camera footage.
And that was part of the storytelling. So the absence of some of these standard cinematography principles was a great tool in these cases. Now, the point is, and you're going to hear me say this over and over again throughout this course, the point is to make intentional choices about how to tell your story visually. And this course will give you the tools you need to do just that. You know, looking back on The Assurance, I think I would choose to shoot some shots differently. So we'll analyze those shots critically and see what went wrong. In some cases we'll actually recreate shots from The Assurance to show you the choices I might make if I were filming it again today.
Now, I totally understand that there's all kinds of budgets out there. So we'll show you how we did big shots with a big crew and lots of gear and all that stuff. But we also did a lot of shots with a much smaller crew. The additional cinematography shoots that we held were actually done with just a crew of myself or maybe one other person. And several shots in The Assurance were done all by myself with absolutely no other crew. So no matter how you shoot or who you shoot with or how big your budget is, we've got you covered.
This course is going to start with the absolute basics and fundamentals of cinematography, and then we're going to progress to advanced concepts and tricks. Guys, I am so excited about this course. I wish so badly that I had something like this when I started out. I had to learn from years and years of my own tests and failures, you know, and reading books, and getting advice from other DPs and other crew members on set and all this other stuff. This course is what I wish I would have known from the start. It contains the most important lessons I've learned from all these years, from all the sets that I have worked on, and I'm so, so excited to be able to share this info with you.
Thank you for being here. Let's do this.
Author
Released
9/12/2017- Understanding exposure
- Getting coverage
- Diffusing, blocking, and shaping light
- Shooting at night
- Using wide and long lenses
- Telling stories with camera movement
- Framing the shot
- Using mobile cinematography apps
- Mastering cinematic lighting
- Using common grip equipment
- Lighting people in a flattering way
- Achieving a shallow depth of field
- Creating more cinematic shots
- Working as a Director of Photography
Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
Views
Related Courses
-
Video Foundations: Cameras and Shooting
with Anthony Q. Artis2h 58m Intermediate -
Learning DSLR Filmmaking
with Chad Perkins1h 10m Intermediate -
Creating a Short Film: 09 VFX Environments
with Chad Perkins7h 12m Intermediate
-
Introduction
-
The assurance7m 43s
-
1. Cinematography Basics
-
Understanding exposure1m 31s
-
Adjusting the shutter speed2m 45s
-
Adjusting ISO1m 50s
-
Exposing for the subject3m 46s
-
Using a light meter1m 16s
-
Evaluating a histogram1m 37s
-
Choosing a frame rate1m 34s
-
Shooting slow motion footage2m 40s
-
-
2. Setting Up the Shot
-
The cinematography workflow5m 54s
-
Understanding shot sizes5m 59s
-
Using POV shots2m 10s
-
Understanding the line2m 22s
-
Creating dimension2m 44s
-
Selecting the aspect ratio3m 33s
-
Leading the eye4m 11s
-
Cheating lights and talent1m 35s
-
-
3. Framing the Shot
-
The importance of framing3m 34s
-
Utilizing thirds1m 54s
-
Centering the subject1m 32s
-
Using high and low angles2m 10s
-
-
4. Lighting in Theory
-
Hard light vs. Soft light4m 27s
-
Avoiding "sourcey" light2m 18s
-
Realism vs. Beauty3m 13s
-
5. Lighting in Practice
-
Mastering cinematic lighting3m 47s
-
Diffusing light4m 51s
-
Blocking and bouncing light4m 51s
-
Using scrims2m 3s
-
Working with natural light4m 20s
-
Shooting night scenes5m 20s
-
Making magic with fog2m 56s
-
Coloring light with gels4m 13s
-
Creating lens flares2m 19s
-
Preventing lens flares1m 40s
-
-
6. Lighting People
-
Lighting from above1m 52s
-
Lighting from below1m 49s
-
Minimizing blemishes1m 49s
-
Making light flattering1m 18s
-
Using eye lights3m 10s
-
Making a silhouette1m 38s
-
Creating the film noir look2m 34s
-
Lighting dialog scenes2m 3s
-
7. Camera Basics
-
Which camera should you use?3m 48s
-
Building the camera2m 41s
-
Supporting the camera1m 8s
-
Achieving critical focus3m 48s
-
White balancing the camera1m 50s
-
Setting up video village2m 55s
-
-
8. Telling the Story with Lenses
-
Using lenses to tell a story3m 13s
-
Working with wide lenses3m 20s
-
Working with long lenses4m 28s
-
Using premium optics1m 51s
-
Racking focus1m 45s
-
-
9. Moving the Camera
-
Moving the camera6m 24s
-
Using a slider1m 39s
-
10. Creating Cinematic Shots
-
Critiquing the shot2m 18s
-
Changing the background1m 2s
-
Rethinking the lighting1m 39s
-
Changing the tone with gels1m 53s
-
-
11. Fixing Mistakes
-
Recreating the faceoff shot1m 26s
-
12. Working as DP
-
Responsibilities of the DP2m 29s
-
Knowing the script1m 30s
-
Scouting locations2m 26s
-
Getting coverage4m 6s
-
Gear: Renting vs. Buying2m 20s
-
Working with the crew3m 47s
-
Stealing shots2m 33s
-
Shooting visual effects4m 48s
-
-
Conclusion
-
Improving your DP skills3m 10s
-
Previewing the next course1m 49s
-
Final thoughts56s
-
- Mark as unwatched
- Mark all as unwatched
Are you sure you want to mark all the videos in this course as unwatched?
This will not affect your course history, your reports, or your certificates of completion for this course.
CancelTake notes with your new membership!
Type in the entry box, then click Enter to save your note.
1:30Press on any video thumbnail to jump immediately to the timecode shown.
Notes are saved with you account but can also be exported as plain text, MS Word, PDF, Google Doc, or Evernote.
Share this video
Embed this video
Video: Why is cinematography important?