Disciplines of film studies

Film studies is a vast subject with a lot of the theories that are open to perceptions and understanding based on the personalization of beliefs and viewpoints. Various disciplines make up the whole picture of the film making process, and it works together like cogs in the wheels to create the final picture.

The main disciplines of film studies are cinematography, directing, documentary, producing, screenwriting, sound theories, and the thesis, to name a few. These are all vast topics that are students compete before understanding the full picture. In this essay, we will focus on cinematography as a subject to elaborate on.

What is the cinematography of a film?

Telling a story is more than recording the actions. Telling a story well through pictures and images that convey the same message is cinematography. It refers to the setup and technical elements of the film like cameras, lighting, film stock, duration of the shots, camera angle, framing, and movement. It deals with the aesthetics of the frame and the overall movie. The person who is responsible for the cinematography in the film is known as the director of photography or the cinematographer.

However, the cinematography is not only about having a good setup for the film with proper lighting and great shots; it can also be termed as the literal translation of the script in the form of pictures in the frame of the movie. The emotions and the thoughts, the details of the script, or the book can be expressed through cinematography; the emotions of the script or the book is detailed through the lighting, set up, cameras movement and equipment selection, visual effects like zoom, focus, depth of field and much more, to convey the same understanding as the reader through the film.

Key responsibilities of the cinematographer during shoots

The main responsibilities of the cinematographer’s role during the shooting of the film are:

- Establishing camera setups for every shot

- Exploring the potentials for every location for the film

- Choosing a visual style for the movie

- Determining the scene lighting

- Attending rehearsals to ensure the right camera responses for each shot of the frame

- Elevating the director’s vision for the film by offering ideas and concepts that the director may not have considered.

A good cinematographer will have an eye for details, with a sound understanding of the lighting techniques and camera skills. Cinematography refers to the usage of camera images with a combination of arts and science to create the best visual understanding of the story and the script.