The Cinematographer's Voice


Book Description

The Cinematographer's Voice is a unique exploration of contemporary filmmaking and cinematography. The distillation of more than one-hundred interviews with cinematographers from around the world, and the product of a decade's worth of scholarship, the book is not only a collection of interviews with some of the world's leading cinematographers, but also a panoramic sweep of what image-making means in the era of digital cinema. Frequently, cinematography may seem intimidating as a discipline, the preserve solely of practitioners who have learned, through years of exposure to photographic technology, both the required jargon and background knowledge to comfortably engage with an often-technical field. In our present era of film studies, this is no longer the case. The interviews collected here are informative not only on matters of technique, but also on the ways in which practitioners formulate their methodologies, work with directors, and engage with the many logistical hurdles of visual storytelling. The result is an oral history of the past forty years of filmmaking and the cinematography it has produced.




Principal Photography


Book Description

By using photography as a storytelling medium, the cinematographer plays a key role in translating a screenplay into images and capturing the director's vision of a film. This volume presents in-depth interviews with 13 prominent cinematographers, who discuss their careers and the art and craft of feature film cinematography. The interviewees—who represent the spectrum of big-budget Hollywood and low-budget independent filmmaking from the sixties through the nineties—talk about their responsibilities, including lighting, camera movement, equipment, cinematic grammar, lenses, film stocks, interpreting the script, the budget and schedule, and the psychological effect of images. Each interview is preceded by a short biography and a selected filmography, which provide the background for a detailed analysis of the photographic style and technique of many highly acclaimed and seminal films.




Notes on the Cinematographer


Book Description

Robert Bresson makes some quite radical distinctions between what he terms "cinematography" and something quite different: "cinema"-which is for him nothing but an attempt to photograph theater and use it for the screen. Director of "The Trial of Joan of Arc, Pickpocket, A Prisoner Escapes, Diary of a Country Priest, Money," and many other classic films, Robert Bresson is, quite simply, one of the most brilliant cinematographers in the history of film.







Hands-on Manual for Cinematographers


Book Description

Contains information, theory, diagrams and tables on various aspects of cinematography, ranging from camera choice, maintenance and threading diagrams; to electricity on location, equipment checklists, film stock, lenses, light and colour. This work includes sections on special effects and utilities. The "Hands On" Manual for Cinematographers contains a wealth of information, theory, diagrams and tables on all aspects of cinematography. Widely recognised as the "Cinematographer's Bible" the book is organised in a unique manner for easy reference on location, and remains an essential component of the cameraman's box. Everything you need to know about cinematography can be found in this book - from camera choice, maintenance and threading diagrams; to electricity on location, equipment checklists, film stock, lenses, light and colour. Of particular use will be the mathematics, formulae, look up tables and step by step examples used for everything from imperial/metric conversions to electricity, exposure, film length, running times, lights and optics. Sections on special effects and utilities are also included as well as a list of useful websites.




Masters of Light


Book Description

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.




The Director's Voice


Book Description

Foremost stage directors describe their working process: JoAnne Akalaitis, Arvin Brown, René Buch, Martha Clarke, Gordon Davidson, Robert Falls, Zelda Fichandler, Richard Foreman, Adrian Hall, John Hirsch, Mark Lamos, Marshall W. Mason, Des McAnuff, Gregory Mosher, Harold S. Prince, Lloyd Richards, Peter Sellars, Andrei Serban, Douglas Turner Ward, Robert Woodruff, and Garland Wright.




Voice & Vision


Book Description

Ch. 1. From idea to cinematic stories -- Ch. 2. The screenplay -- Ch. 3. The visual language and aesthetics of cinema -- Ch. 4. Organizing cinematic time and space -- Ch. 5. From screenplay to visual plan -- Ch. 6. Preparing for production -- Ch. 7. The cast and crew -- Ch. 8. The film system -- Ch. 9. The digital video system -- Ch. 10. The lens -- Ch. 11. Camera support -- Ch. 12. Basics of exposure -- Ch. 13. Basic lighting for film and DV -- Ch. 14. Lighting and exposure : beyond the basics -- Ch. 15. Sound for production -- Ch. 16. Production sound tools -- Ch. 17. Sound recording technique -- Ch. 18. On set! -- Ch. 19. Postproduction overview and workflow -- Ch. 20. Principles and process of digital editing -- Ch. 21. The art and technique of editing -- Ch. 22. The sound design in film -- Ch. 23. Cutting sound and working with multiple tracks -- Ch. 24. Finishing, mastering, and distribution -- App. 1. Production format workflow table -- App. 2. Common filters for black-and-white cinematography -- App. 3. How to calibrate a field monitor to NTSC color bars -- App. 4-1. Scheduling, budgeting, and production forms -- App. 4-2. Short film budget form -- App. 4-3. Script breakdown form -- App. 4-4. Storyboards 1 -- App. 4-5. Storyboards 2 -- App. 4-6. Production call sheet form -- App. 4-7. Sound report form -- App. 4-8. Camera report form -- App. 5-1. Talent release form -- App. 5-2. Location contract form -- App. 6. 16mm film camera depth of field tables.




The Cinematographer: Dean Cundey


Book Description

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2009 in the subject Film Science, grade: A, Savannah College of Art and Design - The University for Creative Careers (School of Film and Digital Media, Savannah College of Art and Design), course: Film and Digital Media Production, language: English, abstract: Dean Cundey in as American cinematographer, most notably known for both, his early career in low-budget genre movies like Halloween, and his rise to one of Hollywood’s most sought after cinematographers for big effects movies in the late 1980s and 1990s, like Back To The Future or Jurassic Park. Cundey is a member of the American Cinematographers Society. He has been nominated for Academy Awards and ASC Awards in Best Cinematography. Dean Raymond Cundey was born on March 12, 1946 in Alhambra, California. His father was a salesman for the credit information provider Dun & Bradstreet while his mother was a housewife. Cundey grew up as a fan of the movies and used his father’s 8 mm film camera to shoot home movies. “Being fascinated by the different world movies could create”, Cundey developed an interest in production design, and in ninth grade wrote an essay hoping to become a Hollywood production designer. But although Cundey’s father had clients in the movie industry, Hollywood seemed very far away for the young Cundey.




Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Film and DV Production


Book Description

Voice & Vision is a comprehensive manual for the independent filmmakers and film students who want a solid grounding in the tools, techniques, and processes of narrative film in order to achieve their artistic vision. This book includes essential and detailed information on relevant film and digital video tools, a thorough overview of the filmmaking stages, and the aesthetic considerations for telling a visual story. The ultimate goal of this book is to help you develop your creative voice while acquiring the solid practical skills and confidence to use it. Unlike many books that privilege raw technical information or the line-producing aspects of production, Voice & Vision places creativity, visual expression, and cinematic ideas front and center. After all, every practical decision a filmmaker makes, like choosing a location, an actor, a film stock, a focal length, a lighting set-up, an edit point, or a sound effect is also an expressive one and should serve the filmmaker's vision. Every decision, from the largest conceptual choices to the smallest practical solutions, has a profound impact on what appears on the screen and how it moves an audience. "In Practice sidebars throughout Voice & Vision connect conceptual, aesthetic and technical issues to their application in the real world. Some provide a brief analysis of a scene or technique from easily rentable films which illustrate how a specific technology or process is used to support a conceptual, narrative, or aesthetic choice. Others recount common production challenges encountered on real student and professional shoots which will inspire you to be innovative and resourceful when you are solving your own filmmaking challenges.