When shooting a motion picture on physical celluloid, there are different types you can choose from. Each type will be a certain width, which contributes to its quality, size, grain count, and more. When identifying the different types of celluloid used in filmmaking, we refer to these strips by their film gauge, which is often,… Continue reading What is Film Gauge — 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, 65/70mm Explained
BasicsOpen menu What Does a Cinematographer Do What is Cinematography What is Digital Cinematography Cinematography Terms What is Motion Blur Cinematography BreakdownsOpen menu Stranger Things Cinematography Better Call Saul Cinematography Euphoria Cinematography Analysis Drive Cinematography Breakdown Blade Runner 2049 Cinematography The Guilty Cinematography Sicario Cinematography Water Light Reflection in Blade Runner Cinematographer StylesOpen menu Roger… Continue reading Sicario Cinematography Explained — Lighting & Composition
Types of Camera AnglesOpen menu Low Angle Shot Eye Level Shot High Angle Shots Dutch Angle Shot Overhead Shot Aerial Shot Camera Angle Guide Explore More ShotsOpen menu All Camera Shots Camera Shot Ultimate Guide Create Free Shot List The way you frame your actors or subjects conveys a message to the audience. Send the… Continue reading High Angle Shot — Camera Angle Explained & Iconic Examples
Have you ever changed the focus of your lens and noticed something… change? Not just the focus, but the image itself reframes and changes size. This is focus breathing. It can be annoying and distract your audience when it occurs in the middle of a shot. What is focus breathing and why does it occur?… Continue reading What is Focus Breathing — Camera Lens Techniques Explained
BasicsOpen menu What Does a Cinematographer Do What is Cinematography What is Digital Cinematography Cinematography Terms What is Motion Blur ResourcesOpen menu Essential Cinematography Books Top 100 Cinematography Films DP Advice from Alex Buono Videography Contract Template Best Cinematography Schools Cinematography Jobs How to Join the Cinematographer’s Guild Best Cinematography Online Courses E-BooksOpen menu FREE… Continue reading Best Cinematography Online Courses — Basic & Advanced
Color BasicsOpen menu What is a Color Palette Color Grading vs. Color Correction What is Color Space What is Color Temperature What is a Vectorscope What is LUT What is a Colorist What is a Color Checker What is Technicolor First Color Movie Film Colorization Process Color SchemesOpen menu What is a Color Scheme Triadic… Continue reading What is Technicolor? Definition and History Explained
If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, you’ve probably heard the term aspect ratio quite often. Before you shoot even a single frame of your film, you have to decide what aspect ratio would be best. This decision will affect the staging and framing of every single shot going forward. Why? What is aspect ratio, and why… Continue reading What is Aspect Ratio? A Formula for Framing Success
BasicsOpen menu What Does a Cinematographer Do What is Cinematography What is Digital Cinematography Cinematography Terms What is Motion Blur ResourcesOpen menu Essential Cinematography Books Top 100 Cinematography Films DP Advice from Alex Buono Videography Contract Template Best Cinematography Schools Cinematography Jobs How to Join the Cinematographer’s Guild Best Cinematography Online Courses E-BooksOpen menu FREE… Continue reading Cinematography and Film Terms Every Working Filmmaker Should Know
What phone has the best camera? We’re going to rank the best camera phones to buy by looking at the two essential aspects of camera phones: the camera and the phone. Nowadays, hardware and software both play a huge role in image optimization – so we’ll keep that note in mind when ranking camera phones… Continue reading Best Camera Phone — Buying Guide for Apple, Samsung, Google
You may have heard about golden hour, that special time before a sunset or just after a sunrise. For many photographers, golden hour is a great time to get a wonderful, warm, and beautiful photograph. But what is magic hour? Surely you must have heard of it, especially if you have also heard of golden… Continue reading What is Magic Hour Photography & Cinematography Explained
BasicsOpen menu What Does a Cinematographer Do What is Cinematography What is Digital Cinematography Cinematography Terms What is Motion Blur Cinematography BreakdownsOpen menu Stranger Things Cinematography Better Call Saul Cinematography Euphoria Cinematography Analysis Drive Cinematography Breakdown Blade Runner 2049 Cinematography The Guilty Cinematography Sicario Cinematography Water Light Reflection in Blade Runner Cinematographer StylesOpen menu Roger… Continue reading Robert Yeoman Style — Wes Anderson’s DP Techniques
Color BasicsOpen menu What is a Color Palette Color Grading vs. Color Correction What is Color Space What is Color Temperature What is a Vectorscope What is LUT What is a Colorist What is a Color Checker What is Technicolor First Color Movie Film Colorization Process Color SchemesOpen menu What is a Color Scheme Triadic… Continue reading What is Color Space — Mastering Color in Post in Photo & Film
One of the best places to start when learning about photography is learning about the different portrait lighting setups. From these lighting setups, you’ll be able to learn how light position can completely change the effect on a photo. One of the most common portrait lighting setups is broad lighting. What is broad lighting and… Continue reading What is Broad Lighting — Types of Portrait Lighting Explained
Any photographer, whether you are aspiring to be a professional or take photos as a hobby, wonders whether or not film photography or digital photography is better. Knowing the difference between the two will help you utilize each to what they’re best at. Ultimately, this will result in better photographs. Let’s take a look at the… Continue reading Film vs Digital Photography — The Good & Bad of Each Format
The beauty behind a great edit is that sometimes the magic goes unnoticed. Using a library shot is one of those techniques that editors use that, when done correctly, slips past the audience entirely and they stay locked into the story. Library shots can save a budget, save a schedule, and quite possibly save a… Continue reading What is a Library Shot — Types of Shots in Film Explained
Beginner photographers often have the misconception that to create quality portraits, you need multiple lights and complex techniques. While this is true for some portrait lighting setups, many fundamental lighting techniques are quite simplistic. The split lighting technique is perhaps the most simple and achievable of all portrait lighting setups. It is an essential technique for… Continue reading Split Lighting Photography — Examples, Patterns and Setups
In a world where digital photography has become the norm, there is still a place for those who want to use physical film stock. While digital technology has made it easier to be a photographer, physical celluloid still has a charm and texture that no digital camera can ever fully replicate. And above all else,… Continue reading What is Film Stock — Various Types of Film Stock Explained
Types of LensesOpen menu Lens Basics Prime Lens Zoom Lens Anamorphic Lens Focal LengthsOpen menu Wide Angle Lens (14mm – 35mm) Standard (35mm – 70mm) What is a 50mm Lens Good For 35mm vs 50mm Lenses Telephoto Lens (70mm – 200mm) Specialty LensesOpen menu What is a T-Stop Macro Lens Fisheye Lens Tilt-Shift Lens Split-Diopter… Continue reading Understanding Camera Lenses & How to Choose the Right Lens
Hand-held light meters might seem like an outdated appendage. Most modern cameras come with built-in light meters, and editing software is getting better and better at offering remedies to poorly-exposed footage. But light meters continue to be invaluable: a cinematographer’s primary job is to understand and manipulate light, and you can’t do that with a built-in… Continue reading Best Light Meter — Top 8 Ranked for Photography, Film & Video
Look at your mobile device, your high-definition television, or laptop computer; what do you see? Most likely it’s a rectangular widescreen, with a lot of the video you watch on it filling the entirety of the screen. We are of course talking about the 16:9 ratio, which has been the current standard in television and… Continue reading What is 16:9 Aspect Ratio — Origins of the Widescreen Format
