Before one can dive into the study of the many different aspects of film (cinematography, acting, editing, sounds and so on), one must first understand the general principles that make up the form of a film.
Films Manipulate Space and Time
Some arts are concerned mainly with space, such as sculpture and architecture, while others are concerned mainly with time, such as music. However, films can combine and manipulate both space and time. Film can seamlessly transport us from one space to another (from a garden to the moon), or make space itself move by the work of the camera and focusing on different subjects, or fragment space (slow motion).
So it becomes the camera lens that determines out perception of cinematic space. “The key to understanding our connection to the camera lens lies in the differences between how the human eye and the camera eye see. The camera eye perceives what’s placed before it through a series of different pictures (shots), made with different lenses, from different camera positions and angles, using different movements, under different lighting and so on. Although the camera eye and the human eye can both see the movements, colors, textures, sizes, and locations of people, places and things, the camera eye is more selective in its view. The camera frames images, for example, and can widen and foreshorten space.”
“No matter how straightforward the mediation of the camera eye may seem, it always involves selection and manipulation of what is seen.”
Films Depend on Light
Films Manipulate Space and Time
Some arts are concerned mainly with space, such as sculpture and architecture, while others are concerned mainly with time, such as music. However, films can combine and manipulate both space and time. Film can seamlessly transport us from one space to another (from a garden to the moon), or make space itself move by the work of the camera and focusing on different subjects, or fragment space (slow motion).
So it becomes the camera lens that determines out perception of cinematic space. “The key to understanding our connection to the camera lens lies in the differences between how the human eye and the camera eye see. The camera eye perceives what’s placed before it through a series of different pictures (shots), made with different lenses, from different camera positions and angles, using different movements, under different lighting and so on. Although the camera eye and the human eye can both see the movements, colors, textures, sizes, and locations of people, places and things, the camera eye is more selective in its view. The camera frames images, for example, and can widen and foreshorten space.”
“No matter how straightforward the mediation of the camera eye may seem, it always involves selection and manipulation of what is seen.”
Films Depend on Light
Lighting is responsible for what we see on the big screen, photograph, video or animation. “The ability to see anything depends on light.” Lighting enhances texture, depth, emotions and mood. “Lighting often conveys these things by augmenting, complicating, or even contradicting other cinematic elements within the shot (e.g., dialogue, movement, or composition). Lighting also affects the way in which we see and think about a movie’s character. It can make a character’s face appear attractive or unattractive, make the viewer like a character or be afraid of her, and reveal a character’s state of mind”
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