The cinematography of HALLOWEEN
The cinematography of HALLOWEEN
Order Description
With at least 500 words of analysis, explore the cinematography of HALLOWEEN. How exactly do elements of cinematography shape your attention? How exactly do elements of cinematography shape your feelings about the mise-en-scene? Finally, address at least one other function of cinematography.
Lecture 4: CINEMATOGRAPHY
“I honestly believe that any camera movement must have a reason. In my opinion to move a camera just to
move it is wrong: to make a 300-degree pan for no reason is a technical feat, but that’s all. Camera movement
must express something.”
-- Fritz Lang
“I don’t think CinemaScope is a good medium. For other things it’s distracting – it’s hard to focus attention and
it’s difficult to cut. If the CinemaScope size had been any good, painters would have used it more – they’ve
been at it a lot longer than we have.”
-- Howard Hawks
1. The frame: a selection of the diegesis (and mise-en-scene)
A. the shape -- aspect ratio (length by height)
B. in the frame: our sense of the space
i. angle
ii. level
iii. height
iv. distance
a. extreme long shot
b. long shot
c. medium long shot
d. medium shot
e. medium close up
f. close-up
g. extreme close-up
v. mobile frame
2. Outside the frame: 6 zones of offscreen space
3. Film: the raw material of the image
A. stock: the light-sensitivity of the film
i. fast film stock requires less light
ii. slow film stock requires more light
B. gauge: the size of the film
4. Camera: catching light and selecting the space
A. speed of film moving through the camera
B. movement: creating a mobile frame
i. pan: left & right
ii. tilt: up & down
iii. tracking: fixed relationship to the ground
iv. crane: variable relationship to the ground
v. zoom * (the focal length of lens changes but camera does not move)
vi. handheld: real or apparent
vii. Steadicam: human body as crane
5. Lens: controlling our sense of the space
A. “normal”: 35mm-50mm
B. wide angle: less than 35mm
C. telephoto: 75mm and up
D. zoom: variable focal length
6. Functions of cinematography
A. establish time and space of story
B. reveal character
C. shape audience attention
D. shape audience feeling(s)
E. reveal subject of film
F. reveal theme of film