Grammar of the shot / Christopher J. Bowen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bowen, Christopher J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cinematography--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Cinematography.

Composition (Photography).

Composition (Photography)--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Genre:

Handbooks and manuals.

Physical Description:

xvii, 308 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

Fourth edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Routledge, 2018.

Summary:

The newly revised and updated fourth edition of Grammar of the Shot teaches readers the principles behind successful visual communication in motion media through shot composition, screen direction, depth cues, lighting, camera movement, and shooting for editing. Many general practices are suggested that will help to create rich, multi-layered visuals. Designed as an easy-to-use reference, Grammar of the Shot presents each topic succinctly with clear photographs and diagrams illustrating key concepts, practical exercises and quiz questions, and is a staple of any filmmaker's library. New to the fourth edition: An expanded companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/Bowen, offering downloadable scenes and editable raw footage so that students can practice the techniques described in the book, and instructional videos showcasing examples of different compositional choices. New and expanded quiz questions and practical exercises at the end of each chapter to help test readers on their knowledge using real-world scenarios. Updated topic discussions, explanations, illustrations, and visual examples. Together with its companion volume, Grammar of the Edit, the core concepts discussed in these books offer concise and practical resources for both experienced and aspiring filmmakers. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Shots: What, How, and Why? 1

What to Show Your Audience? 2

Choosing Your Frame 4

Aspect Ratio 5

A Brief History of Aspect Ratios 6

Further Exploration: Why Do We Like Widescreen So Much? 8

An Introduction to Shot Types: The Basic Building Blocks of Motion Pictures 9

The Long Shot/Wide Shot 9

The Medium Shot 10

The Close-Up 10

The Extended Family of Basic Shots: The Powers of Proximity 12

The Extreme Long Shot/Extreme Wide Shot 14

The Very Long Shot/Very Wide Shot 15

The Long Shot/Wide Shot/Full Shot 15

The Medium Long Shot/Knee Shot 16

The Medium Shot/Waist Shot/Mid-Shot 17

The Medium Close-Up/Bust Shot 18

The Close-Up 19

The Big Close-Up (UK)/Choker (USA) 20

The Extreme Close-Up 21

Why Do We Even Have Different Shot Types? 25

Pulling Images from the Written Page 26

Script Breakdown for Cinematographers 27

Shot Lists 27

Storyboards and Animatics 29

Phases of Film Production 29

Let's Practice 30

Chapter One - Final Thoughts: The Pictures Speak 31

Related Material Found in Chapter Seven - Working Practices 32

Chapter One - Review 32

Chapter One - Exercises 33

Chapter One - Quiz Yourself 34

Chapter 2 The Basics of Composition 35

Simple Guidelines for Framing Human Subjects 36

Headroom 37

Subjective versus Objective Shooting Styles 39

Look Room/Nose Room 42

The Rule of Thirds 45

Camera Angle 48

Horizontal Camera Angles 49

The 360-Degree Method 50

The Clockface Method 50

The Camera Position Method 52

The Frontal View 52

The 3/4 Front View 53

The Profile View 54

The 3/4 Back View 55

The Full Back View 55

Vertical Camera Angles 56

The Neutral-Angle Shot 58

The High-Angle Shot 58

The High-Angle Shot of an Individual 59

The High-Angle Shot as a POV 59

The High-Angle Shot of an Environment 60

The Low-Angle Shot 62

The Low-Angle Shot of an Individual 62

The Low-Angle Shot as a POV 63

The Low-Angle Shot of an Environment 64

The Two-Shot: Frame Composition with Two People 66

The Profile Two-Shot 66

The Direct-to-Camera Two-Shot 69

The Over-the-Shoulder Two-Shot 70

The Dirty Single 72

The Power Dynamic Two-Shot 73

The Three-Shot 74

Chapter Two - Final Thoughts: Wrapping Up the Basics of Composition 77

Related Material Found in Chapter Seven - Working Practices 77

Chapter Two - Review 77

Chapter Two - Exercises 78

Chapter Two - Quiz Yourself 79

Chapter 3 Composition: Beyond the Basics 81

The Illusion of the Third Dimension 81

The Use of Lines 83

The Horizon Line 83

Vertical Lines 86

Dutch Angle 87

Diagonal Lines 89

Curved Lines 93

The Depth of Film Space: Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background 95

Foreground 95

Middle Ground 96

Background 97

Depth Cues 98

Overlapping 98

Object Size 99

Atmosphere 101

The Camera Lens: The Observer of Your Film World 103

What Is a Camera Lens? 104

Primes vs Zooms 105

The Prime Lens 106

The Zoom Lens 106

Lens Perspective 107

Lens Focus- Directing the Viewer's Attention 112

Pulling Focus or Following Focus 114

Chapter Three - Final Thoughts: Directing the Viewer's Eyes Around Your Frame 117

Related Material Found in Chapter Seven - Working Practices 117

Chapter Three - Review 117

Chapter Three - Exercises 119

Chapter Three - Quiz Yourself 120

Chapter 4 Lighting Your Shots: Not Just What You See, but How You See It 121

Light as an Element of Composition 121

Light as Energy 123

Color Temperature 124

Color Balance of Your Camera 125

Natural and Artificial Light 126

Correcting or Mixing Colors on Set 126

Quantity of Light: Sensitivity 128

Quantity of Light: Exposure 129

Quality of Light: Hard versus Soft 133

Hard Light 133

Soft Light 135

Contrast 136

Low-Key Lighting 137

High-Key Lighting 138

Color 139

Basic Character Lighting: The Three-Point Lighting Method 141

Contrast Ratio or Lighting Ratio 143

Motivated Lighting: Angle of Incidence 144

Front Lighting 144

Side Lighting 147

Lighting from Behind 148

Lighting from Other Places 148

Set and Location Lighting 150

Controlling Light: Basic Tools and Techniques 154

Chapter Four - Final Thoughts: Learning to Light... and Lighting to Learn 155

Related Material Found in Chapter Seven - Working Practices 155

Chapter Four - Review 155

Chapter Four - Exercises 157

Chapter Four - Quiz Yourself 158

Chapter 5 Will It Cut? Shooting for Editing 159

The Chronology of Production 160

Matching Your Shots in a Scene 161

Continuity of Performance 161

Continuity of Screen Direction 162

The Line: The Basis for Screen Direction 165

The Imaginary Line: The 180-Degree Rule 167

Jumping the Line 168

The 30-0egree Rule 171

Reciprocating Imagery 173

Eye-Line Match 176

Chapter Five - Final Thoughts: Be Kind to Your Editor 177

Related Material Found in Chapter Seven-Working Practices 177

Chapter Five - Review 178

Chapter Five-Exercises 178

Chapter Five - Quiz Yourself 179

Chapter 6 Dynamic Shots: Subjects and Camera in Motion 181

The Illusion of Movement on a Screen 181

Presentation Speed: Slow Motion and Fast Motion 182

Slow Motion (Overcranking) 182

Fast Motion (Undercranking) 183

Subjects in Motion: Blacking Talent 183

Camera in Motion 185

Handheld 185

Pan and Tilt 187

Shooting the Pan and the Tilt 190

The Start Frame 191

The Camera Movement 191

The End Frame 191

Equipment Used to Move the Camera 192

Tripods 192

Dollies 193

Crab 196

Dolly/Track/Truck 196

Zoom 198

Steadicam™ and Other Camera Stabilization Devices 200

Cranes and Booms 200

Chapter Six - Final Thoughts: Movies Should Move 201

Related Material Found in Chapter Seven - Working Practices 201

Chapter Six - Review 201

Chapter Six - Exercises 202

Chapter Six - Quiz Yourself 203

Chapter 7 Working Practices 205

1 Storyboards and Shot Lists 205

2 Slate the Head of Your Shots 206

3 Help the Boom Operator to Place the Microphone 209

4 Use of Two of More Cameras 210

5 Be Aware of Reflections 211

6 Communicating with the Talent 213

7 Safe Action/Safe Title Areas 214

8 How to Manually Focus a Zoom Lens 216

9 Always Have Something in Focus 217

10 Control Your Depth of Field 218

11 Be Aware of Headroom 220

12 Shooting Tight Close-Ups 222

13 Beware of Wide Lenses When Shooting Close-Up Shots 224

14 Try to Show Both Eyes of Your Subject 225

15 Be Aware of Eye-Line Directions in Closer Shots 227

16 Place Important Objects in the Top Half of Your Frame 228

17 Keep Distracting Objects out of the Shot 229

18 Use the Depth of the Film Space to Stage Shots with Several People 230

19 Ensure an Eye Light 232

20 Be Aware of Color and Contrast Choices Made Throughout Your Project 233

21 Allow the Camera More Time to Record Each Shot 234

22 Follow Action with a Loose Pan and Tilt Tripod Head 236

23 Shooting Overlapping Action for the Edit 237

Continuity of Action 237

Matching Speed of Action 238

Too Much Overlapping Action 238

24 Frame for Correct Look Room on Shots that Will Edit Together 239

25 Shoot Matching Camera Angles When Covering a Dialogue Scene 240

26 A Three-Person Dialogue Scene: Matching Two-Shots Can Be

Problematic for the Editor 241

27 Beware of Continuity Traps While Shooting a Scene 242

28 Ways to Cross the 180-Degree Line Safely 244

29 The Long Take 245

30 Zooming During a Shot 246

31 Motivate Your Dolly-in and Dolly-Out Camera Moves 247

32 Use Short-Focal-Length Lenses to Reduce Handheld Camera Shake 249

33 Allow Actions to Complete Before Cutting the Camera 250

34 Shooting a Chromakey 251

35 Shooting B-Roll, 2nd Unit, and Stock Footage 252

36 Shooting a Talking-Head Interview 253

37 During Documentary Filming, Be as Discreet as Possible 254

38 Use Visual Metaphors 255

39 Aim for a Low Shooting Ratio 255

Chapter Seven - Review 256

Chapter Seven - Exercises 258

Chapter Seven - Quiz Yourself 259

Chapter 8 Concluding Thoughts 261

Know the Rules Before You Break the Rules 261

The Reason for Shooting Is Editing 262

Your Shots Should Enhance the Entire Story 263

Involve the Viewer as Much as Possible 264

Take Pride in the Quality of Your Work 265

Practice Proper Set Etiquette 266

Know Your Equipment 267

Be Familiar with Your Subject Matter 268

Understand Lighting - Both Natural and Artificial 268

Study What Has Already Been Done 269

Conclusion 270.

Notes:

"A Focal Press Book" -- book cover.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781138632219

113863221X

9781138632226

1138632228

OCLC:

982465253