Competency Based Qualification

Cinematography Skills

Film and Television Production

Unit Aim

This unit introduces students to cinematography. Students will explore the features of single camera production and single camera operations to develop the skills required for the safe set-up, operation and movements of a single camera in order to capture a range of shots. Students will also investigate the use of lighting in cinematography and gain an understanding of the effects of lighting in storytelling and camera composition.

Unit Content

1 Understand the features of single camera production

  • Camera department personnel e.g. Director of photography, camera operator, 1st assistant camera, 2nd assistant camera, Grip
  • Types of single camera production e.g. drama, soap opera, comedy, documentary, adverts
  • Process e.g. shooting script, filming schedule, storyboarding
  • Advantages e.g. cheaper, more control, flexible
  • Limitations e.g. time-consuming to set up, lots of repetition, longer editing time, less natural reactions

2 Understand single camera operations 

  • Exposure e.g. ISO, aperture, shutter speed 
  • Camera angles e.g. birds’ eye, high angle, eye level, low angle, 180-degree rule
  • Shot Types e.g. establishing shot, master shot, tracking shots, cutaways
  • Shot framing e.g. wide shot, mid shot, medium close-up, extreme close-up, point of view (POV), over-the-shoulder, three angle shooting, shot-reverse-shot and the 180-degree rule
  • Camera movement e.g. dollying, trucking and panning, zooming, dolly zoom or ‘trombone shot’, focus pulling.

3 Demonstrate the safe setup, operation and movement of a single camera 

  • Care of lenses e.g. correct storage, correct handling, correct cleaning
  • Safe use of camera e.g. sequence of operations, checking of equipment, conducting risk assessments.
  • Movement e.g. e.g. dollying, trucking and panning, zooming, dolly zoom or ‘trombone shot’, focus pulling.

4 Explore the set up and use of lighting equipment 

  • Uses of lighting e.g. shadowing, creation of atmospheric effects, obscuring of detail to provoke imagination, performance-based spotlighting, strobing, lighting to convey mood, lighting to create contrast, modelling of light, time of day, natural conditions
  • Lighting setups e.g. three-point lighting, four-point lighting, stage lights, lighting for portraiture, lighting for factual programming.
  • Lighting equipment e.g. portable lighting equipment e.g. redheads, blondes, practical’s, barn doors, board reflectors, diffuser, scrim, lighting gels, cutters
  • Purposes e.g. quality and positioning e.g. hard and soft light, key, fill and back lighting, directional lighting
  • Safe use of lighting equipment e.g. sequence of operations, checking of equipment, conducting risk assessments.

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