Creating Mood Through Preparation
Blog Series Part 1 of 10
“The Crucial Role of Preparation in Cinematography”
Welcome back! Have you ever felt completely absorbed in a film scene, where every camera angle, shadow, and hue seemed to communicate directly to your soul? In this series, I'll provide an insight into how I achieve this. As a cinematographer, I’ll take you beyond techniques and delve into the pivotal role of preparation in visual storytelling. This 10-part series will highlight my approach to creating the cinematography for a film, focusing on what I believe to be the most crucial aspect: preparation. That's why this comprehensive blog series is divided into seven sections, each dedicated to a different facet of preparation, guiding you through the journey from initial concept to the start of production.
Insist on Preparation – It Will Never Be Enough
The art of preparation is often underappreciated, yet it is a crucial aspect of creating a film's emotional landscape. Meticulous preparation allows a cinematographer like myself to elevate a project, infusing each frame with depth and meaning. By insisting on thorough preparation, we ensure that every visual element serves the story, enhancing the audience's emotional experience.
Translating Emotions into Visuals
In filmmaking, every scene is a tapestry woven with emotions. As a cinematographer, my role is to translate these emotions into compelling visuals. This process begins with a thorough understanding of the director's vision, forming the foundation of my approach. By carefully selecting framing styles, camera placements, movements, lighting, and color schemes, I can narrate a visual story that resonates deeply with the audience. While we might occasionally stumble upon moments of visual brilliance, true mastery lies in consistently achieving this depth from scene to scene, with different directors and stories. When this consistency becomes part of my style, it elevates all my film's narrative to a whole new level.
Finding the style
Once I grasp the project's backstory and emotional intent, both for the entire film and for each individual scene, I draw inspiration from a wide array of sources, including other films, music, paintings, art, and photography. Tools like "ShotDeck" are invaluable, helping me research and gather visuals that align with the project's tone and style. This meticulous preparation enables me to craft and communicate a cohesive and impactful visual plan. By doing so, I ensure that every shot not only tells a story but also evokes the intended emotions, creating a truly immersive cinematic experience.
Organizing my thoughts
Staying organized is key. I use “Scriptation” to manage my notes and keep them synced with any script changes. This tool is invaluable in maintaining coherence throughout the filmmaking process.
For example, in my short film "First Family," I created a look book using a simple word document to outline the progression of lighting, illustrating how preparation plays into the final visual outcome.
Analyzing the Script: My Thoughts
Each time I analyze a script to create the visual narrative, I consider the visual texture I want to bring to the film. I think about what the camera will see and from what perspective. I envision the light, both in general terms and specific to each scene, pondering how it will feel and how it will shape the atmosphere. From there, I construct an overall visual story arc that will evolve alongside the unfolding narrative.
Visual Texture
While camera sensors are somewhat important for achieving the desired look, I view camera lenses as my paintbrush for creating refined visual textures. From modern to vintage glass, from prime to zoom lenses, and with considerations of added filtration or not, there's a wealth of depth to explore on this topic. I plan to dive into these aspects extensively in an upcoming blog within this series.
Strategic Camera Placement
Creating an effective shot list is a dynamic process, evolving during both pre-production and production but it is crucial to have a plan. It involves a collaborative effort with the director, meticulously planning each shot's details, including camera movements, angles, and shot sizes to effectively convey the story and its psychological resonance. I will go more in depth in my next blog about the psychological aspect of framing so stay tune for this as it’s exciting and fun to explore. Using tools like “Shot Designer” help me visualize, organize and communicate these elements.
https://www.hollywoodcamerawork.com/shot-designer-download.html
Here’s an example of a shot list and diagram I’ve created for my work on the film "First Family"
Conclusion
In my next blog, I will continue this blog series: “The Crucial Role of Preparation in Cinematography” by exploring the psychology of cinematic framing: Perspective.
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