Cinematography

The aim of this course is to provide students with a solid foundation and functional knowledge of cinematography through predominantly practical tasks and through in-depth discussion of their own work with the course leader and each other. Through a “hands-on” approach students will learn and apply fundamental techniques of lighting, and the basic methods for moving the camera and why. This course aims to help students understand the role of the “Director of Photography” and how he or she adds emotion and visual style to the look of a scene through light and in-camera techniques. We will be looking at auteur directors such as Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino & Martin Scorsese, among many others and we will be trying to recreate their signature style to best understand how they shape their visions into a film. We will be analyzing the shot choices for different films and how a cinematographer can invoke emotion by these choices. Each week we will be creating a short “lockdown vlog” in addition to the weekly assignments, with the aim being to chart progress and utilize techniques learned. This course will be fairly demanding in terms of time and application, but rewarding in that you will see a progression in your skills very quickly and be able to use these skills for many aspects of your life, both socially and professionally.