The art of capturing images during the production of motion pictures is known as cinematography. Cinematographers used to rely almost entirely on cameras that captured footage on film, but as video capture technology has advanced, many films are now made with high-definition digital cameras and other similar devices. Cinematography’s main goal is to capture images for films that are both beautiful and powerful in their storytelling ability. When it comes to a film’s visual design, the cinematographer is usually a close collaborator with the director, and is usually the second most senior member of most film crews.
The skills required in cinematography are similar to those required in still photography, but there are significant differences. Because the camera and the actors frequently move around while capturing a shot, lighting across the entire scene and camera manipulation during moving sequences are both critical. A cinematographer must also be familiar with a variety of tools, such as camera dollies, which aren’t used in still photography.
Despite the fact that cinematography is the art of capturing imagery for a film, the cinematographer is not always the main person responsible for the film’s appearance. In many cases, the director is just as responsible, if not more so. In most films, the director chooses the angles and camera movements, while the cinematographer concentrates on lighting, camera lenses, and other technical aspects. The dynamics of this relationship can be quite different depending on the director’s specific abilities. Some directors have little experience with camerawork and prefer to work with actors; others may have more experience with cinematography and collaborate more closely on the visual aspects of the film.
A cinematographer can influence how an audience feels about a movie scene in a variety of ways. Small changes in lighting, color manipulation in the frame, and subtle lens and focus adjustments can all help to elicit emotions. Cinematography techniques can be very flashy and noticeable, resulting in films that are visually unusual, but they can also be very subtle and naturalistic, to the point where the audience is unaware of the visual manipulation.