If you’re a beginner in cinematography, it’s important to understand the basics of what makes up good filmmaking. From camera angles to lighting and sound, these tips will help you know what goes into making great films.
Start Shooting With Your DSLR or Any Camera
Take the time to get familiar with your camera. Learn how to operate it, how to use all its functions, and most importantly, how to take great photos and videos. This may mean a few days or weeks of practice if you’re starting. The best way to do this is by shooting as much footage as possible so that you can learn from your experiences. You can begin with anything: if you already own a DSLR, then use it! Or if that’s too expensive for now – no worries! Make sure that whatever device you choose has manual controls, so you have complete control over every aspect of filming/photographing whenever needed! You can even shoot videos with your phone.
Learn The Art of Framing
Your job as a cinematographer is to create compelling visuals for the audience, and you can do this by framing each shot in a way that draws the viewer’s attention to its most important elements. The most common mistake beginners make when framing shots is trying to fit too much into one frame—it’s easy to get excited about your subject or scene and think that everything has to be included for it to look good. But if you try stuffing too much into a single frame, it becomes impossible for viewers’ eyes to focus on anything specific.
A better approach is to use selective focus: pick an object or detail of interest, then frame the shot so that only this object fills up most of the screen space (and gives viewers an idea of what they’ll see when they look at the entire image). This technique creates visual interest by allowing audience members’ eyes to wander around different areas before eventually settling back where they started—which means giving them enough information about how big something was but still leaving them wanting more from within those boundaries set out by your camera angle.
Get Comfortable with the Lighting
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of cinematography. It can create mood and atmosphere, highlight details in the scene, or even create depth and dimension. The lighting may be obvious or subtle depending on your shooting, but it will always affect your story, so you must become comfortable with how lighting works!
Learn The Basics of Camera Angles
As a filmmaker, you should be aware of the different types of camera angles. How your audience sees the action is what determines how they interpret it. There are many ways to shoot scenes and many different types of camera angles to accomplish this. You need to memorize only some types of angles but be familiar with them so that when you have an idea for a scene, you can figure out the best way to film it using one or more angles.
Today’s most common type of angle used in films is called the “over-the-shoulder.” In this shot, we see what our main character sees by looking over their shoulder behind them as they walk through their day-to-day life (example: “The Social Network”). This gives us insight into who they are and access to their thoughts because we see everything from their perspective.
Another popular type of shot is called “point-of-view” (POV), which allows us to see things from only one person’s perspective—or sometimes two people’s perspectives if we’re switching between them often enough during a scene (examples: The Irishman (2019)). This gives our audience insight into what each character may be feeling at any given moment because they’re seeing things through only one set of eyes at any time; however, this technique can also confuse if done poorly since there are no other characters’ perspectives available for comparison purposes…
Always Plan Your Shoot Beforehand
One of the most important things you can do as a new (or even experienced) filmmaker is to plan your shoot. This helps to ensure that you’re staying on track and making progress instead of wasting valuable time figuring out what you need to do next. It also allows you to be more organized with the materials required for each shot.
Planning also allows for better communication with everyone involved in the production—from cast members and extras to crew members and technicians. By outlining all aspects of filming beforehand, everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to do at specific points during production, so they don’t have any questions or concerns later down the road when it comes time for post-production editing or visual effects work (if any).
The only way to get better is to keep going and keep trying new things.
Practice makes perfect. The only way to improve is through training and experience, so feel free to try new things or fail them. You’ll never become a master if you don’t keep learning and pushing yourself into new situations.
You should also be open about asking for help: from colleagues, friends, or even strangers on the internet (Reddit has excellent resources for learning about cinematography). And when you doubt any aspect of your work—from lighting to blocking shots—ask someone who knows what they’re doing! We’re all here to learn more together.”
The best way to get better at cinematography is by going out there and doing it. Always be open-minded when shooting your next project because you never know what might happen! You will make mistakes, but that’s okay because you are learning and growing as a cinematographer.
