Cinematography Guide
From AgeofWiki
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Cinematography: An Art Unto Itself
Many, many people create movies, but hardly any of these movies can convey the emotions and atmosphere that the director is attempting to portray. Camera tracks look unprofessional, un-styled and highly unrealistic. This article attempts to enlighten the reader on how to create that perfect atmosphere in any movie for any campaign or cinematic. This article will slowly move through the various stages of directing a movie, specifically catering for Age of Mythology direction.
Commonly Used Camera Shots
=====Establishing Shot=====
Establishing shots are frequently used throughout cinema in order to begin a movie or a particular scene. These shots are frequently on the exterior of a setting, showing the audience where the upcoming action and dialogue is going to take place. These shots are often placed showing buildings or houses, and the camera then cuts to the inside of the said building to introduce the characters.
=====Long Shot=====
Long shots are most often used in order to convey a sense of size. They often show a large person, or a person within a clear and large surrounding behind them. These shots are commonly used in Age of Mythology’s campaign, because of the static nature of the characters’ faces. These shots are used to emphasize the background of a subject, and also the scale of the surroundings.
=====Medium Shot=====
These shots are very often used to keep a subject or individual in the centre of attention of a camera shot. These shots often cut off the lower legs of the individual, drawing particular attention to the upper torso and head. These shots are best used in very expressive ways – if there is a lot of upper body movement or dialogue directed at a wide audience of characters.
=====Close Up=====
These shots focus primarily on a characters face, often with the face covering the whole of the scene. These shots are most commonly used when a particular character is being particularly expressive with their face – often crying, laughing or screaming. These shots are also commonly used for dialogue between up to three people, with the camera cutting to each of the participants face for them to talk. This gives the conversation an effect of secrecy; as the camera can only see the one face, then it is unlikely for any other character to be overhearing the conversation. Also used for whispering.
Angles of Camera Shots
This is assuming you use camera cuts, and not camera tracks. However, camera tracks can begin or end in these cuts.
This shot perfectly demonstrates careful focus on a subject. This will often be peering up a characters face, or at a large ominous building. These ‘under’ shots give the subject an added sense of power and confidence – often creating a daunting atmosphere. These are useful for over exaggerating a subject’s importance. Other types would be having the camera situated above the character; exaggerating the viewer’s importance and making the subject seem inferior to other subjects on the screen
The Best Types of Camera Tracks
Swivelling, fast camera tracks are best avoided in any cinematic. Camera tracks are there to help emphasize a point – but they are not there to hold the weight of it alone. Having the camera spinning up, down, and around one subject as they are talking creates a bad dizzying effect with little to no atmosphere or character onscreen development.
Panning
Pan shots are shots which rotate around a centre subject. That subject is often a character. A very stylish way to use a pan is to have the camera beginning on a characters face, and after watching their reaction to an unrevealed revelation or surrounding, the camera slowly rotates around their head to reveal what they have reacted to. The camera would then end close to behind the ear – making sure the subject is still in view as well as the surroundings.
· Following Pan: This pan is a camera locked in place, often at ground level, which then rotates on an axis to follow a character move through a scene. Best used so the character is always at the very back of the screen – so the camera is ‘leading’.
· Surveying Pan: Often used in large action sequences to survey the entire scene, moving up and around it slowly. These are often used to build up to a certain event or merely to present the scale of a certain sequence.
Zooming
Both effectively used very fast and very slow, a zoom is basically used to draw special attention to a particular point of a scene, often a subject’s face. This reveals previously hidden details in the subject. Zooming out can give the viewer a larger view of the surroundings, revealing surprises and/or goals for characters.
Moving Up
Moving up shots often begin at a characters feet. The camera then slowly moves up the body of the character, slowly revealing who the character is to the audience. This is also used very effectively on buildings and other subjects in a scene. This is often used when initially revealing enemies – or to show the utter scale of a large tower or building. Moving up shots are often used along side a pan, in order for the camera to spiral around a subject to reveal as much of it as possible. The said usage with a pan is most commonly used with thin tall subjects, such as towers.
Side Movement
This is non-rotation of the camera, but moving it from left to right. Often, a character begins the centre of the scene, the camera will move to the side to the character is pressed against the left or right. This both reveals what is next to them as well as the background to them.
Best Uses of Camera Cuts
Camera cuts are used much more often than camera tracks, and they should be. I will just give a small idea on some various techniques. Do not limit your cutting to what is written here.
Time of a cut
In most film and television, camera cuts happen approximately once every 7-9 seconds. However, extremely fast cuts are often used to make the scene feel more dramatic or to show a point. Cuts are sometimes used to compress the time a particular scene would otherwise take, or to show an entire conversation by cutting straight to a characters face just in time to see them speak.
Matched Cut
These cuts are often used to keep the same subject as the centre of attention in a scene. Perhaps the camera will begin looking at the front of a subject, but will then cut to behind their back without any panning. This can help save time and also more dramatically confronts the viewer with what is being shown.
Other Useful Entities to Create Atmosphere In AOM
Creating atmosphere in a shot isn’t just in the camera. I will quickly go through the possibilities, leaving out much of an explanation.
Lighting
In Age of Mythology, our lighting can be any colour, at any angle, any time. This gives us unlimited possibilities. Lighting is one of the most used things used to create a beautiful and scary atmosphere. However, shadows are not available in Age of Mythology, so we find ways to get around that.
Music
Music is used all the time in movies, and sometimes the lack of music creates a wonderful atmosphere. Music is used to increase excitement, to reinforce a point, or to help convey the emotions of a character or subject, which is especially useful in Age of Mythology.
Weather
Most specifically, rain. Rain can be very useful in any movie to help convey the emotions of an unemotional subject. This is very useful in Age of Mythology, very much because a characters face is almost unable to convey their emotions. Mist is also very useful, if only to hide certain elements of a scene or to make a particular entity ambiguous. This can help promote confusion or simply help create an atmosphere.
Points of Interest
In modern film, we are blessed with an amazing amount of inspirational directors who we can slowly learn from, to create wonderful effects.
M. Night Shyamalan:
One of my personal favourite directors, Shyamalan gives wonderful examples of using music, lighting and camera shots in order to create a perfect atmosphere for any scene. Studying his techniques can help you create frightening and very atmospheric shots. Particular examples would be the torchlight scene in Signs, the silence of music which features prominently in Unbreakable, and wonderful lighting and music in The Sixth Sense.
Peter Jackson:
Most prominently in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson gives amazing examples of dialogue cuts, battle surveying pans (specifically, the battle of Pelannor Fields) and beautiful exterior shots. If the shots aren’t inspiration for your directing, then the scenery will certainly be inspiration for your map design.
Quentin Tarantino:
Though uses slightly odd techniques, Tarantino gives very good examples of focusing on irrelevant subjects in a scene, to create an effect. This director also features a lot of prominent music in both Kill Bill and Kill Bill II, both to create dazzling atmospheres, but also to convey a characters quickly changing emotions, thoughts, and also reflecting what the action on the screen.
See Making Better Cinematics for more tips for your cinematics.
Thank you for reading this guide.
Contact Jason at jason@oddworldjunkie.com in case you have any questions or ever want help in portraying a perfect scene in your movies.
