Key points of lens analysis: 1. Interesting center

The interesting center in the picture is the place that attracts the audience's attention. There are many ways to draw the viewer's eye, but in cinematography, the areas with the most contrast are generally the ones that grab the viewer's attention the most. Just like a little light in the darkness, no matter where the light comes from in the scene, it is instantly caught by the audience's eyes. The intrinsic interest center in the film is also very important. For example, when we are watching a movie, we often notice that a certain bad guy secretly took out a gun behind his back. As long as the gun is not out of focus, no matter whether it is The position and proportion of the gun in the picture will be noticed by people at a glance. In addition, the golden ratio and guiding lines are all things that need to be paid attention to when setting the center of interest.

2 Lighting style and color style:

First of all, is the lighting low-key, high-key, or high-contrast style? This lighting is very important. Most of the time spent in filming is spent on adjusting the complex lighting of each shot.

Generally speaking, lighting style has a great relationship with the theme and atmosphere of the movie. For example, in comedies, the lighting is relatively bright, there are few shadow layouts, and a high-key style is often used. If the lights are dimmed in a comedy, then the comedy will usually have some irony in it. Mysteries and thrillers both tend to be understated, with a lot of shading being done in a transmissive style. Tragedies and Hollywood blockbusters generally like to use a high-contrast style.

Again, about color. Every color film has a certain basic tone. Color is highly symbolic of films. Generally speaking, famous color films have an expressionistic flavor. Generally speaking, cool colors represent calm, alienation, and tranquility; warm colors represent aggression, violence, and excitement. Specifically, red is generally related to passion and sex, such as "American Beauty"; low-key lighting and dark tones generally express depressive suspense and a sense of fate, such as "The Godfather"; faded dark yellow tones express conservatism, such as "The Age of Innocence" and so on. It is worth noting that the black and white clips that suddenly appear in the color film are the parts with the strongest and most obvious symbolic meaning. Generally, movies used to show the fascist era are shown in black and white. For example, the sudden whitening of the tone in "Life is Beautiful" symbolizes the beginning of a hellish life. Of course, some movies, such as "Schindler's List", are simply shot in black and white.

Three lens distances and lens types

Including:

The long shot generally always shows the location of the scene. If people appear in the distance, they are only the size of spots. This kind of shot often appears in epic works and is often seen in western movies. Recently

The long vistas of Hokkaido in Lu Le's "If You Are the One" are very beautiful.

The long shot is slightly smaller than the big shot.

Mid shot is a shot that can include two or three people. Mid shot is the mainstream of comedy films.

A close-up is a close-up.

Deep focus shot was taken with a wide-angle lens. When we watch movies, we often feel that in many shots, only one area is clear, and the background behind is all blurry. That thing is called a shallow focus lens, which means the focus is very shallow. A deep focus lens shows everything clearly from front to back. Which one is better, deep focus or shallow focus, was a matter of great debate in the history of film at first. When we take photos and portraits, we generally think that shallow focus lenses are more beautiful because they can blur the messy background and highlight the beautiful people. It's the same in movies. Which parts are clear and which parts are blurry are all decided by the judge. The method we rely on is zoom. Zoom can give a simple plot a metaphorical effect. But Andre Bazin, a generation of film masters, felt that this kind of lens was not good. Bazin felt that this kind of lens simplified and simplified the meaning of a very complex event. So Bazin felt that deep focus lenses were better. "Citizen Kane" is a perfect example of the use of deep focus lenses. PS: Deep focus lenses are also called depth lenses.

Concerning the distance of the lens, Chaplin has a famous saying: "Use long shots for comedy and close-ups for tragedy." For example, when he shows the absurd situation of a character in the distance, we will laugh; but when he suddenly cuts to a close-up to highlight the emotion, we will find that the funny part is no longer ridiculous, and we begin to sympathize with this person.

Moreover, the distance of the camera affects our level of participation in the film. When we are far away, no matter whether this person is a good person or a bad person, we are indifferent. But when zoomed in close-up, good people will make us sympathize; bad people will make us sincerely hate them.

IV. Camera angle and character position

Camera angles generally include bird's-eye view angle, depression angle, horizontal angle, elevation angle, tilt angle, etc.

The purpose of a bird's-eye view is to shoot directly down from above, giving the audience the feeling of a god visiting the mortal world, and a sense of overall control.

When shooting from a low angle, the subject will appear helpless and weak. Nowadays, many non-mainstream photo shoots like to take shots from a low angle, and the very NC girl born in the 90s looks at the camera with her eyes wide open and her mouth twisted, making her look very petite and cute.

The horizontal angle is equivalent to the angle from which our human eyes observe the world, showing an equivalence.

The elevation angle can make characters or scenery appear more sublime and increase the importance of the subject. Because it will increase the height of the subject and have a vertical effect. Can make shorter actors appear taller.

In the Once Upon a Time series of movies, many of Jet Li's shots were shot from an elevated angle, so Jet Li himself is not tall, but he still looks very heroic inside.

Tilt lens Sometimes appears as a subjective lens, or when expressing chaos, the asymmetric composition method of tilting can increase the dynamics of the picture. When we take photos, if the person being photographed stands very straight, it will look dull, but if the person tilts his head slightly or tilts his body, he will look dynamic and natural. This is the reason.

The position of the actors in the picture shows the relationship between the characters. Generally speaking, the center of the frame is the focus of people's attention. Realistic films like to place actors in the center of the frame. However, Expressionist films are much more varied. The center, top, bottom, and edges of the frame all have different metaphors and symbolic meanings.

Generally speaking, the top of the frame represents authority and control. The lower part represents frail submission and powerlessness. Because psychologically speaking, when the same thing is placed above and below the scene frame, the top part will always appear heavier, giving a sense of weight. Therefore, in some bird's-eye shots, the division between heaven and earth can particularly show the atmosphere. If the empty sky occupies most of the picture, it will appear vast and calm; if the land occupies most of the picture, the sky will appear very crowded, and it will appear very depressing.

Similarly, people or things squeezed to the edge of the frame will lose control of the picture and appear passive and powerless. Things placed in the middle of the frame are generally things that have control. For example, if a wife cannot bear her husband's abuse, she will definitely lean on the edge of the frame, while the husband in the middle of the frame is arrogant.

However, these are not absolute. Art theorists believe that who takes the dominant position in the picture is determined by the essential weight of the thing. This weight includes hue and area. The larger the area and the darker the tone, the greater the intrinsic weight.

Five Frames

Tight framing

The size of the frame space can symbolize different meanings. Generally speaking, the more restrictive the lens is, that is, the smaller the lens, the stronger the binding force on the characters. For example, if the characters fill the entire picture and appear very crowded, it implies a prison-like existence. Just like people living in a small room will feel uncomfortable. Many prison themes use tight shooting methods. In many of Hitchcock's films, the camera is pointed at a small window, which not only gives the audience a psychological suggestion of peeping, but is also a disguised method of tight shooting.

The loose lens is the opposite. Emphasis on a relaxed environment, symbolizing freedom.