Filmmaker Basics
As part of our ongoing collaboration, Panavision, Light Iron, LEE Filters, and Made In Her Image have presented a series of articles that explore key cinematography concepts. When put into practice, these fundamentals can help filmmakers elevate their craft and create powerful images.
5 Ways Focal Length Affects Your Subject
Get your lens techniques on point with this primer on how the choice of focal length affects the image being captured. This overview explores field of view, perspective, magnification, depth of field, and geometric distortion.
5 Camera Moves and Their Effect on Your Audience
Cinematographer Mia Cioffi Henry discusses different types of camera movement — including handheld, tracking, Steadicam, zoom, and crane shots — and stresses the importance of knowing why the camera should move at all.
5 Ways One Camera Move Can Be Used to Different Effect
Cinematographer Andrea Gonzalez Mereles explores how a moving camera can be used to provoke different emotional responses in an audience depending on the context of the shot.
5 Lighting Techniques to Elevate Your Shot
Cinematographer Alissa Rooney offers tips for crafting visually dynamic lighting that sets an appropriate mood to support the story. Her techniques include mixing color temperatures, creating texture, and incorporating movement in the lighting.
5 Tips for Lighting Sci-Fi
Director Malakai and cinematographer Aiden Chapparone explore how the use of practicals, deep shadows, underlighting, backlight, and more can help to create visually rich, immersive worlds for science-fiction
stories.
About Made In Her Image
Founded in 2018, Made In Her Image is a nonprofit organization committed to social equity in the film, media, and entertainment industry. Their mission is to give young women and non-binary filmmakers of color the opportunity to create their own vision through programming, camps, and workshops.