Cinematography and role of cinematographers

Cinematography is a blend of science and art used to capture, manipulate and store moving images for the purpose of creating a motion picture.
The person responsible for the technical process that gives a film its unique look and feel is called the cinematographer or director of
photography (DP). The DP works closely with the film’s director, who is responsible for ensuring that the actors, set and technical choices made
by the DP accurately reflect the script’s intentions. In many instances, particularly smaller budget films, the director of photography will also serve
as the camera operator.
Many of the same cinematic goals for example, engaging the viewer and manipulating emotions are used in both film and digital cinematography.
Consider, for example, the depth of focus and framing. The first part of these, the depth of focus, refers to how much of the image on the screen, or
frame, is in focus and how much is blurry. By having subjects closer to the camera in sharp focus and those in the background blurry, the eye is
drawn to the foreground. Alternatively, having both near and distance objects in sharp focus gives equal weight to both. The director of
photography can choose to alternate focus from foreground to background to heighten a sense of tension or to make a revelation to the viewer and
the character in the foreground. Camera angle is another important consideration the cinematographer must consider. Scenes shot from a low-to-
high angle, for example, can make the subject seem either foreboding or powerful.
The technical aspects the cinematographer must consider include the aspect ratio, depth of focus and framing, color, lighting, camera angle, frame
rate, film stock (for example, 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and 65mm) and special effects (FX). Each of these technical aspects requires specific
equipment and settings on that equipment to achieve the desired results. It is the technical aspect of film making that has changed most over the
years.