The ABCs of Cinematography - An Intro to Filmmaking

Here we break down the ABCs of cinematography, establishing the base language of filmmaking that helps guide the emotions of the viewer!
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Music used: Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 performed by Aya Higuchi www.orangefreesounds.com/chopi...

[@QuaidleVision]

Lowe's Interviewer: So it says here you speak an additional language? Me: Yes. Cinema. Lowe's Interviewer: [whispers to themselves] Holy shit.

[@filmcrithulk1769]

I laughed out loud. If only there was a shorter way of saying that.

[@PK-MegaLolCaT]

well you are using the signifiers and signified within the medium and its audience to construct a message and communicate ideas . will eisner made the same claim when talking about the medium of comics.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

@@filmcrithulk1769 wtf its lol ffs smh It's never too late to learn a third language. And what tongue could be more beautiful and elegant than the language of internet?

[@littlemissalice8786]

Sadly, this is not how American employers at large tend to perceive a film degree. lol

[@littlemissalice8786]

@@imveryangryitsnotbutter

[@taxibullheat]

I love me some Brian David Gilbert close ups.

[@EmptyFeet]

and some vintage griffin mcelroy clips!

[@IZEASGT]

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1:55 Section 1: Shot Types (wide shot, close-up, medium shot, two shot, American two shot, dirty two shot, insert shot) 4:58 Section 2: Camera Angles (low angle shot, high angle shot, Dutch angle, POV shot) 7:12 Section 3: Camera Movements (static shot, camera tilt, pan, handheld shot, dolly shot, Steadicam shot, crane shot, super expensive car equipment) 12:54 Section 4: Lenses and Focus (deep focus, shallow focus, rack focus, wide angle lens, telephoto lens, camera zoom, running out of letters, vertigo effect) 17:34 Section 5: Eyelines (within 45 degrees, outside 45 degrees, zero degrees) 20:09 Section 6: Colors & Lighting (dominant hues, color palettes, high-key lighting, low-key lighting)

[@yeetleslaw8529]

Hopefully he will post this in the description so the time links will break the video up for every. (one of the best features on youtube imo)

[@claytonandres1194]

I love that you use everything from Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese, to Cheryl Dune and Věra Chytilová, to Louie Zong and Brian David Gilbert.

[@filmcrithulk1769]

ALL the greats together at last.

[@criticalhit009]

Thank you so much for including animated examples. Most don't know how to approach the making of animated films, or are neglectful when it comes to their inclusion (or usually exclusion) when in comes to teaching cinema.

[@filmcrithulk1769]

Animation is the purest cinematography when it comes to choices! There's this great anecdote from Kurosawa that I'll paraphrase, but someone asked him we he made a certain shot from a certain angle of an old building and he said something like, "because there was a highway to the left and a shopping mall to the right." Which is to say sometimes cinematography choices are limited by practicality. You might be shooting in a small room or having to get a shot off before daylight runs out, etc. With animation? Most of the time the choice of framing is completely their own! It can be so freeing!

[@IZEASGT]

@@filmcrithulk1769 Heck, I'm pretty sure the dolly-zoom transition to/from Anton Ego's flashback in Ratatouille is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE in live-action.

[@ScaryMason]

I wish the Incredibles had been included. It’s a very cinematic toon. And Roger Rabbit for the bit about eye lines.

[@TerraEsperZ]

@@ScaryMason I was also thinking about Roger Rabbit and how they often had to stretch Roger in some scenes so that his eyeline would match up with Hoskins'.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

@@IZEASGT I'm not sure if I've seen somebody do it yet, but animation is a great way to take the best of the wide lens and the long lens in the SAME FRAME.

[@TheVacuuminator]

This video is the second coming of Every Frame a Painting.

[@maximeteppe7627]

I love me some thematic deep dive video essays, but there aren't nearly enough about the cinematic form, composition, color, editing etc...

[@meir2161]

yeah Film Crit Hulk wishes

[@4stageboy2]

The Brian David Gilbert cameo made me so happy!

[@CicadaOne999]

BDG! BDG!

[@cogginsnuff]

I always knew my first year studying film at uni could be summed up much more succinctly and for thousands of dollars less.

[@Blizzic]

Loving the breadth of examples here! Not just from live action cinema, but from cartoons and anime too. It’s a nice nod to those communities, but it’s also a great way of signifying that these ABC’s matter just as much when you’re not working with an ACTUAL camera.

[@3nertia]

Anime is often the best example of this because there are really no wasted "shots". It's either hand drawn or hand-animated in CG and so it would be a lot more work to include shots that don't accurately convey the story or action :D

[@ghosface353]

The article you wrote about this for BMD has been my go to article for this subject. I have read it 3+ times. Great to have it in video form.

[@PauLtus_B]

18:36 "...and communicate their emotions beautifully." *shot of helmet.* Besides being a good joke in the video it's probably why that shot is so funny.

[@MIRobin22]

This is may be one of the most useful film videos ever made for KZbin.

[@Vesperitis]

The choice of shots and scenes are brilliant

[@blokey8]

I immediately feel a need to revisit The Raid in particular. I was struck by how good it looks when I recently rewatched it, but it's interesting that Hulk invokes its use of handheld here to emphasise a sense of danger.

[@cavewulf956]

Thank you for this crash course. At my school I had difficulty memorising all these terms in the right context. This video helped greatly.

[@misterfreundchen3484]

I always missed something in all the film critic videos I watch. Redlettermedia often came the nearest by not always just criticizing a scene "at higher levels", but often connect it back to fundamentals and filmmaker wisdom and craft that is probably more clear and obvious to somebody who was in an AV club or filmschool or has practical experience. My point being, I love your video, it's great and by teaching the building blocks in themselves in a competent and entertaining manner, refined and focused the way I interact with the genre on KZbin. Like Geralt in Witcher 3 said (probably paraphrasing), a real master (not that I am one) never forgets the fundamentals. Bend them, break them, warp them, whatever works for your project, but never do so without a deep and solid understanding of those fundamentals and basics. Obviously, that goes for pretty much any craft, skill or art. Thank you ❤️

[@PhenyxxLegend]

Excellent video, thanks! If I might suggest something: when you use many examples to illustrate your points like you do here, it could be nice if you wrote the movie's title in an unobtrusive corner of the screen so we can pause or go back to look them up if we want. Among others, there's this cool shot around 27 mins, following a woman with a sword in a bright red hallway. I'd like to know what that's from, if anyone can enlighten me!

[@filmcrithulk1769]

We thought about that! Might just list all the examples. I think it's Yimou's HERO, but I could be mistaken!

[@IZEASGT]

Alternatively, include them in a subtitle track?

[@PhenyxxLegend]

@@filmcrithulk1769 Thank you, that might well be it! And if I forgot a shot like that, I really need to rewatch that excellent film ASAP.

[@davidmelon9409]

As an English teacher in Spain, I sometimes have to remind students that it's okay to use a simple Subject+Verb+Object sentence. It's not good for showing off, but it's effective and communicative and clear. I feel that's the same thing with the Static Shot.

[@Bahumot]

Major Props for using Brian David Gilbert AND MLP as (excellent) examples. And successfully conveying the meaning and purposes of Cinematic Language to those of us who only observe it. This was fascinating!

[@JamesWVanFleet]

14:29 for stealth McElroy content.

[@Robocopnik]

Also 0:57

[@TylerJMacDonald]

@@Robocopnik comedy ahead of their time

[@blokey8]

It's a glorious bit of natural synergy that your voice fits Intellectual Hulk so perfectly.

[@sammyruntz]

Gonna send this to my favorite professor who teaches most of this in his classes, I'm sure he's gonna love it! Thank you for blessing us with another video, Hulk

[@hogpsking33]

This is fantastic. I'm glad you've got a channel. Looking forward to lots of great content.

[@rlyehianbunnyman4242]

Wasn’t expecting another video. Made my day!

[@kraeutrpolizei]

Thanks for the refresh on these concepts! Love your enthusiasm and, of course, your channel!

[@ArthurCrane92]

I appreciate the variety of sources and examples to show the different concepts.

[@cipher315198]

Oh God, I had forgotten that like 99.9% of Battlefield Earth was dutch angles. It's so painful, literally I get a headache

[@SobiTheRobot]

I wonder if someone has edited the film to correct all the angles?

[@Sant182]

Awesome Hulk! Always great to revisit the basics

[@Anonie324]

He did it! This isn't a one-hit wonder channel! Thank you so much for continuing with making film videos!

[@ethanhunsaker9363]

This is one of the most informative videos i have ever seen on cinema. Thank you for posting it on youtube and making it available to everyone.

[@piotrnajda3000]

i may be infatuated with hulk and his voice considering i just listen to the end credits smiling

[@davidhartman2505]

GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK, HULK!

[@wraythshadowsmith7431]

Looking forward to seeing more of your videos.

[@mal9369]

I love this channel. You make such insightful and informative videos. Keep up the great work!

[@TheHolibonich]

Really well done, a great refresher on the intricacies that go into film making!

[@AverageDrafter]

In addition to Steadicam and cranes, drones are both an extremely powerful tool and an incredibly tempting one to overuse. Its amazing how often I've seen the "you thought it was shot on a crane or a track, but surprise... I'm flying mutherfucker!" shot in TV in the last 3-5 years. Not to mention being able to follow action over multiple planes of space, in and out of doors and windows, and the ability to be as steady or as floaty as needed - all at a fairly low cost. It takes skill to plan a shoot for complicated drone movements, and to use it appropriately. However, it is one of the most exciting tools that DV has made possible that you couldn't really do with film.

[@JoshForeman]

Yay! So glad to see this channel is going somewhere!

[@TheSunshinefee]

I found this channel yesterday and I'm so glad. Thank you for this excellent overview.

[@ShanaReviews]

"Time always wins folks" Best line out of the entire video. awesome job!

[@rileyburch7693]

as someone trying to make a movie for the first time, this is the best video I've seen on the topic

[@joshswofford8383]

Thank you kindly sir. Love your delivery of both information and humor. You have a new fan.

[@Luke-kq6kj]

YAY! More videos!!! This one was awesome!

[@JakeJarvi]

I love this. I love Film Crit Hulk. I love the little aside with the Soderbergh tilt. I love this.

[@jrosas24]

Yaaaaay welcome back Hulk!

[@3nertia]

This is the best, most comprehensive explanation I've seen yet! And I've watched *DOZENS* of KZbin videos trying to find a cohesive video such as this one! Thank you!

[@pvonsoosten]

So glad to have you here and making content, Hulk. If only there was some way to make videos in all caps.

[@Knollock]

Glad you're making videos now. Works a lot better with visual examples.

[@andrzejsugier]

I remember reading this in essey form, and absolutely adoring it, but watching it with all kinds of impressive examples makes it so, SO much better. Thanks!

[@DartagnanMagic]

Delivers again. Loved it.

[@alexgarcia73]

I wish I'd had this to watch when I was in college lol. Another great video! Excited to see more

[@slephy]

I'm truly impressed that you included a shot from The Room.

[@connerymilne6466]

This is cool, thanks!

[@fakejazznut]

Amazing, un-pretentious selection of shots and examples here. Lovely.

[@filmcrithulk1769]

Thank you for saying! We were sort of going for the "pretty music over clips" fake out in the beginning. It's not that I don't enjoy those kinds of videos, I just think there's a much bigger range to cinematography than "insanely pretty landscape shots at magic hour." Again, it's sort of a video about how Shot Reverse Shot is more important than anything!

[@sess2708]

@@filmcrithulk1769 The use of both "good" and "bad" films (e.g. a film like The Room appearing without judgement), as well as High Art (Proper Cinema) and Low Art (KZbin videos about Kirby), was pretty amazing, honestly. It got a chuckle out of me several times (BDG, McElroy animations, and the aforementioned Room), but the way it emphasises the universal nature of these shots, and how they seep into everything--whether intentionally or not--really brings home the larger point of cinematography as A Language. Great video overall, but I *thoroughly* enjoyed those shot selections!

[@johnseymore4774]

Oh, yay! I loved that Star Wars video, this is gonna be a treat!

[@SoFarSoGoodSoWhat14]

Please make more like this, this was so informative

[@squali1930]

Please PLEAS PLEASE PLEASE do a video essay version of the Actions scene essay, which is probably the best breakdown of action scenes avaliable on the internet.

[@Lukz243]

This video clarified a lot of stuff as a film student (especially on camera movements). Thanks for it

[@jefflile5069]

Thank you for this. I have a lot of students who want to learn more about filmmaking. I am sharing this with every one of them so they can get started

[@shawnvmartin]

This is soooo good.

[@tomus0n]

This was super informative! thank you

[@LoonAtticLtd]

OHMYGOD FILM CRIT HULK HAS BEEN ON KZbin SINCE WHEN????????

[@TheGheezoinky]

More videos, yayy!

[@willnellis2184]

this is an incredible video - any and everyone interested in learning ab filmmaking should watch

[@filipecosta1232]

Wow! That's a lot! I know there's many things that are complex and require a lot of study to understand, but this is FAR more what I expected from cinematography!

[@halflearned2190]

This channel is going to blow up

[@waywardmind]

MOAR PLEASE

[@Alienrun]

Years ago I tried to make a film with my friends but never bothered to actually go through with it despite VERY carefully planning out all the little details, including camera shot angles and stuff (and what would need to be improved based on certain actors personalities and what would need to be written ect.) Its good to know that, I had the right idea when coming up with some of this stuff. As in I had ideas for purposeful shots when needed but otherwise had a desire to just use basic shots for scenes that didn't demand too much intensity. Granted I'm a very visual learner (and have actively watched quite a handful of films myself) so maybe that's why I sort of planned this stuff naturally, but having my ideas be put to words like this is just...inspiring I guess... Who knows, I might decide to go through with that abandoned film project...I just need to ensure that I actually am commited so I don't become "The boy who cried film" to my friends. All your vids and essays are great btw! (I say this as someone who has very different politics to you, even if I don't agree with every assessment you make you almost always give me something new and insightful to think about! I'm so glad I found you quite a while ago! :D)

[@rafaelandrade7627]

I dont know if this is weird, but i really enjoy listening to your voice

[@filmcrithulk1769]

Haha, I feel like it's pretty nasally! But I also try to say things pleasantly? Who knows!

[@rafaelandrade7627]

@@filmcrithulk1769 your pronunciaton might play some part into it, but there's just something about your voice that really soothes me hahaha. Anyway, that was a review of your voice. 10/10. Weirdness of the comment? Also 10/10

[@dorkmoonblade4315]

I hope the video game industry begins to understand these things when it comes to video game storytelling and gameplay as a form of narrative.

[@MrW8ns3a]

Thanks So much for this. Amazing well organised and well thought out. Hulk speaks but not in ALL CAPS

[@etsfilmsza]

Thank you sir

[@beccanadler4792]

The clip from the Untamed for the two shot

[@Ionic457]

Love ur channel bruv

[@PKton509]

I just want to say; great clip choices

[@Yora21]

Just two days ago I was cleaning out my subscribed channels and wondering of Film Hulk will do more videos.

[@filmcrithulk1769]

A lot more! We just had technical / covid difficulties!

[@tyghe_bright]

Most fun thing about this video is trying to guess the movies all of the shots came from.

[@ocmetals4675]

You would think that with all kinds of film students and film people out there, there would be more explainer videos on cinematography. Thank you for this video.

[@TheOrderofDylan]

I feel like I owe Hulk a tuition fee for this one. Awesome breakdown!

[@olivierparent3554]

1:45 I LOVE IT HULK

[@gloryon5609]

Great video! Also I was laughing a lot at subtle gags like shots from SW Holiday special, The Room etc. First video i saw from this channel and definitly worth subscription. You could also add type of film and/or aspect ratio as powerfull fimmaking tool :) DIDN'T YOU WATCH THE LIGHTHOUSE??? And frame rate.

[@rjphilla]

Your videos are so very cool 😎

[@MousePounder]

HULK SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON!!!

[@chaddafoe3105]

I can see the other two videos got way more views than this one, but I hope you're still working on the "sequels" to this video.

[@kurokomics]

Pls do more of cinema basics

[@pablotrufi23]

I found interesting what you said about the characters looking directly to the camera being unnerving. I'm a big Naoko Yamada fan (anime director, she directed "Tamako Love Story" and "Liz And The Blue Bird" among others), and i've noticed that she uses this kind of shots to show how the characters feel in different situations, the most notable example for me being A Silent Voice, in which the point is that the main character has social anxiety and can't look directly into the people's eyes, so when he finally does the audience feel happiness and relief. Do you think this same effect can be achieved in live action films, or it's something that only works due to the nature of the animation medium?

[@greypilgrim26]

yay!

[@danielclaro6049]

We eatin today!

[@lucioandacielo6026]

Good stuff. I disagree with a point you made around 19:19 regarding Richard looking away from the camera (eat pray love). I understand that it maybe more enjoyable if we see his eyes so we can engage with Richard more intimately. Yet “the turn away” is a decision for inclusivity; Eye contact carries baggage, audiences can feel accused, judged, or vulnerable during hard talks. In my personal experience, having heart to hearts with friends, turning off the lights uncorks pressure and leaves room for more exploration. Rather than escalating the experience for those who would come along anyways, I think they chose to soften the blow for those who would rather run away.

[@dnys_7827]

I know it would be a lot of work but I would love love love to know what the shots you used are from

[@Crispman_777]

DADDY WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SAUSAGE? DADDY WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SAUS-A-GES?

[@Webshooters1]

The song that plays on loop 24/7 in Hell.

[@Sey318]

Technically, Mise-en-scene refers to the "put on stage", the entirety of the construction, which includes the mentioned elements, but it's also -and often mostly- about stuff that is stage equivalent, like say paraphernalia, furniture, environment.

[@spoogerification]

camera is more important from a practical standpoint, Red's are cheaper than an Alexas but they have a fan that's very loud and can sometimes have technical problems.

[@joannakobierska6739]

Does anybody have a list of all movies used as example here? Besides the obvious, I've seen some interesting ones here I really would like to check out.

[@youcefkiari9665]

yay

[@youcefkiari9665]

By the way, Hulk, i adored the star wars video and i understand there was a man of steel one, and i would love to watch it . Can i find it somewhere? Or is it just not available anymore?

[@thelegoguy6793]

Can you do a video essay on braveheart

[@maximilianovazquez9988]

Wait a minute... Film critic Hulk has a KZbin channel now? WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED OF THIS EARLIER

[@robbybevard8034]

Well he's only made 2 videos so far...

[@jbishop2454]

Great vid Hulk. One little nitpick. Blue’s complementary color isn’t yellow. It’s orange. Yellow’s is purple. Red’s is green ( a la Christmas). So one and so forth. At least according to color theory. Yes color is a theory. Due to light waves and atmosphere and whole bunch of other factors.

[@JCResDoc94]

☼ if i follow you...this better not be your last vid. by crumb. ill take the gamble. but we're watching you. 0_0

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

24:06 I know he said it’s wrong and I agree but I just can’t see the “wrongness of it.” Perhaps if Wiseau moved more to the left (his right) of the frame it would work? Or maybe he changed his eyeline a few degrees? But my brain kinda made the correction.

[@fryminister3102]

epic

[@brunopackardhill3296]

DONT THINK I DIDN'T SEE THAT SNEAKY BDG!