Cinematographers journal

What role does the cinematographer play throughout the

production?
The cinematographer plays a key role in the production of a film.
The cinematographer is responsible for capturing the necessary
shots and ensuring they are at the right angle, involve the right
movement and how theyre composed.
What does their role involve?
The cinematographer is involved with helping the director decide
which shots would be most effective when creating our five-minute
film. Furthermore, theyre responsible for ensuring the equipment
needed is readily available for the groups disposal and making sure
they know how to use all the equipment in order to create the best
film possible. The director and cinematographer will be working
closely together in order to ensure the directors vision of the
narrative is effectively communicated onto the screen.
As stated on the equipment list, I used the Canon 700D to film our
production. Members of my group had previous experience using
the camera, which made it easier for me to learn how to use it
effectively. During the production of our film, we didnt counter
many technical challenges, which enabled us to use the camera
effectively and capture the shots we needed. However, due to the
small bathroom we decided to film in, I found framing our
protagonist difficult, as there wasnt a lot of room to manoeuvre.
Despite this, by looking at previous years work we were able to
come to a solution in order to get the required shots and angles.
What problems did the cinematographer face?
One of the major problems I encountered was with the lighting
during our film. During our location scouting, we failed to realise the
lighting would become problematic, so this lead to us using an
additional light to make sure our footage wasnt pixelated. This
meant that we spent more time filming in the bathroom, as the
lighting was difficult to correct. In addition to this, due to the small
rooms we filmed in, it became challenging not to break the 180
degree rule. In addition to this, we changed our idea, which meant
we had to re-shoot the whole scene due to the prosthetic wound
looking unrealistic. Furthermore, we had to re-film the scene in the
alleyway, as we failed to notice our bags in the background of our

first shoot. This was a time consuming task, however we managed

to complete this scene to a good standard.