Cinematography Basics

1. Focal Length

50mm and above is good for shooting a character’s MS, MCU and CU Shot. Also great for interview shots. We see lesser of the background due to the narrower field of view and we also get a nice depth of field.

Effects of Focal Length on Depth of Field
*Credit: bhphotovideo.com*

2. Aperture

Larger aperture allows more light to go through the lens, hence increasing the exposure. Any lens that can do below f2.8 can be considered a good low light lens.

3. Shutter Speed

When shooting at 25fps, just stick to 1/50, especially if there’s flickering effect on your shots due to the refresh rate of the lights or digital screen. (1/60 will solve the flicker issue if the lights or screen is running on refresh rate of 60Hz)

4. ISO

Effects of ISO on Noise
*Credit: photographylife.com*

The lower the better (Unless your camera has a good native ISO). If you are using a mid range camera, try to stick below 800 ISO. At most, if you have really no choice, stick to 1600 ISO. Anything above will not look good. Solve it by finding a good light source to lit your scene.

4. Field of View

5. Dynamic Range

If this shot is captured in a low dynamic range profile, the window will most likely be blown out (clipped), and we won’t be able to see the details of the tree.