Unpacking the art of conveying narratives through cinematography

Businesses and brands hire video production services for various reasons, including telling their story, engaging and educating their audience, and selling products and services. Cinematography refers to the use of lighting, framing, and camera motion to make a visual representation of a story.

It’s an essential part of narrative filmmaking. Experts often use it to capture emotions, themes, and ideas, resulting in a story that draws the audience in, increasing engagement. For example, certain camera angles reveal a character’s inner thoughts or emotions, while some lighting schemes help achieve certain atmospheres or moods.

Experienced cinematography can enhance the impact of your videos and make them more engaging for your viewers.  Hire a professional cinematographer for your business or brand’s video projects.

An experienced Phoenix video production company will help you capture the magic you want and make your video effective for your marketing goal. Here is a look at ways cinematography can help enhance narratives and tell your desired story.

Lighting

Lighting is essential for creating the desired mood and atmosphere. For example, switching to low-key lighting adds a sense of suspense or mystery, while high-key lighting adds brightness and raises overall optimism.

Framing

In cinematography, framing simply refers to how elements are arranged. It depends on the set design, actors and lens movement, lens choice, etc. Armature cinematographers will merely point a camera at actors and record. On the other hand, experienced cinematographers use all elements of cinematography, including framing, to tell a visual story.

For example, by zooming into a particular spot, they can provide the audience with a close-up shot of a particular object or character, while a wide shot helps them convey a broader sense of the setting. The stuff around the subject in the frame matters too. It can make a frame appear cluttered/ visually busy or sparse.

Usually, a shot feels poorly framed if there isn’t enough depth between the background and the subject. But this also depends on what’s transpiring in the frame. Certain colors and lighting can make a frame interesting, even if nothing is going on in the background.

Camera movement

Another important aspect of cinematography is camera movement. It can help tell a story. For example, experienced cinematographers can use tracking shots to help audiences follow a character’s journey and zoom into areas they feel will generate excitement/ tension, then zoom out if they want to convey a broad sense of the setting.

How does cinematography enhance the narrative?

An experienced video producer understands how to use the above elements of cinematography to enhance the narrative. Here are the benefits of cinematography in video production:

Creating desired mood and atmosphere

As mentioned, cinematography, particularly lighting, can convey a certain mood and create a desired atmosphere. For example, bright lighting can convey a sense of optimism, while dark shadowy figures help create a sense of mystery.

Conveying emotions

A cinematographer can also use framing and camera movement to show the audience the emotions of different characters. For example, they can zoom into a character so the audience can read their facial expression or use slow motion to emphasize the emotional weight of a scene.

Revealing crucial information

Cinematography techniques such as long and close-up shots can call the audience’s attention to different aspects of a scene. A close-up shot can draw attention to a particular character, while a long shot can convey a general sense of the setting.

Wrap-up

Ultimately, cinematography is an important aspect of storytelling. Video producers can leverage different elements of cinematography to create the desired atmosphere, give visual cues, guide viewers’ attention, convey mood, and reveal information. It helps create visually engaging shots that help the audience immerse in the story. However, the art of using cinematography to convey desired narratives is elaborate and ever-changing. Experienced video producers understand the ever-evolving art of cinematography and will help you achieve the objectives you want.