Cinematography Rules

Rule of 3rds
The third rule is a guideline, which enforces the process of
composing visual images such as design, film, painting, and
photographs. The image should be imagined as divided into nine
equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally
spaced vertical lines.
180-Degree Line
The 180-degree line is a camera position where it has to be on a
180-degree angle between two people. A line called the axis
connects the characters on screen, and by keeping the camera on
one side of the axis for every shot in the scene, the first character is
always in the right of the frame of the second character, who is then
always in the left of frame.
Shot Types & Lighting
Establishing shot: A shot usually involving a distant framing, that
shows the spatial relations among the important figures, objects and
setting in a scene.
Extreme & very wide: the view is so far from the subject that he
isnt even visible. Often used as an establishing shot.
Wide shot: A shot covering a wide angle.
Mid shot: Shows some parts of the subject in more detail while still
giving an impression of the whole subject.
Two shot: two figures within the frame
Over the Shoulder shot: Looking from behind a person at the
subject.
Medium close up: Half way between a mid shot and close up.
Close up: a framing in which the scale of the object shown is
relatively large; most commonly a persons head seen from the neck
up, or an object of a comparable size that fills most of the screen.
Extreme close up: The Extreme close up gets right in and shows
extreme detail.
Dolly: A camera support with wheels, used in making tracking
shots.

Tracking: A mobile frame that travels through space forwards,

backwards, or laterally.
Pan/tilt: A camera movement with the camera body swivelling
upwards or downwards on a stationary support. It produces a mobile
framing that scans the space vertically.
Low angle shot: As above looking up
High angle shot: the position of the frame in relation to the
subject shows it above it, looking down.
Birds eye view: A elevated view of an object from above, with a
perspective as though the observer were a bird.
Dutch tilt: the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so that the
shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the
frame.
Crane shot: A change in framing accomplished by having the
camera above the ground & moving through the air in any direction.
Fly cam: