Towards a Philosophy of Cinematography

This book presents three interrelated essays about cinematography which offer a theoretical understanding of the ways that film practitioners orchestrate light in today's post-digital context. Cinematography is a practice at the heart of film production which traditionally involves the control of light and camera technologies to creatively capture moving imagery. During recent years, the widespread adoption of digital processes in cinematography has received a good deal of critical attention from practitioners and scholars alike, however little specific consideration about evolving lighting practices can be found amongst this discourse. Drawing on new-materialist ideas, actor-network theory and the concept of co-creativity, these essays examine the impact of changing production processes for the role and responsibilities of a cinematographer with a specific focus on lighting. Each essay advances a new perspective on the discipline, moving from the notion of light as vision to light as material, from technology as a tool to technology as a network, and from cinematography as an industry to cinematography as a collaborative art.

Examines the changing responsibilities of contemporary cinematography practitioners, suggesting that notions of co-creativity and aesthetic leadership can help the role to maintain relevance in an era of rapidly changing technologies Outlines lighting in moving image practices through a relational, new-materialist perspective which foregrounds the flow and energy of light as a generative force and a cultural and creative process Investigates the relationship between a cinematographer and their equipment by applying the actor-network framework to the consideration of moving image, and explicitly lighting technologies

Autorentext

Alexander Nevill is a cinematographer, filmmaker and Assistant Professor in the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University, USA.

Inhalt
Preface.- Introduction.- Exploring Cinematography.- The Impact of Digitality.- Chapter 1: A Brief Philosophy of Light.- Chapter 2: Sculpting Light.- Chapter 3: Understanding Cinematography Technology.- Chapter 4: Exposure Processes.- Conclusion.