Five C's of Cinematography (English, Paperback, Rogers Joseph PhD)

Considered a classic, The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques 1st Silman-James Press Edition speaks about Camera Angles, Continuity, Cutting, Close-ups, and Composition.

Summary Of The Book

The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques 1st Silman-James Press Edition is one of the most important and widely respected books to have ever been published on the subject. The book focuses on five C’s. The first topic covered in Camera Angles and discusses how a camera should be positioned when filming. It explains various point of views, camera height, subject size, and more. When a subject's surroundings need to be captured, wide angle shots are taken. A subject is made to look bigger on screen, by taking a low-angle shot. These help in developing a movie’s narrative.

The second C is for Continuity. It is of importance that a film flows in a smooth pace, without any inconsistencies in the plot, characters, screens, time and space, and subject matter. The transitions through an entire movie must be consistent in both static and dynamic elements.
Next comes Cutting, which essentially means editing and sequencing of shots. It covers topics like cutting on action, and cross-cutting.

Close-ups is the fourth C of The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques 1st Silman-James Press Edition. The smallest details appear large on the big screen, and thus close-up techniques like cut-in, cutaway, and over-the-shoulder are used for medium and extreme close-ups.

The last C stands for Composition. Mascelli speaks of steps that need to be taken to draw the attention of the audience to particular subjects in a shot. Balance of light and darkness, colours, space, and changing the centre of interest are also covered.

The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques 1st Silman-James Press Edition is filled with hundreds of illustrations, photographs, concepts, and techniques to help readers understand the world of cinematography.

About Joseph V. Mascelli

Joseph V. Mascelli, born in 1917, was a famous cinematographer and writer.

Mascelli was a cinematographer for the U.S. Army during World War II. He used to shoot training videos, project reports, newsreels, and technical movies. He filmed theatrical features and documentaries, trained firms, did theatrical projects, and made television shows and advertisements. He gave lectures at the Loyola University, Los Angeles, and was the editor of the American Cinematographer Manual. The writer also directed the movie Monstrosity in 1963. He passed away in 1981 in Los Angeles.