One of the key aspects to evolve from a beginner to an amazing filmmaker is to master the fundamental concepts. To start right, here are some of the technical terms and concepts which one must understand before shooting their first shots from a DSLR.
Focal Length
In simple words, the focal length of a lens determines the amount of area the camera will be able to capture. A longer focal length has a narrow-angle of view while the lenses with the shorter focal length have a wider angle of view.
Anamorphic Lenses
Started as a tool and technique to capture and showcase wider aspect ratios on 35mm film, in today’s world of cinematography it has become the most favored. They add a unique characteristic to the moving images which include showcasing an Ultra-wide rectangular aspect ratio, horizontal lens flares, and even oval Bokeh to enhance the cinematic experience.
Exposure
The exposure triangle is one of the fundamental concepts in cinematography which consists of three things: the camera’s shutter speed, aperture, and sensor’s sensitivity. Exposure means the amount of light that the camera’s digital sensor absorbs.
Shutter speed
The shutter speed means the amount of time the camera shutter remains open exposing light into the camera sensor. In cinematography, the standard-setting of the shutter is 1/60 of a second. To capture fast-moving subjects, the shutter speed has to be higher say 1/250 of a second, and for blurred effect, the shutter speed has to be low say 1/15 of a second.
Aperture
It is the width of a diaphragm that lets the light enter through the lens and hit the sensor. Aperture is measured in f-stop and as the number gets higher the exposure becomes darker.
ISO
In simple words, ISO is a camera setting that helps to brighten or darken a photo. As the ISO is increased, the photo will brighten, and similarly when lowered darkens the image. This also helps in capturing images in darker settings.
Depth of field
The depth of field is one of the fundamental concepts which means the distance between the closest and the farthest objects in a photo that appears sharp. The depth of field is usually controlled with the aperture and focal length of the lens of the camera. For eg: The lower is the f-number, the smaller the depth of field, and the higher the f-number, the larger the depth of field.
