The Black and Blue

Filmmaking Tips for Camera Assistants

  • Blog
  • Camera Guides
  • Menu
  • 
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Free Ebook
  • Pocket Guides
  • Topics
    • Behind the Lens
    • Camera Assisting
    • Cameras
    • Getting Work
    • Industry News
    • Miscellaneous Tips
    • Production Stories
    • Toolkit
    • Website
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • About The Black and Blue
  • Sponsorship
  • Comment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • 
  • U
  • 
  • R
  • @
  • Q
  • ˆ
  • ‰
×

The Five C’s of Cinematography

by Evan LuziMiscellaneous Tips

  • 0

From the archives of Fresh DV comes the “CliffsNotes” version of The Five C’s of Cinematography:

Cameras don’t tell stories, people do. Since we can all agree this is the case, there is really only one thing you need to tell great stories… YOU. However, none of us are born knowing anything about the tools of the trade. In an effort to improve the one tool all storytellers have in common, their mind, a must-have addition to their library is Joseph V. Mascelli’s The Five C’s of Cinematography. I picked this book up a few years ago, and I have learned more from it than any other resource on the subject. I’ve been to courses, classes, looked to chat rooms online, and experimented by trial and error; but none of those things have come close to the pure undistilled story driven explanation of cinematography found in Mascelli’s classic book.

The five C’s, if you don’t know them already, are:

  1. Camera Angles
  2. Continuity
  3. Cutting
  4. Close-ups
  5. Composition

Read the article for a better idea of what each means and how you deliver on them. And read the book if you’re serious about cinematography. It’s as relevant now as it was when the post was published 2 years ago and when the book featured in the article was published over 15 years ago.

Evan Luzi

  • U
  • 
  • z

Creator of The Black and Blue. Freelance camera assistant and camera operator. Available for work: Contact Evan here. Learn more about Evan here.

An Essential Resource for Digital Cinema Filmmakers

Get the Complete Library of 30 Digital Cinema Pocket Guides

  • Canon C500 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Blackmagic Cinema Camera Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Nikon D800 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Canon 5D Mark II Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Sony FS700 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Sony F65 Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • Phantom Miro 320s Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
  • RED Epic Digital Cinema Pocket Guide
Click Here to Learn More

Read Next

Camera Reports on Back of Slate

2 Easy to Use Camera Report Templates

If you think that because film is a visual medium there isn't much paperwork involved, you'd be dead wrong. From call sheets to contact lists to strip boards to screenplays -- whether it's given out in person or digitally emailed -- there are tons of papers passed between crew members.

  • On American Naturalism and Stephen Crane's 'The Open Boat'
  • Slating the Alphabet from Apple to X-Ray
  • 20 Holiday Gifts for Camera Assistants (That Your Family Can Actually Afford)
  • Pulling Focus in a Pandemic: What It's Like to Go Back to Set During COVID-19

'The Gift of Room Tone' featuring Martin Scorsese, Roger Deakins, Cristopher Walken, and More

"Capturing room tone requires [Criterion Collection] interview subjects to sit quietly for thirty to sixty seconds, and of course when you ask a bunch of people to do the exact same thing, they’ll all end up doing it differently. As you’ll see, some are very playful while others are more meditative; some close their eyes, and some look around the room or check their phones."

  • Focus Puller Chris Silano on Using the Preston Light Ranger
  • Tom Cruise Isn't Messing Around with COVID Safety
  • 20 Holiday Gifts for Camera Assistants (That Your Family Can Actually Afford)
  • Get Answers to These 9 Coronavirus Safety Questions Before Taking a Job
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
Becoming the Reel Deal eBook Cover on iPad

It Only Takes One Gig.

Becoming the Reel Deal is a free downloadable eBook written to help you get your first job on set in the camera department so you can launch your film career.

Sign up now to get your free copy and exclusive tips from The Black and Blue.

Get Your Free Copy
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Credits
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 The Black and Blue, LLC