Cinematic Testing

Cinematic photography is a particular style of photography influenced by films. The style of photography imitates a variety of movie stills and frames which are used as an impressive way to include a storytelling element within the images, interrogating specific themes and feelings, creating intense, striking photographs.

This is a technique which I adopted when working on my personal project. The most important part of constructing cinematic photography is the lighting, it is necessary that the lighting works for the image as this is what helps create certain moods and atmospheres within photographs, helping imbed the specific narrative.

For my project which utilises this technique, I decided to use coloured gels, specifically red. The colour red can represent danger and fear, which is something that I wanted to be visible in the majority of my images as the project focusses on constructing nightmarish scenes, with a sense of mystery.

In order to develop my skills regarding setting up a cinematic scene, I tested where to place the LED lights, and how to create depth in the image. Researching cinematic photographers such as Rachel Louise Brown and Gregory Crewdson, I learnt how crucial the mise-en-scene is (A term used to describe everything within a scene). Therefore as well as lighting, it is also critical to consider what the subject is wearing, what props are needed, and what location the shoot will take place in, all these things are very important as this is what creates detectable storytelling.