A visual reference in 13 sheets

Cinematography
& Mise-en-Scène

Every frame is built from two layers of decisions. Cinematography is how the camera sees: shot size, angle, lens, focus, movement, exposure. Mise-en-scène is what the camera sees: set, props, costume, lighting, actors, and how they are arranged in space. The two are inseparable: a great set is ruined by a careless lens, and a beautiful camera move means nothing if there is nothing meaningful in front of it.

The Camera

How the camera sees.

01Shot SizesEWS to ECU, plus singles, two-shots, OTS, POV, inserts, master and coverage. 02Angles & HeightHigh, low, overhead, Dutch, and why camera height is a separate choice. 03Focus & DepthDeep, shallow, rack, soft, split diopter, tilt-shift, defocus. 04LensesFocal length, distortion vs compression, primes, anamorphic, the dolly zoom. 05MovementPan, tilt, dolly, truck, arc, crane, handheld, and push-in vs zoom.

The Frame

The rectangle, and the grammar that keeps cuts legible.

06CompositionThirds, headroom, lead room, short-siding, symmetry, depth, aspect ratio. 07Screen GrammarThe 180° rule, the 30° rule, eyeline match, match on action.

In Front of the Lens

Everything the camera is pointed at.

08Mise-en-ScèneSetting, props, costume, blocking, proxemics, open and closed form. 09LightingThree-point, hard vs soft, high vs low key, direction, Kelvin. 10ColourHue, saturation, value, schemes, associative colour, grading.

Time & Practice

Texture, drills and further study.

11Frame Rate & Shutter24fps, slow motion, the 180° shutter rule and how texture is made. 12Training Your EyeSound-off analysis, reverse shot lists, recreation drills. 13ResourcesVideo series, still libraries, and the six books worth owning.

Read any frame in six questions

When you pause on a shot and don't know where to start, run this list. Each question links to the sheet that answers it.

1 · How close are we?

Name the shot size. Wide gives information, tight gives emotion. Ask what the size is withholding.

2 · Where is the camera?

Note the angle and height. Looking up or down at someone is a verdict on them before a word is spoken.

3 · What is sharp?

Check focus and lens feel. Sharp everywhere invites you to explore; sharp in one place tells you where to look.

4 · Is the camera moving, and why?

Every move should reveal, follow, connect, or express. A move without a reason is noise.

5 · Where is the light coming from?

Find the key. Read the quality, direction and ratio, then the palette.

6 · What would the image say with the sound off?

That answer is mise-en-scène doing its job: set, props, costume, blocking and space.

Rule

Hitchcock's principle. The size of something in the frame should match its importance to the story at that moment. It is the single most useful sentence in this whole reference; most framing questions resolve against it.

Using these sheets

Each sheet stands on its own, so you can jump straight to the one you need, but read in order they build: size and angle first, because every other decision is made relative to them.

Every page prints cleanly. Use your browser's print dialogue on any sheet to get a paper copy with the navigation stripped out. That is useful on set, where the thing you need is the lighting plan and not a website.

Cinematography & Mise-en-Scène cheat sheets · built from The Foundations of Cinematography and Mise-en-Scène.