In the Presence of Photons Portraying Light Through Cinematography

Abstract

Film is a medium that is impossible to exist without light. Essential to its production process is cinematography, a discipline in filmmaking that is directly responsible with visually presenting the information of a shot through a camera using the manipulation of time, lighting and framing. Frame distance describes the distance between a subject and the camera but more vital is the intent of application of frame distance as it is capable of implying meaning or eliciting a feeling in the viewer. The grammar of frame distance can be utilized to present structures, themes and styles of a film. Experimental, abstract films, although non-conformist to the rules of conventional cinema, may still be confined to the concepts and techniques in cinematography. Frame distances can help to distinguish patterns as well as emphasize details in an experimental film. The abstract, short film “Trapped Light”, explores the possibility of depicting the movement of light through transmissive and reflective materials.