Word
cinematography
Phoneticscin·e·matog·ra·phy
US/ˌsɪnɪməˈtɑɡɹəfi/
UK/sˌɪnɪmɐtˈɒɡɹəfi/
Definition
n. the art or technique of filming a movie. It includes how the camera moves, how the lights are set up, and how the colors look on screen.
n. the art and technique of motion-picture photography, encompassing lighting, camera movement, and lens selection to achieve a specific visual style.
Examples
“The cinematography in that movie is absolutely beautiful.”
“The director worked closely with the director of photography to ensure the cinematography captured the dark mood of the script.”
“While the plot was criticized for being predictable, the film's innovative cinematography utilized natural light and long takes to create a sense of immersive realism.”
Examples
simple
“The cinematography in that movie is absolutely beautiful.”
contextual
“The director worked closely with the director of photography to ensure the cinematography captured the dark mood of the script.”
complex
“While the plot was criticized for being predictable, the film's innovative cinematography utilized natural light and long takes to create a sense of immersive realism.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the craft or the visual quality of a film.
Real-World Examples
“Arthur Ibbetson’s black and white cinematography wonderfully captured the stark, leafless trees and the mist blowing across the hills.” “Given Katkus’s cinematography background, it’s not surprising that this smalltown ennui comes gracefully shot, with stray snippets of quirk, like the fairground diplodocus poking its head over the treetops as Danielius arrives.” Etymology
From cinematograph + -y. Compare French cinématographie. Possibly analysable as cinemato- + -graphy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/cinematography