Course: "Sports Photojournalism"

Course: "Fundamentals of Cinematography"

Cinema is always with you.
"FROM CONCEPT TO SCREEN"

Course Curator: Sergey Emerov.

Tuition fee: 8,500 rubles per month. The program is two years long – from September through May, with a break for summer vacation. This course is online-only! The fee includes 3 sessions per month with a curator according to the curriculum below, as well as 3 lectures per month by renowned photographers.

If you cannot attend a class online, no problem – it will be available as a recording in your personal account the very next day.

To apply, you must submit an application on the "How to Apply" page and attach 4 to 8 photos from your portfolio in the reportage genre.

What We Will Study:

Introduction to the Profession. The Role of the Cinematographer in Film & TV Production.
Description of the "Toolkit" – skills necessary for the job.

Location Geography: Presenting all sides of a location to the viewer. The "Figure Eight." The concept of the Optical Axis. Rules for crossing it.
Shot Scaling and Sizes: (Extreme Long/Establishing, Wide, Medium, Close-up, Detail) and the order of editorial alternation. In-frame editing.
Backgrounds & Depth: Linear, tonal, light, color, and optical depth (via bokeh, overlay effects).
Dynamic Shooting: Filming a person walking through a corridor.
Composition: Mastering and directing attention. Psychophysical perception. The cinematographer's visual culture. Composition and framing (balanced/unbalanced, the rule of triangles, contrast, rhythm, preferences for backgrounds and shot sizes, open/closed composition, fixation points). The dramaturgy of a screen work.
Silhouettes and Quadrants.
Light Theory: Light as a means of artistic expression. Types of lighting fixtures. Fill light, key light, backlight, background light, silhouette, practical lights, warm/cold/mixed light, styles, green screen, reflectors, filters, diffusers. Caustics. Low-key lighting. The "Light Bath" (in a white studio).
Conflict and Interaction: Subjective shooting.
The Carlson Principle.
Rhythm.
Camera Angle and Direction.
Contrast.
Anticipating the Appearance of an object or fragment.
Depth of Field (DOF), "Bokeh." Using diffusion (stockings, vaseline), smoke, fog filters, practical lights.
The Cinematographer's Mantras before starting work with a video or photo camera.
The Mandatory Workflow of a cinematographer and the SYMBIOSIS OF ALL RULES. Turning the absence of a tripod into an ADVANTAGE (Dynamism, quick angle search, dynamic-moving backgrounds).
Turning the absence of a tripod into an ADVANTAGE (Dynamism, quick angle search, dynamic-moving backgrounds).
Dramaturgy of a Screen Work. Storyboarding. Concept. Application. Clarity (Removing the unnecessary). Persuasiveness ("I see what you mean").
Concepts of Genre, Style, and Format in Television. Genres of Film and Video Production:

News Events
Portrait Film
Promotional/Corporate
Presentation
Teleshopping (product shooting)
Popular Science
Feature Film
Short Film
TV Magazine (e.g., "Yeralash," "I Want to Know Everything")
Instructional Film
Music Video
Commercials (image ads, Cannes Lions)
Travel / Travel Segments
Documentary
Art-house Cinema.

Infographics, Special Shooting: (Slow motion, fast motion, time-lapses). Drones. Auxiliary camera equipment (sliders, steadicams, cranes...).
The Cinematographer's Authorial Style. "Award-Winning" and "Execution" shots.
Decision Making. Observational Skills. "Completing the Picture" mentally. Pre-visualization. Reference materials. Musical accompaniment.
The Design and Operating Principles of Film/Photo/Video Equipment. The Sound Department. The necessity of working with sound. Detailed introduction to the principles and main components of a video camera. Monoblocks, Calibration, ND filters. Interchangeable lenses. The difference between Pro and Non-Pro equipment. Macro lenses. Converters. Choosing equipment for various tasks.
Preparation and Shooting of Final Project Assignments. Scripts. Directing. Storyboards. Coordination. Shooting final project assignments. Answering theoretical and practical questions.

After each lesson, a PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENT is given, where you will independently (following the attached task) practice the acquired information. Brick by brick, you will accumulate ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES to later apply them in combination before and during shoots.

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