The cinematography field journal

A different way to frame.

Independent guides to anamorphic lenses, exact camera arrangements and the path from recording to a considered frame.

Start with the frame
A hand holding a camera lens in front of trees
A camera lens held outdoors · Camera-equipment illustration. jonas-svidras · Published 29 December 2017. CC0 via Pixabay (resized and cropped).

Start with the picture

The lens belongs
to a whole image path.

A scene, a camera, a way to view the image and a frame to deliver. Keep those parts of the plan in the same conversation.

Our independent guides bring the optical idea together with the exact equipment references and practical questions.

A relationship of proportions

Read the shape
before the crop.

The optical squeeze, the recorded shape and the intended final frame are related decisions. Give each one a clear label in your plan.

Follow the frame

Squeezed shapeHorizontal compression

Restored proportionsAfter horizontal desqueeze

Conceptual 2× horizontal example, before any crop. The exact lens, recording mode and processing belong in the actual frame plan.

Know which image you are looking at

One path.
Different stages.

Keep a display setting beside the display it belongs to. Check the recorded file and the intended finishing path in their own context.

RECORD

The actual camera mode and the image it stores.

VIEW

The screen or monitor and its documented treatment.

FINISH

The agreed interpretation, crop and delivery frame.

Check the arrangement
Rear view of a digital camera and battery grip on a blue surface
Rear view of a digital camera · Camera-equipment illustration. cuncon · Published 7 October 2016. CC0 via Pixabay (resized and cropped).
Cameras, a separate lens, accessories and instant-film boxes on a wooden table
Camera equipment on a wooden table · Camera-equipment illustration. StockSnap · Published 4 August 2017. CC0 via Pixabay (resized and cropped).

The particular equipment

Keep the model and the question together.

A precise reference is a useful starting point. Keep the exact variant, the relevant document and the detail you still need to confirm.

Give your own observations and preferences their place beside the published specification.

Read the details

From the field journal

Follow the next question.

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