Five cs of cinematography pdf free download

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Best cinematography books

There are too many cinematography books on the market to sift through all of them, so we did it for you. You might think that since the art of cinematography is visual, reading books on the subject would be counterintuitive. Certainly, you'd be able to learn a lot from watching movies shot by the best cinematographers.

On the other hand, you'd be missing out on the technicals like depth of field, aspect ratio, and the different types of lenses. Not to mention the plethora of film jargon and cinematography terms that become invaluable once you're on a set.

Our list is in random order but each text has topics and insights that make them all essential reading for anyone wanting to know what cinematographers do.

BLain Brown

1. “Cinematography"

"Cinematography: Theory and Practice" by Blain Brown is a quick one but it's an awesome run down of the essentials. This is a great place to start, and not because it's elementary but because it just may end up as your handbook through the various stages of your career. 

This text takes you through every consideration a DP has — from how lenses work and camera sensors to DIT workflow and file compression.

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