The Director

Focal length· pick one

• 14mm

  An ultra-wide view: the room bends at its edges, near things loom and far things fall away fast.

  104° across. Reads as Wide-angle.

  “14mm lens inches from a climber's hand on the rock, the valley floor falling away far below behind it.”

• 18mm

  Very wide: a whole room in one frame, the depth between near and far stretched out.

  90° across. Reads as Wide-angle.

  “18mm lens in a narrow galley kitchen, the cook in the foreground and the whole room stretching to a window at the far end.”

• 24mm

  Wide: body and place at once, the surroundings pulling their weight in the frame.

  74° across. Reads as Wide-angle.

  “24mm lens on two friends walking toward camera down a busy market street, the stalls on both sides in view.”

• 35mm

  A little wider than the eye: natural, with room around the subject; the classic storytelling lens.

  54° across. Reads as Normal.

  “35mm lens on a woman at a cafe table, her face and the rainy street through the window behind her both telling the scene.”

• 50mm

  Close to how the eye sees: no stretch and no squeeze, proportions left honest.

  40° across. Reads as Normal.

  “50mm lens at eye height on a man reading a letter on a park bench, proportions natural, the trees behind him gently soft.”

• 85mm

  A portrait length: faces are flattered and the background falls soft and close behind them.

  24° across. Reads as Telephoto.

  “85mm lens close-up on a singer backstage, her face sharp and the crowded corridor behind her melting into soft shapes.”

• 135mm

  Long: space compresses, the background stacks up behind the subject and the camera watches from far off.

  15° across. Reads as Telephoto.

  “135mm lens on a man crossing a busy avenue, the traffic and buildings behind him stacked tight against his shoulders.”

• 200mm

  Very long: the world flattens into layers and the smallest move of the frame travels far.

  10° across. Reads as Telephoto.

  “200mm lens on a lone runner on a far hillside, the setting sun enormous and flat behind her.”

Glass· pick one glass

• Anamorphic

  Wide oval bokeh and long horizontal flares; the picture announces itself as cinema.

  “Anamorphic lens: a car's headlights at night stretch into long blue horizontal streaks across the frame, the street lamps behind it blooming into oval bokeh.”

• Vintage glass

  Old uncoated glass: highlights bloom, edges go soft and the colour warms a little; the image feels remembered.

  “Shot on vintage uncoated glass: a man in a 1970s living room, lamplight blooming softly around his face, the frame edges gently smeared and warm.”

Lens series· pick one glass

• Panavision C-series anamorphic

  The classic 2x scope look: oval bokeh, a soft glow on every edge, long blue horizontal flares and a little warmth, with the corners going low-contrast wide open while the centre holds.

  “Shot on Panavision C-series anamorphic: a detective steps out of a bar at night, the neon throwing a long blue streak across the frame and the street lamps behind him drawn into ovals.”

• Cooke Anamorphic/i

  Cooke's warmth inside a 2x squeeze: oval bokeh with a gentle roll-off, a soft amber flare in place of a hard blue line, and corners that hold sharper than vintage scope.

  “Shot on Cooke Anamorphic/i: a bride turns in a warm hallway, the sconces behind her stretching into soft oval highlights and an amber flare washing the frame edge.”

• Hawk V-Lite anamorphic

  Clean modern 2x anamorphic: a sharp centre, oval bokeh, a cooler controlled streak and straight lines that mostly stay straight.

  “Shot on Hawk V-Lite anamorphic: a courier weaves a motorbike through night traffic, headlights drawing cool oval highlights and a thin controlled streak across the frame.”

• Kowa anamorphic

  Soft painterly 2x scope: big oval bokeh, warm colour, low contrast wide open, edges that smear and glow, and barrel distortion you can see.

  “Shot on Kowa anamorphic: two dancers hold each other in a half-empty ballroom, the chandeliers smearing into wide warm ovals and the frame edges glowing.”

• Lomo round-front anamorphic

  Raw Soviet scope: heavy oval bokeh, a pronounced glow, low contrast, big smeary warm flares threaded with a bright blue streak, and corners that come apart wide open.

  “Shot on Lomo round-front anamorphic: a man smokes on a concrete balcony at dusk, the sodium lamps below blooming into heavy ovals and a blue streak cutting the frame.”

• Cineovision anamorphic

  Vintage scope with a warm glow: pronounced oval bokeh, a wide golden flare threaded with a thin blue line, low contrast, and corners that smear wide open.

  “Shot on Cineovision anamorphic: a girl leans from a car window on a desert road, the late sun throwing a wide golden flare and a thin blue line across the frame.”

• ARRI Signature Prime

  Sharp with a deliberately gentle roll-off into the out-of-focus: round soft-edged bokeh with no onion rings, warm flattering skin, a low neutral flare, almost no distortion and no breathing on a focus pull.

  “Shot on ARRI Signature Primes: a surgeon looks up from an operating table, her skin warm and sharp, the theatre lights behind her falling into round soft bokeh.”

• Zeiss Master Prime

  Clinically sharp corner to corner at every stop: high micro-contrast, neutral cool-leaning colour, deep clean blacks, and a flare that stays a faint veil. The glass never draws attention to itself.

  “Shot on Zeiss Master Primes: a technician reads a bank of instruments in a cold white corridor, every panel edge sharp and the blacks clean.”

• Zeiss Ultra Prime

  Sharp and contrasty, a touch softer than a Master Prime wide open: neutral colour, blacks clean but not crushed, round bokeh with a faintly bright rim and a small neutral flare.

  “Shot on Zeiss Ultra Primes: a teacher writes on a blackboard in an afternoon classroom, the chalk crisp and the room behind her honest.”

• Cooke S4/i

  The Cooke look: warm, rounded and forgiving on skin, with a gentle roll-off from sharp to soft, open shadows, softly blooming highlights, creamy round bokeh and a golden flare that spreads rather than streaks.

  “Shot on Cooke S4/i: a grandmother pours tea by a window, her skin warm and soft-edged, the garden behind her creamy and bright.”

• Leitz Summilux-C

  Sharp with a natural three-dimensional roll-off that stands the subject off the background: neutral-to-warm colour, rich mid-tones, clean round bokeh with a soft bright rim, restrained flare and very low distortion.

  “Shot on Leitz Summilux-C: a pianist plays in a dim hall, her hands and face standing clear off the darkness behind her.”

• Panavision Primo

  Even gentle sharpness across the frame with a soft natural edge to detail: warm slightly muted colour, smooth round bokeh with no hard rims, and a flare that blooms warm instead of streaking.

  “Shot on Panavision Primos: a family sits down to dinner in a 1990s dining room, the colour warm and muted and every edge softly drawn.”

• Sigma Cine FF

  Very sharp, high contrast, modern and neutral: cool-neutral colour, clean blacks, round bokeh that can show a faint ring inside a point of light, and some ghosting against the sun.

  “Shot on Sigma Cine FF: a cyclist drinks from a bottle after a climb, the sweat and the gravel sharp and the sky punchy behind him.”

• Angenieux Optimo zoom

  A zoom that holds close to a prime at every focal length: sharp, warm and slightly soft-edged, with filmic colour, gentle contrast, round bokeh that softens toward the edges and a warm low-key flare.

  “Shot on an Angenieux Optimo zoom: a reporter pushes through a crowded square, the frame tightening on a face across the plaza, the colour warm throughout.”

• Zeiss Super Speed

  Sharp at the centre with a soft glowing edge wide open, tightening two stops down: cool slightly desaturated colour, lifted blacks, busy bright-rimmed bokeh, and a strong veiling flare with blue-white ghosts against a source.

  “Shot on Zeiss Super Speeds wide open: a man waits in a strip-lit laundromat at 2am, the centre sharp, the edges glowing and the whites a touch cool.”

• Cooke Speed Panchro

  Soft, glowing and warm, gentle on every face: low contrast with milky shadows and blooming highlights, creamy swirl-free bokeh, an amber flare that washes the frame, and corners that go noticeably soft.

  “Shot on rehoused Cooke Speed Panchros: a singer holds a microphone under a warm spotlight, the highlights blooming and the shadows milky.”

• Canon K35

  Warm, low in contrast and gently sharp: amber colour, lifted blacks, a halo around every bright edge, large smooth bokeh discs that go oval toward the corners wide open, and a warm streaking flare.

  “Shot on Canon K35s: two boys ride bikes down a suburban street in late sun, the light haloing their shoulders and a warm flare catching the lens.”

• Bausch and Lomb Super Baltar

  Warm, low-contrast and gently soft: golden slightly yellow colour, shadows deep but open, soft round creamy bokeh, a warm veiling flare that lifts the whole frame, and a gentle fall-off in the corners.

  “Shot on rehoused Super Baltars: a family argues across a kitchen table under a hanging lamp, the whole frame golden and the corners falling gently away.”

• Kowa Cine Prominar spherical

  Soft-sharp with a gentle glow and no swirl: warm slightly muted colour, lifted blacks, smooth soft-edged round bokeh, and a warm diffuse flare that puts one small ghost against a hard source.

  “Shot on rehoused Kowa Cine Prominars: a woman folds laundry by an afternoon window, the light warm and the edges softly glowing.”

• Nikon AI-S rehoused stills

  Sharp and contrasty for vintage glass, a little clinical at the centre: neutral-to-cool punchy colour, busy bokeh with bright rims and a slight swirl on the fast focals, and hard greenish ghosting against a source.

  “Shot on rehoused Nikon AI-S stills glass: a protester shouts into a megaphone in flat daylight, punchy and cool, the background busy behind her.”

Filters· pick any number

• Diffusion filter

  A mist filter in front of the lens: highlights bloom and halo, contrast lifts a touch, skin smooths; the whole image goes gentle.

  “Heavy diffusion filter on the lens: a couple under string lights, every bulb blooming into a soft halo and their faces glowing gently.”

• Streak filter

  A bright source catches the glass and scatters across the picture as streaks, rings or a wash; the camera admits it is there.

  “Streak filter: the low sun sits just inside the top of frame behind a cyclist, throwing a bright horizontal streak and a soft veil across the picture.”

• Fog filter

  A thin veil of glow over the whole frame; lights spread and the air looks thick.

  “Fog filter on a street lamp at night, its light spreading into a soft cloud around a man waiting beneath it.”

• Polarizer

  Reflections on glass and water drop away and skies deepen; colours read richer and surfaces clearer.

  “Polarizer on the lens: a lake at noon with the glare gone, the stones on the bottom clear through the water.”

Shutter· pick one

• 180° natural blur

  The film standard: movement carries the amount of blur an audience reads as normal, so it looks like movement and nothing calls attention to itself.

  “180° shutter as a waiter crosses a busy restaurant, his movement carrying natural cinematic blur.”

• 90° crisp staccato

  Half the blur: every frame lands sharp, so movement reads hard and stepped, with an edge of panic in it.

  “90° shutter through a hallway fight, each punch landing crisp and staccato rather than smeared.”

• 45° strobing

  Almost no blur at all: movement breaks into separate brittle steps and the picture strobes.

  “45° shutter as a car is struck at a junction, the impact strobing into brittle separate steps.”

• 360° smeared

  Twice the blur: every movement smears across its own frame and the picture goes soft and dreamlike.

  “360° shutter as a woman turns from a window half asleep, her movement smearing across the frame.”

• Extreme close-up

  A part of a face or a thing; the world reduced to one detail.

  “Extreme close-up on a single eye, the iris filling the frame as a candle flame flickers in its reflection.”

• Close-up

  The face fills the frame; nothing else is allowed to matter.

  “Close-up of an old woman's face as she hears the news, framed from chin to hairline.”

• Medium close-up

  Head and shoulders; the face leads and the body still signals.

  “Medium close-up of a courier at a doorstep, head and shoulders in frame as he waits for an answer.”

• Medium shot

  Waist up; a person's hands and face at once, the conversation frame.

  “Medium shot from the waist up of a barista pulling an espresso, her hands and face both in frame.”

• Medium wide shot

  Bodies from the knees or mid-thigh up; a group can act together and still be read.

  “Medium wide shot from the knees up of three friends leaning on a bar, the room visible behind them.”

• Wide shot

  Whole bodies and the room they stand in; geography before feeling.

  “Wide shot of a full figure crossing an empty gymnasium, the whole room held around her.”

• Extreme wide shot

  The place swallows the people; a body is a mark in a landscape.

  “Extreme wide shot of a lone rider crossing a salt flat, a tiny mark under an enormous sky.”

Height· pick one

• Worm's-eye view

  The camera looks straight up from the ground; the subject towers and the sky presses behind it.

  “Worm's-eye view straight up from the pavement at a businessman stepping over the camera, towers behind him.”

• Ground-level angle

  The camera sits on the floor looking along it; the ground fills the lower frame and the world rises from it.

  “Ground-level shot along a wet pavement as a pair of high heels walks toward the lens.”

• Low angle

  The subject gains size and authority; ceilings and sky enter the frame.

  “Low angle looking up at a basketball player at the free-throw line, the gym lights behind her head.”

• Eye-level angle

  The viewer stands with the character at their own height; no judgement is passed by the camera's position.

  “Eye-level shot of a teacher at her desk, the camera at her own height, meeting her as an equal.”

• High angle

  The subject is diminished; the ground and its pattern take over.

  “High angle looking down on a boy sitting alone in the middle of a playground.”

• Overhead shot

  The scene becomes a diagram; faces vanish and arrangement is everything.

  “Overhead top-down shot of a cook's hands over a chopping board, the ingredients laid out in a grid.”

Facing· pick one

• Frontal

  The subject faces the lens squarely, looking past it or through it; symmetrical, confronting, nowhere to hide.

  “Head-on shot of a runner charging straight at the camera down the centre line of an empty road.”

• Three-quarter

  The face turned partway from the lens; both eyes read and the face gains shape.

  “Three-quarter angle on a man at a bar, his face turned partway from the lens so both eyes read.”

• Profile

  The subject is seen exactly side-on; one eye, one line of the face, turned toward something off frame.

  “Strict profile of a woman at a train window, her face side-on and turned toward the passing fields.”

Foreground· pick one

• Over-the-shoulder

  The camera stands behind one person, their shoulder and the back of their head soft in the foreground, looking at who they face.

  “Over-the-shoulder shot from behind a detective, his shoulder soft in the foreground, on the suspect across the table.”

Point of view· pick one

• POV

  The camera is a character's eyes; the audience sees exactly what they see, and nothing they do not.

  “POV shot through a man's eyes as he opens a cellar door, his own hand on the handle and the dark stairs dropping away below.”

Tilt· pick one

• Dutch angle

  The horizon tips; the world is wrong and the viewer feels it before they can say why.

  “Dutch angle tilted twenty degrees on a man walking down a hotel corridor, the horizon leaning.”

• Shallow

  One plane is sharp and the rest dissolves; lights behind melt into soft discs and the eye is told where to look. Wide open, around T1.4 to T2: the softest background there is, and the least room for anyone to move before they lose focus.

  “Shallow depth of field on a violinist's face, the orchestra behind her dissolving into soft blur.”

• Moderate

  The subject is sharp and the background softens gently but stays readable; the eye is guided without the place disappearing. The working stop, around T2.8 to T5.6: separation with enough depth that a performance can move.

  “Medium depth of field on a chef at the pass, the kitchen behind him softened but still readable.”

• Deep

  Foreground and background hold at once; the frame can stage on several planes. Stopped down, from about T8: the deeper the stop, the more light the scene has to be given back.

  “Deep focus on a boy at a kitchen table in the foreground while his parents talk, sharp, in the far doorway.”

Hold· pick one move

• Locked-off shot

  The frame holds and lets the action move inside it; every movement is the actors'.

  “Locked-off static shot of an empty kitchen table as a kettle begins to steam; the camera never moves.”

Turn· pick one move

• Pan

  The camera turns in place; it follows, reveals, or connects two things along a line.

  “Slow pan left across a harbour at dawn, from the moored boats to a fisherman mending a net on the pier.”

• Whip pan

  A pan too fast to read; the frame smears into a blur that stitches two moments.

  “A woman hears her name called; whip pan right from her face to a friend waving across the square, the frame smearing to motion blur.”

• Tilt

  The camera nods; it reveals height, or travels a body from feet to face.

  “Tilt up from muddy boots on a doorstep to the weathered face of the man wearing them.”

• Roll

  The camera turns about its own lens axis; the horizon swings and gravity loses its hold.

  “Camera rolls a slow quarter turn on its own lens axis as a woman lies back on the grass, the sky and treetops swinging over her.”

Push & pull· pick one move

• Push in

  The camera closes on the subject; attention narrows and pressure rises.

  “Slow push in from a medium shot to a close-up on a woman reading a letter at a kitchen table, the camera physically moving closer.”

• Pull out

  The camera backs away; the subject is placed in a larger truth, or abandoned.

  “Pull out from a close-up of a boy at a bus stop, the camera moving straight back until he is alone in an empty street.”

Travel· pick one move

• Trucking shot

  The camera slides sideways past the scene, keeping its angle; a short glide or a long pass, the world slips across the frame.

  “Truck right along a row of market stalls at walking pace, the camera sliding sideways past vendors and hanging lanterns.”

• Crane shot

  The camera rises or descends through space, straight up and level or lifting and carrying over something in the way; a change of scale in one gesture.

  “Crane up from a girl standing in a wheat field until the camera rises above the crop and the road beyond comes into view.”

• Arc shot

  The camera swings around the subject, part of the way or all the way round; the background turns while the face holds.

  “Arc left a quarter of the way around a woman at a window, the city behind her turning while her face holds centre frame.”

Track· pick one move

• Tracking shot

  The camera moves with a body or a vehicle through space; the world passes and the subject stays.

  “Tracking shot moving with a nurse as she walks the length of a hospital corridor, keeping her the same size in frame.”

• Follow shot

  The camera stays behind a moving subject and goes where it goes; the audience walks in its footsteps.

  “Follow shot from behind a hiker at shoulder height as she pushes through tall ferns toward a clearing.”

• Leading shot

  The camera retreats in front of a subject walking toward it; the face stays with us and what lies ahead stays hidden.

  “Leading shot moving backward in front of two colleagues walking and talking down a city street.”

Zoom· pick one move

• Zoom in

  The lens changes size without the camera moving; flattening, urgent, a little artificial.

  “Slow optical zoom in on a lighthouse across the bay, the camera fixed on the shore while the frame tightens and flattens.”

• Zoom out

  The lens widens while the camera stays put; the subject shrinks into what was around it all along.

  “Slow zoom out from a single red umbrella until the crowded square around it fills the frame, the camera never moving.”

• Crash zoom

  The lens slams from wide to tight in a heartbeat; the frame points and shouts.

  “Crash zoom onto a ringing phone on an empty desk, the lens snapping from wide to tight in a fraction of a second.”

• Dolly zoom

  The camera travels one way while the lens zooms the other, so the subject holds its size and the background stretches or collapses behind it.

  “Dolly zoom on a man at the end of a pier: his face holds its size while the sea and the town behind him rush away.”

Signature· pick one move

• Foreground wipe

  The camera moves forward past something close to it, uncovering what lies beyond.

  “Camera pushes forward past a rain-streaked window frame in the foreground to reveal a couple talking in the garden beyond.”

• Hyperlapse

  The camera travels a long way while time is compressed; hours and distance pass in seconds.

  “Hyperlapse moving down a city avenue at night, traffic and clouds streaking past as the camera travels block after block.”

Rig· pick one

• Handheld

  The frame breathes with an operator's body; immediacy, and a witness who is not sure.

  “Handheld shot of a man weaving through a crowded station, the frame breathing and jolting with each step.”

• Steadicam

  The camera floats with no footsteps of its own, on a Steadicam or a gimbal; effortless following, even through tight spaces.

  “Steadicam floats behind a waiter through the kitchen doors and out across a packed restaurant floor in one smooth glide.”

• Drone

  The camera flies on a drone; it rises, glides and travels over land and roofs at a scale no crane reaches, the human scale lost on purpose.

  “Drone gliding high over a coastal town at sunrise, rooftops and harbour passing slowly below.”

• FPV drone

  A small fast drone dives, weaves and threads through gaps; the camera moves like something alive.

  “FPV drone drops over a hillside and threads fast between pine trunks, banking hard around each tree.”

• Body-mounted camera

  The camera is rigged to the moving subject, on a body or a vehicle, so the subject holds still in frame while the world lurches around them.

  “Camera rigged to a cyclist's handlebars facing back at her, her face locked still while the road and trees lurch past behind.”

• Direct to camera

  The subject looks straight into the lens and speaks to the audience itself.

  “A bartender pauses mid-pour, looks straight into the lens and raises an eyebrow at the audience.”