cinematography
/ˌsɪn.ə.məˈtɒɡ.ɹə.fiː/
cinematography means the art, process, or job of filming movies. It carries an Arena rating of 1334, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cinematography ranks #1,416 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,239 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #5,076 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #7,161 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words.
cinematography is pronounced /ˌsɪn.ə.məˈtɒɡ.ɹə.fiː/.
Why “cinematography” is a great word
The art and technique of motion picture photography, encompassing both the shooting and development of film. From cinematograph (a device for projecting moving pictures) + -y, with cinematograph itself from French cinématographie, ultimately from Greek kinēma ("movement") + -graphia ("writing, recording"). Unlike filmmaking, which spans the entire creative process from script to sound, or videography, which denotes the functional capture of images on electronic media, cinematography is the specific, alchemical craft of painting with light and time. It is the precise choreography of a dolly-in on a trembling hand, the glint of a revolver’s barrel in a noir close-up, and the patient waiting for the exact moment when dawn breaks through a particular window—a tactile alchemy where time is caught not in frames, but in breath.
Etymology
From cinematograph + -y. Compare French cinématographie. Possibly analysable as cinemato- + -graphy.
noun
- The art, process, or job of filming movies.
- Motion picture photography.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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