Science in Cinematography

‘Splitting the purple beam.’ In this photo I passed light through a prism and obstructed it with a metal wire. This produced an inverted spectrum with purple in the center rather than green. I isolated the magenta beam with a slit, which split it into its component red and blue beams.

 

Since the Spring of 2010 I have taught Science of Cinematography, the only science credit course within NYU Tisch School of the Arts Film/TV school.

I am also in the process of finishing two books based on my course that is a collection of in-class/at-home experiments that allow people to learn the science experientially. The books engage with STEAM curriculum and cover topics of interest to people in the visual arts, photography, and cinematography. Subjects in the first book include color theory, optics, and human vision. The second book covers photometry, colorimetry, sensitometry, camera sensor performance explained through topics in information theory, and even stereographic transmission (3D).

I am open to offering this course at other venues or educational institutions in its full form, or in a condensed form. You can reach me through my e-mail.

I also provide services in fact-checking and research. With over a decade of experience teaching and researching the foundational sciences in the photographic arts, I am in a unique position to identify important claims and judge their veracity. I have a sizable personal library of important and rare books in the physical, visual, and photographic arts as well as access to a wide body of international research through my academic affiliation.