Some basic camera function questions...

[ejdge]

I have some very basic questions about cinematography.

1. What exactly do shutter/exposure/f-stops do? I have a general idea of shutter/f-stops (motion and dof) and would like to clarify!

2. What does changing (+/-) the value for these do generally?

Thanks

 

[ozduc]

I have some very basic questions about cinematography.

Your questions are not very basic at all.

1. What exactly do shutter/exposure/f-stops do? I have a general idea of shutter/f-stops (motion and dof) and would like to clarify!

Basic answer is they give you control over your image.

2. What does changing (+/-) the value for these do generally?

Thanks

Generally it changes the amount of light hitting the imager.

I suggest you get a book or two on cinematography and do some reading. The amount of time and space it would take to give you a better understanding of the controls is beyond the scope of a forum.

 

[David Regan]

Yes these are rather broad topics, but a quick overview.
The f-stop, or aperature, can among other things control your exposure (The amount of light hitting the imager) A high number f-stop (f11, f16 etc...) meants less light is allowed through, whereas a low number f-stop (f2.0, f4 etc...) means more light is allowed through. A higher number f-stop will also increase your depth of field, and a low number will decrease the depth of field.
The shutter also controls the amount of light hitting an imager. Often times, video cameras displays shutter as a time, so the larger the number, the longer the imager is exposed to light, and the opposite of course. This comes into play for exposure obviously, and effects such as strobbing.

This is a very brief overview, and as ozduc suggests, I would recommend getting a book, and doing more reading to really find out the full scope of what these controls do.

Good luck