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Cinematography 101

Cinematography 101

Author(s): Mark Vargo

Edition: 1

Copyright: 2025

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Ebook

$85.00 USD

ISBN 9798385157488

Details Electronic Delivery EBOOK 180 days

Faculty Review Copy

Filmmaking is a uniquely hands-on, collaborative art that blends creativity, technology, and storytelling. It can’t be fully learned from books—it must be practiced. Film school lays the foundation, but real growth comes from experience and emotional engagement. I left school with a deep appreciation for the craft and a lifelong commitment to mastering it. Now, after 40 years as a cinematographer, I want to share what I’ve learned. Cinematography is where the principles of photography—composition, lighting, exposure, color, and movement—come to life. It’s about shaping time and emotion through visuals and using light and lens choices to support story and mood. Filmmaking is both art and business: dreams built by skilled teams, led by five key creatives—writer, director, production designer, cinematographer, and editor. This text, Cinematography 101 focuses on helping you build a strong foundation in cinematography, combining creative insight with technical know-how. I’ve included videos to visually reinforce key concepts, because often, images teach better than words. Your journey starts here.

Foreword
The Cinematographer - Defined 
Chapter 1: Exposure 
Chapter 2: Light and Color 
Chapter 3: Lenses 
Chapter 4: Cameras 
Chapter 5: Filters 
Chapter 6: Lighting 
Chapter 7: Lighting Fixtures 
Chapter 8: Pre-Production 
Chapter 9: Production 
Acknowledgments 

Mark Vargo

I was born in Virginia, raised in Central Florida, and inspired early on by the space race— watching rockets launch from Cape Canaveral just miles from my schoolyard. That sense of curiosity and wonder sparked a lifelong passion for visual storytelling. 

After working construction and attending night school, I transferred to Montana State University to study Film and Television. I graduated in 1977 with a focus on post-production, which led to my first job at Alpha Cine Labs in Seattle. There, I taught myself optical printing—an initiative that led me to Industrial Light & Magic, where I began my visual effects career on The Empire Strikes Back in 1979. 

I’ve since worked on over 75 feature films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, Stuart Little, The Green Mile, 3:10 to Yuma, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I was honored with an Academy Award nomination for my work on Ghostbusters and served as Optical Supervisor at Boss Film Corporation before transitioning to 2nd Unit Cinematography and directing.

I’m a proud member of the Directors Guild of America and the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Now in my fifth year of teaching cinematography at Florida State University, I’m deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of filmmakers. That dedication inspired me to write Cinematography 101, a foundational text for beginning to intermediate cinematographers, now used in my undergraduate and graduate curriculum. 

My website – markvargo.com is an extension of that mission—designed to educate, inspire, and prepare future storytellers for meaningful, creative careers in film.

Filmmaking is a uniquely hands-on, collaborative art that blends creativity, technology, and storytelling. It can’t be fully learned from books—it must be practiced. Film school lays the foundation, but real growth comes from experience and emotional engagement. I left school with a deep appreciation for the craft and a lifelong commitment to mastering it. Now, after 40 years as a cinematographer, I want to share what I’ve learned. Cinematography is where the principles of photography—composition, lighting, exposure, color, and movement—come to life. It’s about shaping time and emotion through visuals and using light and lens choices to support story and mood. Filmmaking is both art and business: dreams built by skilled teams, led by five key creatives—writer, director, production designer, cinematographer, and editor. This text, Cinematography 101 focuses on helping you build a strong foundation in cinematography, combining creative insight with technical know-how. I’ve included videos to visually reinforce key concepts, because often, images teach better than words. Your journey starts here.

Foreword
The Cinematographer - Defined 
Chapter 1: Exposure 
Chapter 2: Light and Color 
Chapter 3: Lenses 
Chapter 4: Cameras 
Chapter 5: Filters 
Chapter 6: Lighting 
Chapter 7: Lighting Fixtures 
Chapter 8: Pre-Production 
Chapter 9: Production 
Acknowledgments 

Mark Vargo
Mark Vargo

I was born in Virginia, raised in Central Florida, and inspired early on by the space race— watching rockets launch from Cape Canaveral just miles from my schoolyard. That sense of curiosity and wonder sparked a lifelong passion for visual storytelling. 

After working construction and attending night school, I transferred to Montana State University to study Film and Television. I graduated in 1977 with a focus on post-production, which led to my first job at Alpha Cine Labs in Seattle. There, I taught myself optical printing—an initiative that led me to Industrial Light & Magic, where I began my visual effects career on The Empire Strikes Back in 1979. 

I’ve since worked on over 75 feature films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, Stuart Little, The Green Mile, 3:10 to Yuma, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I was honored with an Academy Award nomination for my work on Ghostbusters and served as Optical Supervisor at Boss Film Corporation before transitioning to 2nd Unit Cinematography and directing.

I’m a proud member of the Directors Guild of America and the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Now in my fifth year of teaching cinematography at Florida State University, I’m deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of filmmakers. That dedication inspired me to write Cinematography 101, a foundational text for beginning to intermediate cinematographers, now used in my undergraduate and graduate curriculum. 

My website – markvargo.com is an extension of that mission—designed to educate, inspire, and prepare future storytellers for meaningful, creative careers in film.