Here are fourteen essential cinematography principles:

1. Motivated Movement
The most important rule: every camera movement must have a purpose. Never move the camera just because you can. Ask yourself:
- What story am I telling with this movement?
- What emotion am I trying to evoke?
- What information am I revealing to the audience?

2. The 180-Degree Rule
When filming two subjects interacting, imagine a line between them. Keep your camera on one side of this line throughout the scene. Crossing this line (the "axis of action") can disorient viewers and break spatial continuity. This is crucial for:
- Dialogue scenes
- Chase sequences
- Sport scenes

3. Leading Space and Nose Room
When following a moving subject:
- Leave more space in front of their movement direction than behind
- For close-ups of faces, leave more room in the direction they're looking
This creates visual breathing room and helps guide viewer attention.

4. Basic Movement Types and Their Psychology:
- Dolly In: Moving the camera toward subject creates intensity, intimacy, or revelation
- Dolly Out: Creates emotional distance, loneliness, or ending
- Pan: Used for revealing space or following action horizontally
- Tilt: Vertical movement to establish power (up) or vulnerability (down)
- Tracking: Moving parallel to subject creates connection and involvement

5. Speed and Timing
- Maintain consistent speed during movements unless deliberately changing for effect
- Start and end movements smoothly - avoid abrupt starts/stops
- Time movements to match the emotional rhythm of the scene

6. Composition in Motion
- Plan where your frame starts AND ends
- Maintain good composition throughout the entire movement
- Use foreground elements to create depth
- Consider how moving elements interact with your frame edges

7. The Push-Pull Rule
When following fast action:
- Stay slightly behind the action when following
- Get slightly ahead when leading

8. Eye Level Psychology
- Shooting from below eye level makes subjects appear powerful, dominant, or threatening
- Above eye level can make subjects seem vulnerable, weak, or diminished
- True eye level creates neutrality and equality with the viewer
- Extreme low angles (worm's eye) can make environments feel overwhelming
- Extreme high angles (bird's eye) can create emotional distance or show patterns

9. The Rule of Development
- Start simple with camera movements in your film
- Gradually increase complexity as the story intensifies
- Save your most dynamic movements for key dramatic moments
- This creates a visual journey that mirrors the narrative arc

10. The Energy Match Principle
- Match your camera movement's energy to the scene's emotion
- Smooth, slow movements for contemplative moments
- Handheld or dynamic movements for tension/action
- Stable shots for stability/certainty
- Breaking this rule deliberately can create powerful contrasts

11. The Invisible Edit Rule
- Plan camera movements that will hide your cuts
- Use natural screen wipes (passing objects/people)
- Match movement speed between shots
- This helps maintain the illusion of continuous action

12. The Return Principle
- When starting a scene with a moving shot, consider returning to a similar moving shot at the scene's end
- Creates visual bookends
- Provides satisfying closure
- Can emphasize character/situation changes

13. The Reveal Hierarchy
- Save your biggest camera moves for your biggest reveals
- Small movements for small discoveries
- Epic movements for epic moments
- This creates a visual hierarchy that guides audience attention

14. The Breathing Space Rule
- Allow static moments between complex camera moves
- Give viewers time to process information
- Creates rhythm and prevents visual exhaustion
- Like punctuation in writing

15. Five or Nine-Shot Rule (Basic Recipe)
- 2 establishing shots (wide or drone shot)

- 2 wide shots

- 2 medium shots

- 2 (extreme) close-up shots

- 1 unique angle shot (POV, over shoulder, Dutch)