Framing & Composition

Defining Composition

Composition can be defined as the orderly

arrangement of elements in a scene which, when taken
as a whole, conveys intent and meaning.
Composition itself can be broken down further to static
composition and dynamic composition.
Static Composition
Static composition covers the content of fixed
images such as paintings or still photos.
Dynamic Composition
Dynamic composition goes a step further and
takes into consideration the effect of time:
Moment-to-moment change.
Framing
There are eight basic
framing sizes for shot
composition.
The diagram at right
outlines their names,
abbreviations and
relative size.
By studying the most enduring and aesthetically
pleasing paintings over the centuries, as well as the
most effective film and video scenes during the past 50
years, certain artistic principles emerge.

To get a good idea of how art has influenced the

movies we watch today go to a good art gallery, then
rent some movies that have won awards for
cinematography, and see if you can draw some
conclusions for yourself
Even though the principles that have emerged for good
composition seem rather clear, they should always be
considered guidelines and not rules.

Composition is an art and not a science.

If composition were totally a science, it could be

dictated by a fixed set of rules and would end up being
rigid and predictable, without room for creativity.
Since composition is part art, the guidelines can
occasionally be broken.

But when they are broken, it's generally by someone

who understands the principles and recognizes how, in
the interest of greater impact, they can be successfully
transcended in specific instances.
When the vast majority of individuals break the
guidelines, it's because they are not  "visually savvy."

The results speak loud and clear: weak, confusing and

amateurish-looking work.

In order to break the guidelines it is important to first

understand what they are & why they are so important.

To begin, we will look at an example “L.A. Confidential”

MA 15+, then discuss the compositional guidelines.
L.A. Confidential
Compositional Guidelines
Headroom
Headroom is a vitally
important consideration
in composition
Talking Room
Another important
guideline for good
composition
Centre of Interest
Before rolling tape on a scene, ask yourself what
major element in the shot communicates your
basic idea.
Starting with the most
obvious, it may be the
person speaking.

Or it may be something
quite subtle and symbolic.

Whatever it is, the

secondary elements within
the scene should support
and not pull attention away
from it.
Multiple centres of interest
may work in three-ring
circuses where viewers are
able to fully shift their
interest from one event to
another.

But competing centres of

interest within a single
visual frame weaken, divide
and confuse meaning. 
Every shot is a statement!
An effective written statement should be cast around a
central idea and be swept clean of anything that does
not support, explain or in some way add to that idea.

Consider this "sentence":

"Man speaking on phone, strange painting on the wall,

coat rack behind his head, interesting brass bookends
on desk, sound of motorcycle going by, woman moving
in background...."
Although we would laugh at such a "sentence," some
videographers create visual statements that include
such unrelated and confusing elements. 

We are not suggesting that you eliminate everything

except the centre of interest, just whatever does not in
some way support (or, at the least, does not detract
from) the central idea being presented. 
A scene may, in fact, be cluttered with objects and
people; as, for example, an establishing shot of a
person working in a busy newsroom.

But each of the things should fit in and belong and

nothing should "upstage" the intended centre of
interest.
A master (wide) shot of an
authentic interior of an 18th
century farmhouse may
include dozens of objects.

But each of the objects

should add to the overall
statement: "18th century
farmhouse."

Just make sure you put

these supporting elements
in a secondary position. 
Remember that the viewer has a limited time—
generally only a few seconds—to understand the
content and meaning of a shot.

If some basic meaning doesn't come though before the

shot is changed, the viewer will miss the point of the
scene.

One of the definitions of a "director" is one who "directs

attention”.
Keep in mind also that the eye sees selectively and in
three dimensions.  It tends to exclude what is not
relevant at the moment.

But a camera does not see in the same way, just as a

microphone is not able to hear selectively and screen
out all background sounds.
Breathe...
Other compositional tools
Focus
Part of the "film look" that many people like centers on
selective focus.

Early film stocks were not highly sensitive to light, and

lenses had to be used at relatively wide apertures (f-
stops) to attain sufficient exposure.

This was fortunate, in a way, because by focusing on

the key element in each shot (and throwing those in
front and behind that area out of focus) audiences were
immediately led to the scene's centre of interest and
not distracted by anything else. 
Light
Movie lighting is often called ‘painting with light’,
because of the many important roles lighting plays,
both compositionally and aesthetically.

The eye is drawn to the brighter areas of a scene. This

means that the prudent use of lighting can be a
composition tool.

Therefore lighting can be used to emphasize important

scenic elements and to de-emphasize others.
Shifting the centre of interest
In static composition, scenes maintain a single centre
of interest; in dynamic composition, centres of interest
can change with time. 

Movement can be used to shift attention. Although our

eye may be dwelling on the scene's centre of interest, it
will quickly be drawn to movement in a secondary area
of the picture.
Rule of thirds
Except, possibly, for closeups of people, it is often best
to place the centre of interest near one of the points
indicated by the rule of thirds.

In the rule of thirds the total image area is divided

vertically and horizontally into three equal sections. 
Rule of thirds
Although it is often best to place the centre of interest
somewhere along the two horizontal and two vertical
lines, generally, composition is even stronger if the
centre of interest falls near one of the four cross-points.
180 degree rule
The 180° rule is a basic film editing guideline that states
that two characters (or other elements) in the same
scene should always have the same left/right
relationship to each other.

When we first set up a scene we take our two subjects

and imagine an invisible line between them - it helps to
picture the two subjects straddling a fence.
180 degree rule
Once we place the camera on one side of that line we
need to ensure we do not cut to shots taken from the
opposite side.

If the camera passes over the imaginary axis

connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the
line.

A new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a

reverse angle.
180 degree rule expanded
Lines...
Weekend snapshooters typically go to some effort to
make sure that horizon lines are perfectly centred in the
middle of the frame.

This weakens composition by splitting the frame into

two equal halves. 

According to the rule of thirds horizon lines should be

either in the upper third or the lower third of the frame.

In the same way vertical lines shouldn't divide the frame

into two equal parts.
From the rule of thirds we can see that it's generally
best to place a dominant vertical line either one-third or
two-thirds of the way across the frame.

It's generally also a good idea to break up or intersect

dominant, unbroken lines with some scenic element.
Otherwise, the scene may seem divided. 
A horizon can be broken by an object in the
foreground. Often this can be done by simply moving
the camera slightly. A vertical line can be interrupted by
something as simple as a tree branch.

Filmmakers have been known to have someone hold a

tree branch so that it projects into the side of a shot in
order to break up a line or make composition more
interesting.

Now let’s look at the movie Pi - MA - to check out the

use of lines...
Pi
As a filmmaker it is
important to know how to
use lines to your
advantage.

The boundaries of objects

in a shot normally consist of
lines: straight, curved,
vertical, horizontal and
diagonal.
Our eyes tend to travel along these lines as they move
from one part of the frame to another.

Knowing this, it becomes the job of videographers to

use these lines to lead the attention of viewers to the
parts of the frame they wish to emphasize—especially
toward the center of interest.
When used in this way lines are referred to as leading
lines because they are selected or arranged to lead the
viewer's eyes into the frame, generally to the scene's
centre of interest.

In addition to moving our eyes around the frame, lines

can suggest meaning in themselves.
Horizontal lines suggest
stability and openness.

Diagonal lines can impart a

dynamic and exciting look.

Curved lines suggest grace,

beauty, elegance,
movement, and sensuality.

In contrast to curved lines,

sharp jagged lines connote
violence or destruction, and
broken lines suggest
discontinuity.
Visual Perspective
Because we as filmmakers
are trying to recreate a 3-D
world in two dimensions we
need to be able to use
visual perspective to our
advantage.
When shooting locations,
try and use the corners of
buildings to emphasise
perspective!
When shooting people,
make sure to never position
the camera straight in front
of them.

Always try to position the

camera almost 45 degrees
from the subject.
The end