Framing & Composition Flashcards
Define composition, what will good composition do for the viewer?
The arrangement of visual information within the frame, it should heighten the viewer’s perceptions and stimulate their imaginative involvement
What is the Aspect Ratio?
The relationship between the x-axis (frame width) and y axis (frame height)
What’s the Z axis and how can it be emphasized or de-emphasized?
Though the compositional frame is essentially 2D, the audience perceives a third dimension - DEPTH. Can be emphasized/de-emphasized using depth cues in the composition and lens selection
What is the aspect ratio of 16mm frame?
1:33:1
What is the Aspect Ratio of standard cinema in North America?
1:85:1
What is the difference between a closed vs open frame
A closed frame gives the viewer all the information they need in the shot.
An open frame has the possibility to introduce new information into the frame, it can call attention to or rely on off-screen space for meaning, creating more mystery and suspense
What’s the Rule of Thirds?
A compositional principle that divides your frame into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, creating a grid
What’s a sweet spot and how many are there?
There are 4 spots where your rule of thirds lines intersect, these are exceptional areas to place your subjects to ensure a dynamic composition
What does it mean to give your subject lead space or looking room?
Place their eyes near the top of the third sweet spot, this puts extra room in front of your subject to accommodate the direction in which they are looking or moving
What is a Balanced Frame?
The visual weight of the objects within a frame are evenly distributed
What is an unbalanced frame?
Only one edge of the composition is loaded with objects or detail
What is a symmetrical frame?
The frame is composed with similar elements in perfect equilibrium (beyond balanced)
*Wes Anderson
Name the 5 Depth Cues
- Delineate the Frame
- Relative Size
3.Receding Planes
- Objects Overlapping
- Converging Diagonal Lines
DRROC
“DR. ROC”
Explain what it means to delineate the frame
Place subjects in the foreground, midground and background to break up the frame and increase the depth of field
Explain what relative size means in terms of depth
We can judge how far things are apart from one another by their relative size (i.e. the twin girls in The Shining)
Explain what receding planes means in terms of depth
Including horizontal lines throughout the frame helps show the depth of a space, i.e.; the edges of sky, water, electrical wires
Explain what objects overlapping means in terms of depth
When objects along the z-axis (depth) overlap and partially obstruct each other-so a small detail in the fore/midground can create a deeper frame
Explain what converging diagonal lines means in terms of depth
Composing an image that creates lines moving along the z-axis and receding to a central point
In short, what does the camera height convey to your viewers?
How much status the subject has in relation to their environment and in relation to the viewer
What’s a high angle and low angle shot?
High angle - above eye level and looks down
Low angle - below eye level and looks up
*A steeper angle emphasizes the depth
What can an eye-level shot be acutely good for?
Confrontational or empathetic affect
What are 2 ways you can alter your shot size
- Proximity - moving camera closer/farther from subject
- Optics - change your lens magnification
What does shot size do for your audience?
Shot size greatly determines the film’s visual and narrative emphasis:
- Allows the audience to understand the relationship between the subject and environment
- and the emotional connection between the audience and the film’s characters
What does ELS stand for and what does it do/contain? Where is the emphasis if there are characters in the shot?
Extreme Long Shot - Set the scene; it’s a wide view of location, setting or landscape.
If there are characters in the shot, the emphasis is on their surroundings and their relationship to the environment
What does LS stand for and what does it contain? What is its relationship with the surrounding background?
Long Shot - contains the human figure from head-toe
Location and setting are visible and that creates context for the character
What does MLS stand for and what does it contain? What is it good for?
Medium Long Shot - Frames subject from ~knees up with background quite visible
Larger physical movement and body “attitude”
What does MS stand for and what does it contain and emphasize? What is its relationship with the environment?
Frames subject from waist up
Smaller physical actions; posture and facial expressions. Still has some connection with the setting but environment is not prominent as the viewer is now drawn closer to the subject
What does MCU stand for and what does it contain? What is it good for?
Medium Close up - Head and shoulders
Brings us into the personal space of the character; their face and body ‘attitude’
What does CU stand for and what does it mean? What is it good for?
Close Up - Usually a head shot
Intimate: shows the small details of a character’s face and expression
What does ECU stand for and what does it contain? How can this shot carry out the story and affect the audience?
Extreme Close Up - Isolates a small detail or feature of a subject
This creates a strong emphasis on minute details so that they often take on thematic or symbolic weight, also an abstract effect because so much information is left off screen
What does Two Shots mean?
A shot featuring 2 subjects
What does group shot mean?
Features more than 2 people
What are the 5 basic considerations when choosing a shot size?
FIETF, or “E-TIFF” to remember
- Function- what do you want to show and how can you show it best? (i.e. a MS of an army doesn’t look very impressive, a CU is best to show a flicker of emotion in a reaction shot, etc.)
- Importance - the size of an object in the frame should be directly related to its importance in the story at that moment *Hitchcock’s rule of composition
- Emotion: size can be used to elicit specific emotional responses, close shots reveal emotions in faces while longer shots withhold emotional attachment
- Theme or Concept: The framesize can imply the concept behind an entire film if used consistently (i.e. ELS of a grieving widow traces her emotional journey without letting us into her personal space, implying we could never understand what she is going through
- Formal: the formal style and tone of a film can be created through a consistent use of shot sizes (i.e. silhouette from slumdog)
What is the Golden Ratio and how does it apply to film in contrast with the Rule of Thirds? Where would you want your focal object to line up?
A logarithmic spiral that creates a ‘Phi Grid’; which is similar to the Rule of thirds but different in that the shot isn’t broken into 9 equal squares. Your focal object should be in the space where the lines converge at the head of the spiral
Some claim that using the phi grid creates a more balanced/natural image, especially for landscapes
What is the Quadrant System
When each half of the shot tells a different side of the story (either L,R or Top,Bottom)
I.e. Drive:
a) The scene where the 2 walk down the hallway and part, each L,R side of the screen focuses on their individual journey
b) The scene where 3 people stand, the top tells the story of their faces, the bottom tells the story of how they act with their hands, the short standing child, the interpretation of the bottom half’s story is more subconscious
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsI8UES59TM
What is the aspect ratio for a widescreen video on the web? What can it also be expressed as?
16:9
1:78:1
What is the aspect ratio for a square video on the web?
1:1
What is the aspect ratio for a vertical video on the web?
9:16
What is the aspect ratio that most DSLRs and camcorders record at?
Widescreen: 16:9
What is the aspect ratio for cinematic widescreen and what can it also be expressed as? What terms might be used to refer to this aspect ratio in filmmaking?
21:9
2:33:1
Panavision, CinemaScope and Anamorphic even though each term has a slightly different ratio
*Please note that George did confirm that although this is considered to be the ratio for ‘cinematic widescreen’ the actual standard ratio for cinemas in north america is 1:85:1
What aspect ratio should you use for facebook video posts and facebook stories?
Posts: 1:1, 1:16
Stories: 9:16
What aspect ratio should you use for instagram video posts and instagram stories?
Posts: 1:1, 4:5, 9:16 or 16:9
Stories: 9:16
What aspect ratio should you use for tiktok?
9:16
What is the 180 deg rule?
You can only film on one side of the line (unless for creative choices)
What does a shallow vs deep depth of field imply?
Shallow: background is out of focus (more mystery)
Deep: Background is clear
What is the difference between blocking and staging?
Blocking is how/ where the actors move on set
Staging is how/where the camera moves on set
When is your camera the “main character” vs when is your character the “main character”?
The camera is the main character when it gives emotional context through dramatic movement
When the camera is static and focused on the actor, the actor is the main character giving us the emotional context
What is a good way to convey to your crew how you want your scene to feel and look?
Moodboard
Floor-plan
Storyboard,
Shotlist
Script
Photography
Who is Konstantin Levinski and what was his significance?
The first Method actor trainor (he himself was first an actor that garnered an international reputation using his technique)
What is a logline?
A concise 1-2 sentence summary of the film; including the main character, the setup, central conflict and antagonist
