Framing and Composition

Framing and Composition

Composition is about how your subjects are framed and arranged within in your shots. One of the techniques we’ll discuss regarding composition is creating a balanced frame. We’re naturally unsettled by a lack of symmetry or balance in what we see and you may bit a bit unsettled by this shot because of it is unbalance. Now the frame is more balanced because I’m centered in the frame. If you imagine a line running down the center of your screen equal parts of me are on the left and right hand side of that line.

“Rule of Thirds”
is the foundation for scene composition
it says that the screen is divided into thirds…..
both vertically and horizontally.

And here’s another way to balance your frame. We’ve added a new subject to the opposite side of the frame. A guideline for balancing the frame is called the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds will help you think about ways to balance your frame. It will also help you with…

Headroom
Headroom refers to the amount of space between your subject’s head and the top of the frame. As you can see in this shot we have way to much headroom. James could you do something about that. Whoa Whoa Whoa now we have to little headroom, the opposite problem. Here’s where the rule of thirds comes in handy again. In general it a good idea to align your subjects eyes with the top 2/3’s line, ahh…. that’s better now we have just the right amount of head room. Even in tight close-ups the same guidelines can still apply, with my eyes lined up on the top rule of thirds line. This feels more comfortable than this… even though the more proper framing does cut my head off a bit it still feels right.

Eyeroom
Another basic framing concept is eye room, in this frame I’m looking to the left probably at some pretty girl in the car but there’s something wrong with the framing. The eye room is off. In general eye room is about providing space and direction of where your subject is looking. Now, reframed I have enough eye room. And the same would hold true if I were on the other side of the frame looking the other way. Now here’s another example of bad eye room. Since we are trying to emphasize Scott is looking at something above him, we probably want more eye room in the direction he is looking…… like this.

Anticipitory Framing
Anticipatory framing is a composition concept required when your subject moves within a frame generally speaking it’s a good idea for the movement of the camera to lead rather than follow the movement of your subject. This way the camera calls less attention to itself. Now as I move from my position the camera stays right with me. We have anticipated my movement. Now here’s an example of what not to do. If the camera operator doesn’t plan ahead and doesn’t know I’m going to move and then I do, the camera is following rather than leading the action, oop got you again, This leads to a composition that isn’t fluid and which is rather distracting. Now here’s another example of appropriate camera work adjusting for subject movement, as I approach the camera it is necessary for the camera to tilt up. Now if we don’t anticipate my move towards the camera, and we don’t make the necessary adjustment we end up with this type of framing, fortunately for us I got a clean shave this morning.