Reading and Writing
We all know that film and television productions carry a tremendous amount of work between storyboarding, casting, building sets, creating costumes, filming, lighting, editing, and much more. However, I think what we take for granted is just how each and every shot is meticulously planned, with intention and meaning. There is not a single shot in any film or TV show that was thrown in just because. It’s there because it adds to the story either by showing us a different perspective, cluing us into a character’s emotions, or even foreshadowing a key plot element.
Source: Amazon
In Tom Schroeppel’s The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, composition essentials are explored, and there is much more to it than you think:
Exposure and Color Temperature
Have you ever watched a scene where the lighting was too bright, or there was barely any lighting at all, causing you to squint the whole time? It completely ruins the scene and it’s hard to focus on what is going on. This has to do with exposure, or how much light comes through the lens. The same can be said for colored lighting. If a scene turns out orange because of lighting or the sun, color correcting this in post-production or with a blue-tinted camera lens can neutralize the coloring. Having the scene play out in an odd color can throw off the whole aesthetic, and whoever is watching.
Rule of Thirds
When you think of how to frame a photo, there is a centuries-old “rule of thumb” to follow. If you divide a rectangle into thirds, vertically and horizontally, there are 4 points of intersection. These points are the golden spots to place subjects for optimal visual impact. In addition, placing a subject along any of the lines also leads to stunning composition.
Source: Wikipedia
Balance
The sense of balance takes on many forms: color, mass, and lead room. Every shot carries “weight” and something can seem off if the colors clash, or if a moving object doesn’t have enough space in front of them and appears “trapped.”
Angles and Depth of Field
Since images are two-dimensional, the utilization of angles is essential to achieving a 3D look. Just moving the camera slightly can give an image great depth. Also, filming from a high or low level changes the tone of a scene. For example, having the camera point upwards, you get the feeling that the subject is larger and more important.
While crisp images are excellent, sometimes viewers need a specific point to focus on. Depth of field does exactly this. The subject is sharp, and everything else is blurry.
There are Many More
Frame in a frame (when the subject is encased within a frame, whether natural or man-made)
Leading lines (using lines already in the shot to lead the eye to the subject of the shot)
Backgrounds (simple backgrounds are best, but busy ones can be dampened with the right angle)
…are just a few more elements that need to be considered for a stunning composition
Research to Inform
Of course, the best part about learning these concepts is then looking for them in the film and television world. Surprisingly, it wasn’t hard to find. The following clips utilize “start at” to directly show the composition element, but I would suggest watching the whole clip for context.
There are definitely spoilers for Veep, The Good Fight, Star Trek: Voyager, and House M.D. ahead, and a trigger warning for a bus crash in the last video (House M.D.).
Gary shaking his bag cracks me up every single time.
Veep is an absolutely hilarious political comedy toying with US governmental satire. In this scene, Selina is about to address the nation for the first time as President. Her assistant saved a pair of shoes for this special moment as Selina wanted, which she doesn’t remember doing in the first place, but goes along with it. The rest is comedic gold.
The visual composition technique that is best shown at 0:45 is leading lines. A leading line is something in the composition that directs the viewer’s eye to wherever the line is leading to. Usually, a leading line starts in the foreground and goes backward, or side to side. Here it’s the opposite with it starting in the background and leading the eye to the foreground, as Selina is walking from the end of the carpet to the podium.
If there is one thing you get from the blog post, it's to watch this show. It is so ridiculously good.
The Good Fight, a spin-off series of The Good Wife, mainly follows Diane Lockhart one year after the events of the series finale of The Good Wife. Like Veep, this show also plays with political satire and commentary on current events but is in the drama category. In this scene, Diane helps her husband Kurt write a speech for President Trump to recite at his next rally, despite her absolute hatred for the Commander-in-Chief.
This show is very visually stunning, but in this particular scene, there is balance with color, mass, and lead room. As Diane is walking around the couch, she looks towards Kurt, providing a direct eye line to him. Kurt also looks at Diane to create the same eye line. Having this be a continuous shot allows enough space in between Kurt and Diane to make it seem natural.
Looking at their outfits, the shot is balanced with color as well. Kurt is wearing white and sitting closest to the light. Behind his silver hair is the gleam of his guns, making the left side of the shot “bright.” Diane is wearing dark gray pajamas and is sitting farther from the light. There are more shadows behind her (especially as the camera zooms in on them), thus creating the right side as the “dark” side.
In terms of mass, the shot is well-balanced, almost to the point of symmetry. Kurt and Diane balance each other out, followed by the lamp and vase, the gun cabinets, the pillows, and finally Diane’s foot and Kurt’s wallet (I think that’s what that is?).
Janeway is the best Star Trek captain you can fight me on it later.
Star Trek: Voyager is one of many Star Trek series, but the first with a female captain, and my absolute favorite. Very common to any Star Trek series, not just Voyager, is the use of frame within the frame. You will typically see this when the captain is communicating through video with the leader of another vessel. There is just enough outside of the frame to understand that you are looking at a screen attached to the wall of the command room. When not visually communicating, this same frame is used as a normal window of the ship.
In addition, this scene utilizes depth of field when Janeway stands up and becomes a close-up of her face. The background is blurred to shift focus to the captain and what she is saying. This is generally used for powerful moments.
This is one of those scenes that will leave you a bit shaken. And the two-part episode? Tears for days.
House M.D. is a medical drama that was insanely popular in the mid to late 2000s, and one that I watched religiously. The following scene is a montage of a bus crash that uses a variety of visual composition: angles, leading lines, rule of thirds, lead room, and an array of shot types. The scene hits you a little harder when you find out how they filmed it (hint: a model of a bus that spins 360).
Create
All of this, of course, is easier said than done. I set out to hunt for these compositional elements in the real world, and some were much harder than I anticipated. You can find the results of my hunt here:
Now that I’ve practiced what to look for in composing shots, it’s now time to put those together and make a montage video. Below you can find my pre-production packet for this project. I chose Colt State Park, a state park in my hometown, as my locale because it’s a place I go to often. For me, hearing the ocean waves and feeling the wind on my face eases my mind. It’s also a great place to sit and soak up the sun, ride your bike, walk your dogs, or do some fishing and quahogging. There are many ways to enjoy what Mother Nature has provided, and it’s a constant reminder to not take it for granted.
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