Andrew Seaton -16612464
Composition
Filmmaking is a visual medium, and, as such the director relies heavily upon the technique of composition in order to communicate features such as narrative, mood and setting. Composition, “the arrangement of objects within the frame – their balance and tensions” (Asher, 1999, p. 215) encompasses shot size, positioning, angle, focus, thirds and leading lines all of which allow the director to opt away from a dialogue heavy style of filmmaking.
Shot size refers to how much of the scene is captured within the frame. As Katz (1991) states, the “universal units of composition are the long shot, the medium shot and the close up” (p121). Each of these compositional sizes denotes something about character, location, mood or narrative. For example, the long shot in Figure 1 allows director, Tim Burton to express a lot about the setting, showing a stylised world which was once glorious but has now descended into ruins. Further, the tightness of a shot also portrays much about character without having to resort to dialogue or music. As a general rule, the more a character fills the frame, the more power they wield, as they dominate our view. The reverse of this also applies: a wide shot makes the character appear small denoting their insignificance within the environment. Again this is seen in Figure 1, as Peg, the Avon lady enters the foreign, menacing world of Edward’s home. Additionally, close shots generally show intimacy, whilst long shots show emotional isolation. The coupling of shot size and the placement of actors within the frame speaks volumes about the relationships between the two characters. This can be seen in Figure 2. The characters in Ray Lawrence’s Lantana (2001) are emotionally close, and hence both the framing is tight and the actors are physically close to each other.
A secondary aspect of composition is focus. In films focus can be used in two ways, one is to help carry the narrative, rather than relying on dialogue, and secondly as a device denoting aspects of character. As Katz (1991) states our “attention may be shifted by moving the area of focus from a far to a near subject” (p. 234). In doing this, the director succeeds in “shifting the audience attention” (Asher, 1990, p.219) from one area of frame to another, forcing us to realise or take notice of something, hence progressing the narrative. Figure 3 demonstrates this, as we focus, not on the foreground but what is in the character’s hand. Focus may also be used to help portray character. For example having a subject in the mid-ground in focus but objects in the foreground out of focus, the director gives the feeling that not all is how it seems, and demonstrates a character’s mysterious behaviour. This is clearly in Figure 4 from the Edgerton Brother’s film, The Square (2008).
Angle is another technique that the director uses in visual storytelling. Many angles are regarded as only possessing one connotation. For example a low angle demonstrates power whilst a high angle shows insignificance. These angles and their connotations may be employed to “confirm or deny the audiences expectations” (Asher, 1990, p.216). Katz (1991) furthers this fact, pointing out that, “by themselves camera angles have no meaning” (p.239) and that these readings are only valid in certain contexts. In saying this, a low angle shot seen in Figure 5 does place Anton in a dominant position and hence we view how the director uses angle to communicate character, mood and narrative without resorting to dialogue.
Other compositional elements that the director may exploit are the rule of thirds and lines of sight. The rule of thirds is a rough compositional guide that aids in creating a more dynamic frame by positioning the points of interest “one third of the screen width from either side or one third the screen height from bottom or top” (Asher, 1990, p.216). By composing the shot in this way directors are able to create a sense of balance. Furthermore, by subverting the rule of thirds directors can create a mood of distortion. Such an unbalance can be seen in figure 6 where the rule of thirds has not been adhered to and as such even more focus is drawn to the cat. The use of leading lines is also a key tool of visual communication. By composing a shot with lines moving through the frame, the director draws “the viewer’s attention to one or more intended subjects or a single focal point.” (Bernatowicz, 2005). This can be seen in figures 7 and 8 where the viewers eyesight follows the railing and the road that pass through the shot. Doing this forces the viewer to notice both setting and key elements essential for narrative progression.
Directors do not need to rely on dialouge, sound or music to communicate elements of character, narrative, mood or setting. Rather, the employment of compositional techniques of shot size, positioning, angle, focus, thirds and leading lines will imply all these elements instead.
References:
Asher, S. Pincus, E. 1999, The Filmmakers Handbook, Revised edn, Plume, USA.
Bernatowicz, J.M., 2006, Leading Lines, Photography Tips,viewed 22nd October, 2008 http://www.photips.com/photography-tips/leading-lines.html
Edward Scissorhands, 1990, Motion Picture, Twentieth Century Fox, USA
Katz, S.D. 1991, Film Directing – Shot by Shot, Michael Wiese Productions, USA
Lantana, 2001, Motion Picture, AFFC, Australia
No Country For Old Men, 2007, Motion Picture, Paramount Vantage, USA
The Square, 2008, Motion Picture, AFFC, Australia
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