Cinematic Composition
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Transcript Cinematic Composition
1. Vertical lines suggest strength, authority, and
dignity
2. Diagonal lines crossing the frame suggest action
and dynamic movement
3. Curved lines denote fluidity and sensuality; circular
movement evoke feelings of exaltation, euphoria, and
joy
Every shot must be designed with the goals of
cinematic composition in mind
1. Directing attention to the object of greatest
significance
2. Keeping the image in constant motion
3. Creating an illusion of depth
Size and closeness of the object- the eye is directed
toward larger, closer objects
Sharpness of focus- the eye is also drawn almost
automatically to what it can see best
Movement- the eye is also drawn to an object in
motion
Extreme close-ups- brings us so close to the object of
interest that we cannot look elsewhere
Arrangement of people and objects- the director
focuses our attention by his or her arrangement of
people and objects in relation to each other
Foreground framing- the director generally
emphasizes the most important subject with the
brightest lighting and sharpest focus
Lighting and color- high-contrast areas of light and
dark create natural centers of focal interest, as do
bright colors in a subdued or drab background
Fixed-frame movement- the camera remains in one
position, pointing at one spot, movement occurs within the
shot in three ways: lateral (side to side), in depth (toward
and away the camera), diagonal (combination of first two)
Panning- moving the camera’s line of sight in a horizontal
plane, to the left and right
Tilting- moving the camera’s line of sight in a vertical
plane, up and down
Zoom lens- a series of lenses that keep an image in
constant focus- allows the camera to appear to glide toward
or away from the subject
Movement of subject- lateral movement exclusively creates
a flat image, so diagonal or head-on movement is used
Movement of camera
Apparent camera movement- using zoom lenses
Change of focal planes- created using rack focus, one
continuous shot focusing the camera lens, in turn, on
objects in different planes of depth
Deep focus- the use of special lenses that allow the camera
to focus simultaneously and with equal clarity on objects
anywhere from two feet to several hundred feet away
Three dimensional arrangement of people and objects
Foreground framing- subject is framed by an object or
objects in the near foreground
Special lighting effects
Use of reflections
Low-angle shot- the camera is placed below eye level,
the size and importance of the subject are exaggerated
High-angle shot- the camera is placed above eye level,
seems to dwarf the subject and diminish its
importance
Wide-angle lens- exaggerates the perspective so that
the distance between an object in the foreground and
one in the background seems much greater than it
actually is
Telephoto lens- compresses depth so that the distance
between foreground and background objects seems
less than it actually is
Fish-eye lens- bends both horizontal and vertical
planes and distorts depth relationships