Understanding shot composition rules and its significance for storytelling is no longer a secret. It gives a film director many ways to shoot the same scene. They decide on the shot composition depending on what visual experience they want the viewers to enjoy onscreen.
Shot composition refers to the arrangement of scenes within a camera frame. It is an art to combine those arrangements to advance the script, unveil characters, and create sentiment to keep viewers engaged.
Composition Definition
Composition is arranging elements of a specific scene in a camera frame. Similarly, the shot composition shows how a film director manages visual elements to deliver an intended message. They first assess what they are trying to visualize and what experience, emotions, or thematic idea they create to clarify their point of view. Some shot composition examples include Depth of Field, Rack Focus, Bokeh, and Deep Space.
Shot Composition Rules
Rules of shot composition are significant in a cinematography project. The composition elements become most exciting when the work is contrary to the grain. Once a film director has this essential context, they can use shot composition to arrange their scene elements in the best way to drive their intention home.
Viewers’ engagement is a requirement of cinematography. Mastering the arrangement of specific shots for certain reasons will have a notable impact on them. However, lasting engagement tends to be difficult when the movie deals with unlikeable protagonists.
The Rule of Thirds
It is among the most frequently used camera framing techniques in cinematography. The Rule of Third helps position a character to depict their relationship with other protagonists in the scene. Keeping the image on the cross lines when the camera frames the shot is more pleasing to the eye. Since numerous camera framing techniques tell a different narration, it is easy to determine the protagonist’s position in the setting.
Symmetry & Balance
While understanding shot composition rules can be valuable for filmmakers, it is also essential to identify when to break them. For instance, you can shoot a perfectly symmetrical scene while ignoring the rule of thirds for specific reasons. It will help you direct the audience’s attention to a particular place. Drawing the eye to the screen will serve your script better, garnering more emotion. Use a combination of symmetry and balance in a shot to make it tremendously effective.
Blocking
Filmmakers should consider working with the composition rules, staging, and blocking to create dynamic frames for a movie. Blocking refers to the way actors move in a shot. The idea of blocking depends on the director’s desired outcome, such as visualizing a dynamic power, conveying a thematic message, or creating a dramatic effect.
The symmetry framing technique to block the character can lead the audience to a specific emotion. Film directors must keep drawing viewers’ eyes in every scene. The blocking composition rule works with leading lines to control what the viewers see and how they interpret it.
Leading Lines
Also known as imaginary or actual lines, these lines lead the viewers’ attention to the primary elements in a shot. The technique allows the filmmakers to draw the audience’s attention and use it to connect the character to essential items or situations, or secondary objects.
Leading lines often have something to draw the eyes to in a scene, and it is invaluable for directors to convey the necessary context to the audience.
Eye-level Framing
Eye-level framing comes in handy in positioning the viewers at eye level with the actors, planning the idea that they are comparable to the characters. It helps stimulate empathy for a specific character. You can lead the eye and the mind to see how viewers would feel if they were there since it looks like what they are. The viewers see into the characters’ souls when they look into their eyes. While eye-level framing may not be a reliable shot composition rule, it tends to be an effective method of filmmaking.
CONCLUSION
The shot composition rules serve more like suggestions. They help arrange the elements of the scene in an ideal way. Composition rules do not mean to prohibit or limit. Although filmmakers shouldn’t ignore these rules, sometimes, it is better to oversee them depending on what they want their audience to experience.
