Composition

· The cameraperson should approach composition with the question: “What can I do with this subject matter that will aid in telling the story”.

· The viewer’s attention should always be attracted to the most significant portion of the scene.

· A picture should feature one centre of interest, which need not be a single figure or object. Groups of things may be a single compositional centre of interest.

· Using surrounding objects to frame the main subject will direct attention to the main subject and can soften the edges of the frame. For example, an overhanging branch. The “frame” objects need to be more or less in silhouette.

· The main difficulty in composing for movies is not with the shape of people and objects, but the shape of motions.

· Don’t pan without a purpose and never pan against the predominant motion.

· Allow more space in front of a moving figure; give them room to move into the frame. This applies too to figures moving directly towards the camera; use a wide-enough angle to show the foreground in front of them.

· Don’t cramp a subject with too little head room.

· Allow more room in the direction a face is looking. Putting the tip of the subject’s nose at the centre cross-hairs will usually do this for you.

· Don’t cut figures at the joints.

· Don’t have hands appearing and disappearing.

· The “Rule of Thirds” suggests that dominant subjects should be placed approximately one-third of the way into the frame horizontally and/or vertically, rather than at the centre. If the horizon is in the shot it will look better if it is at the one-third or two-third position, not dividing the frame in two equal halves. This rule is more suitable for static subjects than for moving ones. However, TV stations don’t seem to like this rule, judging by the way they put their static newsreaders dead centre.

· Try for three-dimensional effects. Movement sideways across the screen tends to be “flat” and is not as interesting as movement diagonally towards or away from the camera. However, sideways camera movement which reveals changing planes within the frame gives a strong sensation of depth.

· Adopting a low camera position and tilting the camera up can create a feeling of depth to an otherwise flat scene. It changes vertical and horizontal lines to angled lines.

· Tilting the camera sideways (a “dutch tilt”) can add a dynamic feeling to a shot, but the tilt must be enough for it to be obvious that it is intentional.

· “Composition should not be employed in a by-the-numbers fashion. Of all the rules by which movies are made, compositional principles are the most pliable”.

Example

Show Channel 7 HD Digital demo.

Keith Head, 4^th July, 2005