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Composition In Storytelling — Transcript

by The House of Tabula · 2,478 words · 396 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00[Music]
0:24To compose an image is to create an
0:26everlasting metaphor. Cinema in its
0:29purest form is visual storytelling. And
0:31the best cinema can tell a story through
0:33something as simple as the arrangement
0:35of an image. Staging, framing, depth,
0:39balance. How do you present space? Out
0:42of all of the disciplines that coincide
0:44under the umbrella of cinematography, I
0:46wouldn't have much hesitation in saying
0:48that composition is the field's most
0:50fundamental principle. Why do I think
0:52this? Because deciding the placement of
0:54subjects through the viewfinder of a
0:56camera isn't merely a technical
0:58decision. It's an expressive one. In a
1:01nutshell, composition is simply how the
1:03elements inside the frame are positioned
1:05and exhibited to the viewer. It's a
1:07skill of knowing what to show and what
1:09not to show as well as how to show it or
1:12how not to show it. By intentionally
1:14directing the structure within a frame,
1:16you enhance the meanings of whatever it
1:18is you want to say with whatever canvas
1:20you want to work with. Most of the
1:22application of composition revolves
1:24mainly around visual necessity. Those
1:27check boxes that need to be ticked when
1:28arranging the visual elements of an
1:30image. Is there enough lighting? Does
1:32the staging block any important visual
1:34information? Case in point as to why
1:37composition is a necessary technical
1:39skill when constructing any image.
1:41Without it, films would be a sensory
1:43overload of information without
1:44structure. But with it, you gain focus.
1:48However, as an art, it shouldn't be
1:49approached exclusively with pragmatism
1:52because it's not just where we place our
1:54subjects of interest, but why. What can
1:57we say with composition? A millennia of
2:00visual artists have realized successful
2:02compositional templates that are used to
2:04this day. We still see the rule of
2:06thirds, golden ratio, triangular
2:09composition. They're tried and tested
2:12formulas to make an image pleasing to
2:13the eye. Yet, when the rules that define
2:16an area of study are practically
2:17ingrained within our minds, it can be
2:19very difficult to demonstrate
2:21versatility. Be that as it may,
2:23compositional variety isn't the focus
2:25here. But what do these compositions
2:28say? And what can you say when you go
2:30against this formula? That's what we
2:32want to find out. If the Kulishov effect
2:35and Sergey Eisenstein helped us discover
2:37that editing was the tool to create
2:39meaning across multiple pieces of film,
2:41then composition was how we could tell
2:43our stories with one single shot.
2:47[Music]
2:50The visual arts exist far beyond film
2:52and have endured a much more extensive
2:54lifespan. In the grand scheme of things,
2:57cinema is still a relatively new art
2:59form and cinema took influence during
3:02its infancy from the existing mediums in
3:04order to understand its role in the
3:05artistic landscape. Many early directors
3:08and filmmakers either directly hailed
3:10from theater or at the very least were
3:12influenced by the form. Yet, the impact
3:14this had on composition couldn't be
3:16ignored. Because of how different film
3:18was, composition didn't even occur to
3:21many filmmakers. Instead, techniques
3:23were imported directly from theater.
3:25Often, all of the actors would face
3:27towards the camera as they would an
3:29auditorium. And because the projection
3:31of film was presented in two dimensions,
3:33the images themselves were also
3:34presented as such, typically never
3:37harnessing the depth of an image.
3:39Framing wasn't standard practice, and
3:41thus composition of early cinema was
3:43almost identical for every shot. In
3:46fact, many films were just that, one
3:48shot. However, and once filmmakers
3:50realized that cameras didn't need to be
3:52locked down in one spot, and once the
3:54technology that was propelling the art
3:56form improved, the imagination of
3:58filmmakers began to flourish. Where
4:00composition was once a lastminute
4:02imitation of the conventional setups of
4:04other mediums, now it was being
4:06championed by artists such as Fritz Lang
4:08and the German expressionists who became
4:10pioneers of using composition for tonal
4:13leverage. Wide angles became keyynotes
4:15for epics, whereas canered angles and
4:17crooked shapes were synonymous with
4:19horror. Camera movement became less
4:22restrictive and could capture excitement
4:24like never before. And artists like Carl
4:26Drier found that a closeup could capture
4:28the subtle nuances of an actor's
4:30performance. Through newfound methods of
4:32composing shots, the emotional prospects
4:35of film had changed forever. Composition
4:38became a technique that could infuse
4:40both meaning as well as visual splendor.
4:43So, how is it used today? I
4:45think people confuse pretty with good
4:47cinematography. What was it? Freddy
4:49Francis says there was good
4:51cinematography and bad cinematography
4:53and then there's the cinematography
4:54that's right for the movie. And uh I
4:57often feel that actually if people if
5:00reviewers don't mention your work, it's
5:02probably better than if they do.
5:03I think that composition can be divided
5:06into two separate objectives. The first
5:08is to attract the audience's attention.
5:11At its most rudimentary core,
5:13composition exists as a tool to
5:15accentuate the focal elements of an
5:17image. What should the viewer be looking
5:19at and how do we get them to look at it?
5:21Every image requires systems to guide
5:23the eyline of the audience. These are
5:26what are known as compositional
5:27influences and their primary purpose is
5:30to use visual devices to highlight key
5:32subjects. But why use them solely to
5:34control sight when they can also create
5:37very interesting subtext? A good example
5:40is the frame within a frame, which if
5:42you look out for, you'd be surprised at
5:44just how often they're used. Human
5:46beings are prone to find order where
5:48there may be none. And frames in cinema
5:51work to help the elements appear in a
5:53much more uniformed manner. They tend to
5:55dilute the external details of an image,
5:58and our eyes are drawn to them because
5:59within the frame lies order and
6:02hopefully our main subject. But through
6:04this technique emerges deeper
6:06implications. These frames are often
6:08used as a partition to separate. So for
6:11subtext, why not use this separation to
6:13symbolize the different worlds beyond
6:15both sides of the frame.
6:17[Applause]
6:24It can show a contrast as simple as
6:26freedom versus isolation or show that by
6:29passing through the frame, we see a
6:31character's decision to pursue a
6:33lifestyle contrasted to those lifestyles
6:36that other characters are denied entry
6:37to.
6:42But I think the most interesting use of
6:44the frame composition arises when you
6:47don't think exclusively as a frame. I
6:49mean, we all know that doorways and
6:51windows are good objects to create this
6:53composition, but things get really
6:55thoughtprovoking when you think of how
6:57anything can be created into a border
6:59for your subject. Then it becomes an
7:01instance of showing whether your subject
7:02is in an open frame or a closed frame.
7:05For instance, in the graduate, our main
7:07character is constantly pressured and we
7:09see this as the border is constantly
7:11closed by the people around him.
7:13Composition isn't just about aesthetic
7:16quality, but creating meaning. And any
7:19compositional influencer can be used in
7:21such a way. One of the most popular
7:23techniques used in composition is lines
7:25of perspective. We tend to follow lines
7:28in reality as well as in an image,
7:30especially if they all share the same
7:32point of convergence, which in
7:34compositional terms would typically be
7:36your subject of focus. However, your
7:38concentration should lie on how they
7:41converge. Use lines to pin your
7:43character in a corner, showing them
7:45trapped under the circumstances we find
7:47them in. Or have lines that highlight
7:49your subject but converge away from
7:51them, showing the emergence of a new
7:53path on their journey. Lines are simply
7:56optional in creating a onepoint
7:58perspective. Simply showing the mison
8:00sen leading towards a character is an
8:02alternative and it can also show them
8:04battling against the odds. You get where
8:06I'm going with this? There are necessary
8:09traits of composing images in order to
8:11create a sufficient picture. All of
8:13these methods are just different takes
8:15of how filmmakers can say look at this
8:18and all of them achieved through good
8:20composition. But that doesn't mean that
8:22they can't be implemented for added
8:23depth. Attracting viewer attention is
8:26the core tenant of composition. Though
8:28if you manage to attract their vision as
8:30well as convey a message through the
8:31visual elements, then you've done your
8:33job very well. However, to gain the most
8:36out of a film's composition, it requires
8:38what I believe to be a crucial approach
8:40to the craft. To fulfill the second
8:42objective of composition, you must show
8:45us what subject has control of the
8:47scene.
8:50You scared the [ __ ] out of me.
8:53It seems as though what composition is
8:55best at is displaying the power dynamics
8:57within an image. The positioning of
8:59objects seems to be the greatest way to
9:01translate visually the degree of control
9:03that characters hold in a scene. But
9:06control itself can be categorized into
9:08two separate meanings. Artificial
9:10control and primal control. Artificial
9:14control is everything we've spoke about.
9:16The control of the aesthetics and where
9:18we should be looking. However, primal
9:20control is where power dynamics lie.
9:22What subject holds more weight in the
9:24narrative at that moment in time? This
9:27can mean control within interpersonal
9:29relationships or between characters and
9:32environments. And nothing shows power
9:34more than size and scale in an image.
9:37Alfred Hitchcock himself said that the
9:39size of an object in the frame should
9:41equal its importance in the story.
9:43Awesome. Wells was a director that took
9:45advantage of this. In this shot from the
9:47lady from Shanghai, Wells used a low
9:49angle to make the gun seem larger,
9:52infusing it with artificial control as
9:54our eyes are drawn to it and primal
9:56control because it appears physically
9:58commanding. Similarly, in Touch of Evil,
10:01we open with a close-up of a bomb
10:03immediately understanding its
10:05importance. And although it recedes from
10:07view, it still maintains primal control
10:10even when artificial control has
10:12shifted. Nothing has dominated the image
10:14since. an example of how composition can
10:17make something out of sight, but not out
10:20of mind. However, this line of thought
10:22doesn't apply solely to objects in a
10:24scene, but characters, too. In this shot
10:26from Citizen Cain, a young Cane is
10:28framed in the far background. Our eyes
10:31are drawn to him, granting artificial
10:33control, but he's overshadowed in size
10:35and surrounded by the adults in his
10:37life, giving them the primal control of
10:39the scene. Yet later, in an almost
10:41identical scene, we see an older cane
10:44dwarfed again. However, as the
10:45conversation continues, he walks towards
10:48the foreground characters and towers
10:50over them. The composition has
10:52rearranged its primal control, showing a
10:54man that has taken charge of his own
10:56destiny. Composition doesn't just have
10:58to be focusing on the one shot. It can
11:01be a cumulative effort whose meanings
11:03emerge over the course of a film, such
11:05as how in American Beauty, Lester
11:07becomes less insignificant in the image
11:09as he takes control of his own life. But
11:12size is just one example of presenting
11:14primal control as well as how it can
11:16change. Primal and artificial control
11:19aren't one in the same. The subjects
11:21they're allocated to may differ and they
11:24can alter in one shot. A character
11:26slowly approaching the camera signifies
11:28an impending threat and one character
11:30shrinking to display another character
11:32looming over them is a very popular
11:34technique. But typically when we think
11:37of powerful character compositions, a
11:39couple of images spring to mind.
11:41Domination of the frame typically
11:43requires that you strip away other
11:45details and focus on a single element. A
11:48way to enhance this even more is frame
11:50centrality. More often than not, when
11:52you want a character to appear imposing,
11:55give them the center of the frame. When
11:57a subject has the center, they almost
11:59automatically receive artificial control
12:01and in turn primal control. And if the
12:04image is balanced, it denotes that
12:06control has no leanings away from our
12:08subject, which makes balance a good way
12:11to instill primal control when there are
12:13multiple subjects. A balance shot can
12:15show an interpersonal tugof-war or that
12:18two characters are a perfect match for
12:20one another as the connotation is that
12:22control is distributed evenly. And so
12:25the best way to show conflict and a
12:27shift in primal control is to imbalance
12:29the image.
12:31Hi.
12:32Yeah. Prowler needs a jump.
12:35And seeing as how we've spoken a lot
12:37about things we put into the frame,
12:39let's talk about another essential
12:40component of composition, taking things
12:43out of the image. Negative space is
12:45often used to show the vast expanse of
12:47an area. However, on a psychological
12:50level, negative space can create
12:52apprehension as we expect something to
12:54take place of the void we see. But in
12:57terms of characterization, it can be
12:58used to create instances of characters
13:00that have no hope shown by the emptiness
13:03that lies beyond them or perhaps the
13:05great distance characters must endure to
13:07achieve their goal. Just remember that
13:09reducing the amount on screen can create
13:12unique moods. Less can be more. And
13:15there's one major difference in the
13:16image composition of film compared to
13:18other visual arts. Movement. A salient
13:22factor about many of the most iconic and
13:24beautifully composed images in cinema is
13:26that they're often static. And it's not
13:29difficult to understand why. Composition
13:31is about geometry and subject placement.
13:34And as soon as the camera moves, the
13:36lines become morphed and the staging is
13:38altered. However, with a technique
13:40called refframing, camera movement and
13:42composition can complement one another.
13:44Through repositioning the camera, you
13:46can create two or more single shots. And
13:49very creative directors can compose
13:51multiple types of shots without even
13:53moving the camera. By composing various
13:56shots back to back, the tone of a scene
13:58can be completely changed. In this shot
14:00from Punchrunk Love, we see this as we
14:03switch from a simple conversation
14:05and your name,
14:07Barry Egan,
14:08and your social security number
14:10to isolation and loneliness.
14:13It's just for verification through the
14:14credit card company.
14:18And this is confidential.
14:20Every single shot in cinema uses
14:22composition. But those images that haunt
14:24us astound us. They evoke such emotions
14:28not just because they're beautiful, but
14:30because they carry meaning. Composition
14:32can still be used to affect us on a
14:34psychological level. And that's how you
14:36should think when composing images. What
14:39emotions can I display? Create a
14:41sufficient structure to your image. Make
14:43sure that it's visually pleasing. Find
14:46your focal elements and use interesting
14:47visual to highlight them. And then
14:49everything else you do from there should
14:51be an artistic venture to convey your
14:53message. Every subtle change you make in
14:56positioning of your framing creates a
14:59new emotion. It creates a new piece of
15:01art. And all of this achieved through
15:04composition, a skill that can make
15:06images last forever.

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