1. What makes a Movie Visually Interesting?
Digital stills from “Brick”

2. How is each shot arranged?
Composition
Defining question:
How is each shot arranged?
This includes both the arrangements of the subject matter and the arrangement of the cinematographer’s point of view/perspective. In fact, everything the art director, director and cinematographer do to “set-up” a shot is considered composition.
The principles of design are used while developing the composition to create appealing and engaging shots.
Principles of Design
Balance
Rhythm
Proportion
Unity / Harmony
Variety
Emphasis

3. Composition
The Principles of Design are developed using the Elements of Art
Elements of Art
Line
Shape / Form
Texture
Space
Color
Value

4. Compositional Techniques
Camera Angle and Height
The cinematographer needs to decide how and where they will hold the camera, and from what angle they will take the shot.
What angle will best convey what you are trying to communicate? From what height?
What perspective will provide appeal and interest?
Creative perspectives make creative movies!
High-angle Low-angle
Dutch-angle Aerial
Also Chapter 6, Looking at Movies, Camera Angles
From photography: Bird’s Eye, Worm’s Eye, Child’s Eye
This Childs-eye view (above) makes us feel vulnerable .

5. Composition Framing Compositional Techniques Leading Lines
Surrounding the focal point or subject with a line, texture, or tone. (Creating a natural border to “frame” your subject.)
Note: This is the compositional technique for “Framing” which is different when we deal with a cinematic frame!
Leading Lines
Using lines that direct or lead your eye to the focal point or subject. They should draw you into the picture.

6. Composition Rule of Thirds
Pictures become more visually interesting when the subject does not appear in the center.
Appeal is created by placing the subject in the outer third(s) of the photograph, or at the intersection of outer and inner thirds.

7. Composition Use of Color Compositional Techniques Space
Color use sets mood, creates drama, and enhances the focal area . Color use starts at storyboard phase. It is carried through the vision of the film by the Art Director and the Director.
Space
Avoid visual clutter. Simplicity. Breathing room. HEAD room. How you arrange the overall space of your shot creates feel or personality of your film.

8. Note: Beware of the MERGER
Composition
Focus & Depth of Field
Compositional Techniques
After the art director, director and cinematographer “set-up” a shot it is still up to the cinematographer to decide what will be the focus or subject of the picture. This means the cinematographer must decide how close to get to the subject and what to include or leave out of a shot. With more sophisticated cameras, you can also play with depth of field (the depth of the picture that is in focus).
Note: Beware of the MERGER
Know your surroundings. See all aspects of the shot. Occasionally, an object merges with your subject in awkward ways…. Is there a lamp behind the subject’s head that looks like it’s impaling him or her?

9. Camera Movement
Types of Camera Movement:
Pan Shot: horizontal movement of a camera.
Tilt Shot: vertical movement of camera
Dolly Shot (also known as a tracking shot or traveling shot) is one taken by a camera fixed to a wheeled support
Zoom: Both a lens type and a kind of camera “movement” it is actually the function of the lens that makes it seem like the camera is moving toward the object, magnifying the image.
Crane shot: a camera mounted on an elevating arm, that is also mounted on something mobile, able to elevate and dolly or pan.
Different types of camera movement can add excitement and variety to your film while also enhancing the look and feel of the film to match the intent of the filmmaker
Zoom and Moving Effects, & The Moving Camera, Chapter 6
Touch of Evil, 1958

10. Implied Proximity to the Camera
The implied proximity of the camera influences our emotional involvement with those subjects…
Extreme Long Shot (XLS or ELS) a great distance from the subject, too small to be recognized except through the context we see.
Long Shot (LS) we see the character’s full body (plus a little above and/or below also visible) also known as the full-body shot.
Medium Long Shot (MLS) also known as the American Shot, used to photograph one or more characters, usually from the knees up as well as some of the background.

11. Looking at Movies, Chapter 6, Shot types and implied proximity
Close-Up (CU) very near to the subject. (When of the face, you get a clear view of emotions/state of mind).
Extreme Close Up (XCU or ECU)
is very close of some detail.
Medium Shot (MS) waist up (or full, if seated) Proximity without intimacy.
Medium Close Up (MCU) mid-chest to the top of head, catches minor changes in expression and detail regarding posture.
Looking at Movies, Chapter 6, Shot types and implied proximity

12. Lighting creates our sense of cinematic space
Lighting creates our sense of cinematic space. There are four properties: style, source, quality, and direction.
Lighting
Style: Fitting the established feel of previous films set in that genre (Film Noir used high-contrast b&w tones to symbolizes the opposing forces of good and evil)
Source: Artificial (instruments) and Natural (sunlight)
Quality: Hard (directly shining on subject, crisp details and high contrast between light & shadow) or Soft (diffused so that the light is hitting subject from many directions, softens details, decreases contrast)
The use of lighting in Citizen Kane (1941) creates a clear contrast between Charles Foster Kane (left) and Susan Alexander (right) that signals important differences between them in age and experience

13. Lighting creates our sense of cinematic space
Lighting creates our sense of cinematic space. There are four properties: style, source, quality, and direction.
Lighting
Direction: The angle of the “throw” of light
Left Image:
-3 Point Lighting: key light (main source), fill light (opposite to key, less bright) and backlight (behind subject; to create edge lights or rim lights around subject)
Right Image:
-From Above many effects: threatening, mysterious
-From Below (Halloween lighting) creates eerie shadows
-Backlighting: creates a sense of depth and drama, or used in this case as rim lighting to separate the subject from the background.
Looking at Movies, Chapter 6, Lighting… then

14. IN SUMMARY! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQnKGXHbgMA