Video Composition Your guide to getting the most

Video Composition Your guide to getting the most from your camera.

Defining Composition • Composition can be defined as the orderly arrangement of elements in a scene which, when taken as a whole, conveys intent and meaning.

Composition Guidelines #1…Clearly establish your objectives • Good writers, producers, directors, and editors know the purpose of each and every shot. So, before you record any shot, have two things clearly established in your mind: – the specific reason for the shot – the purpose of the shot within the overall production

Composition Guidelines • The speed at which ideas are presented in productions has increased dramatically in recent years. • Slow=boring • Too fast=hard to follow • If in doubt, leave it out

Composition Guidelines • Viewers assume that every shot, gesture, and word of dialogue in a production is there to further the central idea. • Each shot you use should contribute to the story or idea being conveyed.

Composition Guidelines #2 … Have unity • When the elements of a shot combine to support a basic visual statement, the shot is said to have unity. • The concept of unity applies to such things as lighting, color, wardrobes, sets, and settings.

Composition Guidelines #3 …Compose scenes around a single center of interest. • Think of each shot as a statement • The viewer has a limited time to understand the content and meaning of a shot. If some basic meaning isn't obvious before the shot is changed, the viewer will miss the point of the scene.

Composition Guidelines • Techniques that can help: – Selective Focus – Using light for emphasis – Shifting centre of interest by movement in scene

Composition Guidelines #4 …Observe proper subject placement. • Lead room • Look room • Rule of Thirds • Horizontal and vertical eyelines

Composition Guidelines #5 …Tonal and Mass Balance – Lightness or darkness can suggest weight – Objects in a room can appear heavy – Different camera angle or panning can create a better balance of “Perceptual weight” Which one looks heavier? How would you room look if all the furniture was piled on one side?

Composition Guidelines #6 …Use a combination of scenic elements to create meaning. • Pay careful attention to the specific elements included in a scene. • Elements in a shot may be bold and obvious, or they may be subtly designed to suggest almost subconscious meaning.

Composition Guidelines #7 …Make use of lines • The boundaries of objects in a shot normally consist of lines: straight, curved, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. • Our eyes tend to travel along these lines as they move from one part of the frame to another.

Composition Guidelines #8 …Frame the central subject matter

Composition Guidelines #9 …Use the effect of visual perspective to enhance or support the scene's basic idea.

Composition Guidelines #10 …Convey Meaning Through Colors and Tones • Bright colors add energy to composition • Eyes initially tend to be drawn to the "warmer" areas of a picture.

Composition Guidelines #11 … Avoid Mergers – tonal mergers – dimensional mergers – border mergers How could you have solved these mistakes?

Composition Guidelines #12 …Control the number of prime objects in the scene • An odd-number of primary objects provides stronger composition than an even number.

Composition Guidelines #13 … Balance Complexity and Order • Complexity without order produces confusion • Order without complexity produces boredom.

Composition Guidelines #14 …Movement and Meaning • Utilize the meaning suggested in the direction of movement • Where action comes from and moves to is significant • Left-to-right movement is generally more engaging than right-to-left movement