In class, we were given an image to analyse. When we had a good look at it, we were told to now refocus the shot. We could look far into the background, turn the image over or do whatever we liked, but by changing our perspective of the picture, we were simultaneously changing the composition. If the image is focused on a shot of a boy jumping over a puddle, it could be a representation of childhood innocence, or the journey to adulthood, or simply a boy jumping over puddle. Then you notice a man standing far in the background. You now taken the image but the shot closer to the man, to the point where the puddle is mostly cut out and your main focus is the boy and the man. What does the image say now? Is the man looking on at the boy? Reminiscing about his own past? Or, is he watching over the boy as a parent or a guardian?
"Everywhere we go, we're confronted by pictures. We look at still pictures in books, magazines and museums. We watch moving pictures at the movies, on television, at concerts, and in theatres; we play video games and surf the internet. We look at a lot of pictures-big, little, moving, still, colour, black and white-but they are all pictures."
- The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media (Block, 2007)
That little change completely rewrites the image, and since composition is such a visual phenomenon, of course it is can be applied to film. This gave me a new way of looking at things. Looking back, I can use this as a new way to view through a camera and adjust the what I'm focusing on in the image. perhaps by doing that, I can rewrite the whole scene.
Of course there are many elements to composition, not just camera positioning. The lighting of an image can help focus on specific people or objects, or imply certain characteristics of an individual by hiding them in shadow and overexposing them. Speaking of focus, leaving parts of an image in and out of focus can force the audience to pick out whatever is left visible. Art direction as well, but I'll explain all of this by using an example: The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick.
What can be taken from this image. Let's break it down: We are looking at two girls from a distance, the colour scheme demands that you look at them despite the fact that the rest of the room engulfs the image. This is because the bright blue pops out compared to the duller colours of the room. The fact that the girls are looking at the camera makes the audience feel they are being looked at, and usually the distance between the twins and the camera would ease any tension or misgivings, but I believe the lens has ever so slightly warped the room. Something just doesn't seem right and this only creates more unease.
The framing of this shot has helped to create an uneasy atmosphere in this scene. I personally think this is fantastic. A lot of Kubrick's can be broken down into still images and nearly all of those images are worthy of being hung in a gallery because they create such imagery in a single shot. This is what this scene does so well. I could obviously use this slightly warped and distant shot in a corridor to create unease, but I could use the angle possibly in a forest path to get the same effect. What completes this is the art direction (the dull colours and the bright blue) and the narrow corridor as it force you to look ahead.
Now lets look at the scene from a different perspective. The distance is now even further, but since the camera has moved backwards we can see there is now another person in the shot. Now, the girls are looking at the little boy on the bike, and the boy is staring at them. For the most part what we get from the shot hasn't changed much. There is still a sense of unease, but it is more for concern for the boy rather then yourself since he is their focus, and of course a good horror film will always make you scared even when you are not the focus. The distance almost plays more into the sense of dread as it is harder to make out the girls from the distance.
The reason this is relevant is how a simple change can turn a scene on its head. We are not the focus, the boy is, and with this creates a new sense of danger and dread. The increased distance adds more dimension to the shot, and notably the bright blue is even more relevant now because if they wore a a duller colour you could be forgiven for possibly not noticing them at first. That could actually be effective if a character was supposed to blend in and not be seen, but in this scene we are meant to immediately react as the camera follows the boy and stops sharply as the girls come into frame, probably giving the audience a jump.
Composition is a funny thing. It can so easily be forgotten as you take in the whole scene, but it's always there and remains an integral part of cinema. Quickly, lets take a look at another scene that is broken down with a helpful diagram.
The main character is looking down at a model of a real maze that he will meet his fate in later on in the film. He seems so much more above the the structure, as if it is no threat to him, making the irony of his demise much more apparent. This of course wouldn't be obvious at first when you watch the film, but looking back or later viewings make the connection that much more apparent.
Back to the full perspective though, you'll notice that the maze covers a huge portion of the bottom of the frame and like the corridor scene, it stretches outwards. Another thing you'll notice is the choice of jumper the main character is wearing though, you'll notice it is a darker colour than the scenery around, which still helps him pop out just by reversing the tones. He is also centre frame and not too far away from the camera. He seems slightly ominous but not over threatening. Kubrick is already planting the seeds for his inevitable change later on in the movie.
Biblography:
- BLOCK, B. (ed.) (2007) The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media. Unknown: Focal Press; 2 edition
- The Shining. (1980) Film. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. [DVD] UK: Warner Home Video
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