Shot Composition

Shot Composition

We learnt about shot composition and the effect they have on the audience. Shot composition is about manipulating and setting the scene so that the viewer looks at a certain subject. We took pictures to test out and demonstrate these skills.

     Framing

Framing is used to draw attention to a certain subject. This can be to show the importance of something, or to make a scene more interesting. There are 2 types of frames - man-made (a frame made by humans, for example an archway) or natural (a frame that occurs naturally, for example the mouth of a cave). They can frame a human or a non-human subject. Here are some examples of pictures we took, using man-made and natural frames, with human and non-human subjects.

     Leading Lines

These are lines that lead the viewer's eyes to a certain subject or point. The lines do not have to be straight or obvious - it is more about the subtle manipulation to make the viewer see what is most important.

     Rule of Thirds

This is when the image is divided into equal thirds, both horizontally and vertically. This technique is more about making shots look more pleasing to the viewer. It is generally recommended to line up subjects or backgrounds with the third lines, as this makes the shot more aesthetically pleasing. The places where the shots intersect are called 'hot-spots', and placing subjects on these 4 hot-spots means that the viewer will look at these places first.