uni experience - visual syntax (part 01)

7/27/2019 Uni Experience - Visual Syntax (Part 01)

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Basic Visual SyntaxAnexerciseinbasicframingandcomposi2onal

rulesfornewfilmmakers


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SchoolofCrea2veArtsTownsville|Cairns

Contents

Anintroduc4ontoshotsizesandbasic

composi4ontechniques

ShotSizes&Framing Composi4onalRules CrossingtheLine FilmingExercise:TheConversa4on


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TheFrame

The frame func4ons as the basis of

composi4oninimageacquisi4on.

Theframedefinestheworldofthefilm

fromwhichthefilmisbeingviewed,be

it the darkened auditorium, loungeroomorbusshelter.

Unlikethepainterorphotographer,the

filmmaker does not conceive of the

framed composi4on as self sufficient

statements.

Infilmtheframesimageexistswithina

sequenceofframedimages.

VisualSyntaxNM3302|Townsville


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ShotSizes

TheFramedefinedbytheamountofsubject

maDerthatsincludedwithintheframeofthe

screen.

Inactualprac4ceshotsizesandcomposi4onal

rules may vary between directors andproduc4ons.

Theshotsizeisnotnecessarilydefinedbythe

distancebetween the cameraand the object

photographed,butratherthecroppingofthe

elements in the frame and the space that

surroundsthesubject.

VisualSyntaxNM3302|Townsville

TheSeventhSeal|Bergman|1957


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The Master / Establishing /Very Long Shot


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PunchDrunkLove(PTAnderson),Revolu4onStudios,2003.


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TheApartment(Wilder),MirischCorpora4on,1960


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Scarecrow(Brat),TerrestrialPictures,2008


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PassagetoIndia(Lean),EMIFilms,198


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Grindhouse(Taran4no),TheWeinsteinCompany,2007


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Ci=zenKane(Welles),RKO,191.


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Photograph(Unknown),2006


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The Mid Shot


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NapoleonDynamite(Hess),AccessFilms,200


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TheThirdMan(Reed)LondonFilms,199


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TheSeventhSeal(Bergman)SvenskFilmIndustries,1957

OntheWaterfront(Kazan)HorizonPictures,195


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MidnightCowboy(Slezinger)FlorinProduc4ons,1969


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The Close Shot / Close Up


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EmpireStrikesBack(Kershner)LucasfilmLTD,1979


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Cau=on&Lust(Lee)HaiShengFilmProduc4onCompany,2007


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2001:ASpaceOdyssey(Kubrick),WarnerBrosthers,1968


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STAGING


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MiseenScene

MiseenScenefromtheFrenchtheatricalterm,

placingonstage.

Inotherwords,howthevisualmaterialsarestaged,

framedandphotographed.

Nomaerwhattheconfinesofthestagemaybe,the

miseensceneisalwaysinthreedimensions:

theframeplane

thedepthplane

thegeographicplane

VisualSyntaxStaging

Bladerunner|Sco|198


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FramePlane

epth

Plane

Geographic

Plane

X

ZY


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VisualSyntaxStaging

PlanarStaging


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VisualSyntaxStaging

epthStaging


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VisualSyntaxStaging

epthStaging


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Narra2ve/StagedComposi2on

VisualSyntaxStaging


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THE RULE OF THIRDS


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TheRuleofThirds

Goodcomposi4onisrarelyachievedbyplacingthecentreofinterestinthegeometricalcentreofthepicture.

Placingthesubjectinthecentreoftheframedividesthepictureintoequalhalves,whichmakestheimageuninteres4ng.

Bydividingthepictureareaintothirds,bothver4callyandhorizontally,andloca4ngthecentreofinterestat

oneoftheintersec4onsoftheimaginarylines,youcanusuallycreateafeelingofbalancetothecomposi4on

VisualSyntaxComposi4onalRules


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3rd-Le


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3rd-Le


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HorizonLower3rd


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HorizonUpper3rd


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BALANCE


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Dynamic Symmetry


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Thecentreofinterestwhenappliedbytheruleof3rdsis

denotedbythecircles.

Abalanceofsymmetrycanbeachievedbydrawingalinefromonecorneroftheframe

toanopposingcorner;and

thendrawingasecondline

perpendiculartothefirsttoan

oppositecorner

Wherethesetwolinesintersectisgenerallythecentre

ofinterest.

Balance of SymetryNM3302 | Time Based Media (Video)


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Punch Drunk Love (PT Anderson), Revolution Studios, 2003.


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EXAMPLEThe Limits of Control


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Composi2onalRulesInAc2on

1. Ruleof3rds2. Framing3. Balance


TheLimitsofControl(Jarmusch)FocusFeatures(2009)


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1. Ruleof3rds2. Framing3. Balance




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1. MiseenScene2. TheTwoShot3. TheLine




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CROSSING THE LINE


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Composi2onalRules

CrossingtheLine


hp://eyefish.tv/dic4onary/crossing-line


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Composi2onalRules

EstablishingtheLine

The standard Two Shotframes the conversa4ons

v idual parameters and

establishestheline.


VisualSyntaxCrossingtheLine


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Composi2onalRules

MaintainingtheLine

Right Mid-Shot in whichthe actor appears to be

looking off camera at the

otheractortohisright




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Composi2onalRules

MaintainingtheLine

Le Mid-Shot in whichthe actor appears to be

lookingoffcameraatthe

otheractortoherle



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Composi2onalRules

WhentheLineisCrossed

Bothactorsappeartobelookingoffcamerainthesamedirec2on

ratherthanateachother




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The Conversation


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evisea90SecondSceneTheprocess:1.Youwillbegivenaloca4on2.Useonlytwoperformers3.Maximum5ShotsShotSelec4on:

1. EstablishingShot2. TwoShot3. CoveragePersonA. CoveragePersonB5. ResolveThescenemustinclude:1.Areferencetotheloca2on2.Areferencetoeachcharactershistory3.Areferencetoeachcharactersemo2onalstate

VisualSyntaxExercise:TheConversa4on

ReservoirDogs(Taran4no)Miramax(1992)


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Loca2ons

Whenyouwalkedintotheclassroomyouweregivenachocolateeach.Mostlikelythe

contentsarenowlonggone

Youwereaskedtoholdontothewrapperbecausethissignifieswhichgroupyouwill

beinforthefollowingexercise.

Group01Group0

Group03

Group04Group05


Me


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Loca2ons

Eachteamwillbe

allocatedaloca4on

Pleasedonotstrayfrom

theseloca4ons

Pleasedonotdisturb

thoseloca4ons



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Loca2ons

Eachteamwillbe

allocatedaloca4on

Pleasedonotstrayfrom

theseloca4ons

Pleasedonotdisturb

thoseloca4ons



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Loca2ons



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Loca2ons

TheOutback


i l


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Loca2ons

TheWai2ngRoom


Vi l S


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Loca2ons

TheLaboratory


Vi l S


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Loca2ons

TheCollegeCampus


Vi l S t


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evisea90SecondSceneTheprocess:1.Youwillbegivenaloca4on2.Useonlytwoperformers3.Maximum5ShotsShotSelec4on:

1. EstablishingShot2. TwoShot3. CoveragePersonA. CoveragePersonB5. ResolveThescenemustinclude:1.Areferencetotheloca2on2.Areferencetoeachcharactershistory3.Areferencetoeachcharactersemo2onalstate


ReservoirDogs(Taran4no)Miramax(1992)


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FurtherReading

Monaco,J.(2006)Signs&SyntaxinHowtoReadFilm(3rd

Edi=on),NewYork:Oxford(172-211)

Gianne,L.(2007)MiseenScene inUnderstandingMovies(11th

Edi=on),NewJersey:Pearson(51-63)

uni experience - visual syntax (part 01)

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