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Composition and Cinematography are key aspects of producing films and VFX work. Cinematography is the “art of making motion pictures,” and has been evolving rapidly for the past century. There are many different things to consider in cinematography, such as lighting, the size of the shot, the camera’s focus, the shot’s composition, and the camera’s placement and movement.
These can be used to enhance the emotion of a scene, or the main focus of a scene. The camera being at the same level as a character’s eyes lets the audience see through their eyes. In a scene from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a final pan onto the table at Bilbo's level with stacks of plates lets the audience sympathise with his disbelief that the sloppy, greedy dwarves have cleaned up the mess.
A shot doesn’t just have to convey emotion, and can instead convey the story. In Stranger Things season 2, episode 4, when the character ‘Hopper’ investigates the mysterious tunnels underneath Hawkins, the camera zooms out and spins upside-down. This communicates to the audience that this is the same dimension from the first series, the ‘Upside Down.’ The size of this shot also changes as it zooms out, conveying Hopper’s reaction to the expansiveness of the tunnels around him.
The length of a scene can be used to progress a story as well. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, there is a long scene in which the setting is the Leaky Cauldron, with various characters around Harry. The scene then changes as Harry Potter is pulled to the side by Mr Weasley. As the conversation takes an ominous turn, they walk further into the dark hall, and the shot becomes increasingly close to Harry. The decrease in light and the claustrophobic feel this shot brings about is a great contrast to the cheery and homely atmosphere at the start of it.
The focal length of a camera can communicate a lot as well. If only a character is in focus with a narrow field of view, then this can convey the feeling of isolation the character feels. It can also be used to bring something to the audience’s attention, either through the eyes of a character or to inform the audience of knowledge that the characters aren’t aware of. In Siren, season 1, episode 3, the focus changes between a syringe and the two characters in the room. This happens twice, with the second being from the man’s point of view.
In this scene from the Hunger Games through the short focal distance, we can feel the stress Katniss is under, and what her focus really is at different moments. Her focus switches between trying to hit a bullseye and rousing a reaction from the Game Makers, who ignore her until the end of the scene.
The focus of a scene can be shown with leading lines, which can either ‘frame’ certain aspects or characters, or show where they may move to in a scene. An example of this is in Stranger Things season 2. In the opening scene of episode 1, there is an intense car chase with a shot from the dashboard of a police cruiser. This is an example of the lines in a scene communicating where the scene will progress to.
Leading lines is a technique associated with blocking, which is when characters or the environment are positioned a certain way to show the underlying dynamics of a scene. This can be used to show if a character is more imposing, or where they’re focus lies. In Stranger Things in a scene with Eleven and Kali, the latter is shown. Blocking can be done in different shapes, but in this scene, it’s a triangle between them as they watch the butterfly.
Balancing a scene is important as well. This can easily be done by using the ‘rule of thirds.’ This rule utilises a grid as a guide, and comes from an old painting technique designed to help the artist space out the focal points of a painting. There’s also symmetry in scenes, which can be used to focus on a particular part of the scene. In this clip from His Dark Materials, at the centre of the scene is where the only movement in the scene is.
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Websites:
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/rules-of-shot-composition-in-film/#1-the-rules-of-shot-composition - Studio Binder - Rules of Shot Composition in Film: A Definitive Guide
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-cinematography/ - Studio Binder - What is Cinematography? Defining the Art and Craft
Clips used:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPuH5zcxqRk - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – ‘That's what Bilbo Baggins Hates!’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0rvaGwBXac - Stranger Things 2 – Hopper entering the Upside Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O-lUWqp1yk - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Leaky Cauldron Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0NnC5OvEsM&list=PLKIA7JW889umMpQtxIR265Oi-xDuQb_aa&index=36 - Siren – Stop the mermaid testing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9VI6SExDms&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqo-V5sZExERhVkbxSDctJIr&index=4 - The Hunger Games – Shooting the apple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLxt9wH1OgQ - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – A new beginning scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHIkjRc2dzw - Stranger Things 2 – all Kali Prasad scenes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaImaf9GnDk - Stranger Things 2 – Kali's butterfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUorY5pIyCU&list=PLO79iP69FaZN-slQGAuMCJ4YiMBFwm4V2&index=13 - His Dark Materials – Episode 6 promo
Images:
https://nofilmschool.com/factors-depth-of-field-know-about - No Film School 1 – 4 Factors of Depth of Field That You Should Know About
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