How do you watch movies? How do you perceive the art of cinema? Film 101 at The Lincoln Theatre will help you understand and appreciate what you see on the big screen while recommending classic and foreign films to expand your knowledge of cinema.
In our last post we discussed the types of shots in film. We went over shots based on distance from the camera, the angle of the camera, and shots categorized by the number of characters within a shot. Knowing these types of shots makes it much easier to discuss what we see on the screen.
Our perception of film is also affected by the way the camera frames things. Shot types play into this portion as well as framing. Framing can be defined as where a character, object, or focal point is placed in a shot. It changes how we see the situation and scene that the film is highlighting.
The rule of thirds is one of the many ways directors of photography look at a movie or shot. There is math that is secretly involved in what is seen as pleasing to the eye. Focal points of a shot are usually placed along the sidelines of a shot, or at the intersecting points of each third of the screen (an example is shown to the left).
This is not always the case; symmetry also plays a role in shot composition. Some directors may want symmetry if they are displaying a scene that is orderly. Others place characters extremely to one side to either illustrate the placement of another character off-screen or that things could be strange.
Framing can also be used to direct our attention to something. Characters can be framed by doorways or walls to make the focus clear. Objects can be framed by other objects. Buildings can even be framed by other buildings or nature, like trees or mountains.
Framing is all about being visually appealing. It's about making a shot look interesting. Blocking is also a factor in this. It's a term that is also used in theatre to talk about where a person is placed. In theatre it's usually their placement in relation to other people, set pieces, or the stage itself. Film is nearly the same except instead of a stage it is within the frame of the camera.
The job of the director and director of photography are very important as they are our eyes into the world the characters live in. By understanding the way the camera looks with its "eye", we can better understand how to look with our own.
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