Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds is a very well known compositional cheat sheet that goes a little something like this: take your image, now divide it into thirds vertically and horizontally with imaginary lines, so that it looks something like this:
The basic idea is just to avoid placing your subject in the center box, but most people will generally get more specific and say that you should line up your subject so that they reside in the intersection of two lines. A general rule for horizon lines is to place them on either the bottom or top third line (but you can play with this - i.e. if you have a really dramatic sky you want to showcase you could frame the horizon lower to capture more of the sky.
Diagonals
If you want to show motion in a frame or provide a sense of depth, diagonals can work to your advantage. Here's a clip from one of the original motion pictures, filmed by the Lumiere brothers in 1895, legend has it that audiences leapt from their chairs in fear that the train was actually coming toward them:
Type of Shot
Probably more important than your composition, your shot type will affect how your audience relates to the scene and should always be kept in mind. Here are some basic shot types:
Wide Shot - A wide shot captures the entirety of the scene and provides the viewer with a sense of geography, where characters are located relative to each other. Extremely wide shots are often used to communicate setting (e.g. a vast farm landscape or a giant oil drilling rig) before going into where the characters are interacting.
Medium Shot - A medium shot goes in closer on a particular subject (think waist up). This is more intimate than a wide shot but still allows for some geographical information.
Close-up - In a close-up, a certain feature or object takes up the entire frame. This is an extremely intimate form of shot and can be used to great emotional effect.
The important thing about these shot types is proximity, always keep in mind how your proximity to the subject affects the intimacy level with the viewer and if that level of intimacy is appropriate for that moment in the scene. For instance, if we haven't been introduced to a character yet, a close-up might not be appropriate. But if we introduce the character from a wider angle and then as the scene develops and we get emotionally closer to the character, getting physically closer with a close-up can work quite well for dramatic effect.
Try to vary your type of shot and the angle you're shooting from.
In the movie Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams’ character, Mr. Keating, stands on his desk and asks his students “Why do I stand up here?” A student answers “to feel taller!” But Mr. Keating says “No!” and dings a bell with his toe. He goes on to tell the class “I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.” The students then file through taking turns standing on the desk and observing the classroom from a new perspective. I contend that there are two types of people, the type that take their turn on the desk and appreciate the view it offers but then step off, and the type that live to be on the desk and to explore life from a new angle. If you are an author, then I would imagine you fall into the latter category, constantly looking at life from a slightly different vantage point, trying to see something you haven't noticed before. Apply this to your camera work as you film your book trailer. Show us the world in a way we haven't seen it before. No rule of image composition is as important as that of being unique.
As always, feel free to comment below and please share with your friends. The next post in the series will talk about sound.
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