Composition refers to the placement of elements within an image.
E.g.
- Cameera Angle
- Placement along Horizontal or vertical plane
- Leading Line
- Vector
- Salience
Camera Angle §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Eye Level | Puts the viewer on the same level as the subject, suggesting equality between them |
| High angle / Bird’s Eye | Positions the viewer as looking down on the subject. This makes the subject look less powerful / weak / Dominated Could give the viewer a sense of Power |
| Low Angle / Worm’s eye | Positions the viewer as looking up at the subject. Makes Subject appear powerful, Dominant, Unstoppable, Can make viewer feel Powerless |
| Oblique | Refers to an image that is capured on an angle. |
Shot Type §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Close-up / Extreme Close-up | Close-ups force the viewer to get up close and personal with the subject; Extreme close-ups can be confronting, forcing the viewer to focus on a particular detail of the subject. |
| Establishing / Long-shot | Positions the viewer far away from the subject. This can work to create emotional distance, or it may be used to reveal the subject’s small stature in their environmnet. |
| Full / Medium shot | Brings the subject closer to the viewer. In a full shot the subject fills the frame, whereas a medium shot only shows their torso and head. These are common techniques as they offer a detailed representation of the subject. |
Shot Features §
| Feature | Meaning |
|---|
| Density | Refers to how crowded the image is. Images that contain many elements appear busy or claustrophobic. |
| Depth of Field | The degree to which the objects in a shot from foreground to background are in focus. |
| Film Stock | The type of film used, such as black-and-white sepia or colour. |
| Framing | The positioning of the subject within the image e.g. centrally, or to one side of the image, including the whole of the subject or only opart. |
| Proxemics | The relative closeness of subjects within the image. The closer they are, the closer their relationship. |
| Salience | Refers to the dominant subject of the image, created through its size, the focus of the image, lighting andor colour choices. |
| Staging positions | The direction the subjects face relative to the camera. Descriptive terms include ull front, quarter turn, profile and back to the camera. |
