Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

268
THE PROGRAM ANGLE
For this reason, it is best to stick to the more obvious means of
showing the desired atmosphere and avoid a wishy-washy production.
This should not be taken to mean that the practice of
giving the public low-quality programs is being recommended
far from it! It is implied that due to the limitations of the televi-
sion screen the delicate vapors of artistry are sometimes lost in
the two-dimensional appearance.
Group Discrimination A person in a group
can be made to
appear the leader of it by dressing him in different clothes from
the rest of the men; anything different makes him stand out, and
the eye is drawn to him by his appeal. In the same way, light and
dark colors can be used.
If the leader is in the center and lines of vision lead towards
him, or the rest of the crowd looks at him, he will dominate them.
Strength can be gained from the proximity of other strong
objects; for instance, a man standing by a tall, solid pillar will
acquire some of the pillar's solidness and strength. The same ap-
and close to the
plies if the dominant figure is in the foreground
camera so that by purely optical reasons he is much larger than
the rest and towers over them. This, of course, is the simplest and
most obvious way of doing it, and it is merely the usual case of
a big man overruling the smaller.
The subject of composition is exceedingly complex, and while
we have no more than scratched the surface here it may give a
little idea of the problems involved. If the reader is seriously in-
terested in composition, he is advised to take a few art lessons from
any reputable artist who specializes in figure drawing. Usually
artists are pleased to have a student who is interested in the re-
lationship between the various figures in the picture and who is
not trying to outpaint the artist. The time will be well spent and
dividends will very quickly be obtained.