1 The Director of Photography – an overview

160 Practical Cinematography
Figure 18.3 A horizon set on the
upper third
Figure 18.4 Central composition
Here the horizon is set on the lower third and produces a very pleasing
composition, clearly at dusk.
Figure 18.3 is exactly the same view but now composed very firmly
with the horizon on the top third. Many things have changed as a
result of this compositional decision. Perhaps the most striking thing
is that the scene now appears to be night. Simply by choosing to make
the reflection in the lake the dominant part of the scene we have significantly
altered the audience’s opinion of the scene. In addition, we
have started to talk about very different matters with regard to the
script. For instance, Figure 18.2 might be about the financial district of
the city, but Figure 18.3 could be about the demise of its fishing fleet.
To use the shots in the reverse context would be nonsensical. Such is
the power of the compositional choices.
Now let us bring in two more ideas – composing on the left and right
thirds and introducing movement into the frame.
In Figure 18.4 the dancers are in the middle of the frame – this is
usually a boring position, but the clear movement of the subjects can
make it very exciting. The effect of the shapes within the frame is so