1 The Director of Photography – an overview

162 Practical Cinematography
Figure 18.6 A composition set on
the right-hand third
Figure 18.7 A composition set on
the lower sixth
Framing using the sixths
Just as in music, in composition we too have the equivalent of the
minor chords. In the world of cinematography these are the lines of
the sixths – that is, any line one-sixth of the way in from any edge of
the frame or one-sixth of the frame width out from the centre of the
frame. The sixths coming out from the centre of the frame are very
weak in terms of compositional power, but those coming in from the
outside edge do have an appreciable power. Their power is far less
than the power of the thirds, but nevertheless it is a very useful compositional
tool.
In Figure 18.7 the skyline is contained within the bottom sixth of
the frame. It makes a very pleasing composition, especially if in the
background there was, say, an attractive sunset. In fact, almost any
interesting object, on an important third or sixth, would, of course,
heighten the dramatic power of the composition. Leaving fivesixths
of the frame free causes this space to be very vulnerable in as