Camera Composition in Film Preliminary Exercise (Individual Task) pt.2

 Pt. 2

Today in class we studied camera composition and learned about different techniques and styles that are commonly used in a film. Camera composition in film is the way a scene is arranged within the camera frame, which can grab the audience's attention and direct them to a certain person or object. It is important in film because it directs the viewers' attention and if one does it wrong it can mess up the entirety of the film. Important key concepts are The Rule of Thirds, Balance, Blocking, Depth of Field, and Camerawork. 

For this assignment, I was responsible for doing research on Depth of field. I was able to choose from any movie and describe the scene. I chose a scene from Happy Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. 

The director used a shallow focus (Background In Focus and foreground Out-of-Focus) shot to show a connection to the subjects and the objects. The central idea of the frame is to focus on the subject (Dumbledore) and to focus on his expressions towards the flasks he is looking at, while having Harry in the background, out of focus to show a connection between them and the flasks. Dumbledore has a concentrated look on his face as he is remembering certain memories pertaining to each flask. As he is having flashbacks of memories, he is still having a conversation with Harry, which is why he is still in the frame. It is set in Dumbledore’s office over the Pensive, Harry’s facial expression of what Dumbledore is telling him is important as it sets the mood for the scene. The lighting coming from the right creates a shadow on the left, connotating a dark and ominous side to the scene. The Yellow Overcast of the right side of the frame shows a more optimistic side to the frame. This is an Eye Level 2-shot close-up.