Psychology of Cinematic Framing: Perspective
Blog Series Part 2 of 10
“The Crucial Role of Preparation in Cinematography”
Welcome back! Today, we dive into how framing in cinematography not only captures a scene but also subtly influences the audience's perception. In my work, cinematic art of framing is a key component in storytelling.
The Power of Angles
Angles are storytelling powerhouses. A low angle may empower a character, while a high angle might diminish their presence either aligning with the character's actions. In “First Family” I’ve used this as Anna, was feeling trap in the garage while the door closed behind her but her daughter was running in the opposite directions:
While using this angle to support what the actor is doing internally Sometime it’s appropriate to break the rules and use it as counter point to give the audience some clues.
Extreme Camera Angles
Extreme angles in cinematography are powerful tools for storytelling, each bringing unique psychological impacts to the audience. For instance, in a scene from "Opération Police," I employed extreme low angles while the character was driving to make him appear powerful and dominant, mirroring his feeling of being on top of the world. Conversely, I incorporated the steering wheel in the foreground to create a counterpoint, evoking a sense of entrapment for the audience—a subtle hint that something bad is about to happen to him, of which he is unaware.
This deliberate use of camera placement and composition can significantly influence the viewer’s emotional response, building tension and enriching the storytelling experience. By carefully manipulating the camera’s position, filmmakers guide how audiences perceive and connect with characters and scenes, deepening their engagement and amplifying the narrative's impact.
Impact of Shot Sizes
Shot sizes in cinematography significantly influence the audience's connection with the characters and the story. By varying shot sizes, cinematographers guide the viewer's emotional journey and enhance the narrative's depth and engagement. Here are some examples of shot sizes I've utilized in films and TV series throughout my career as a cinematographer:
Extreme Wide Shots
“Opération Police” Season 2
EWS Extreme wide shots are used to establish a scene's setting and context, giving the audience a sense of scale and grandeur. It create an emotional distance, making the characters appear small and vulnerable within a vast environment. This can evoke feelings of isolation, insignificance, or awe, depending on the context of the story.
Wide Shots
“The Island Between Tides”
WS are closer than extreme wide shots but still show a significant portion of the setting. This help establish the geography of a scene and the relationship between characters and their surroundings. Wide shots provide the audience with a sense of place and context, grounding them in the story's environment while still maintaining some emotional distance.
Full Shots
“Opération Police” Season 1
FS frame a character from head to toe, allowing the audience to see the character's body language and actions clearly. This shot size is ideal for showcasing physical performances and interactions between characters. It strikes a balance between context and intimacy, providing more detail than a wide shot but still maintaining enough distance to capture the setting.
Cowboy (Medium Full Shot)
“Nicholas Noël 2”
MFS or Cowboy, Named after the framing used in Westerns to show a cowboy's holstered guns, these shots highlight the character's physical presence and posture. They create a sense of readiness and action, often used to build tension or emphasize a character's dominance.
Medium Shots
“The Island Between Tides”
MS frame characters from the waist up, providing a balance between detail and context. They are commonly used for dialogue scenes, as they capture facial expressions and body language while still showing some of the background. Medium shots create a comfortable level of intimacy, allowing the audience to connect with the characters without feeling too close.
The Art of Close-Ups
The scale of the subject also plays a role; larger subjects command the frame, signalling importance, while smaller ones might suggest insignificance. Transitioning from medium shots to close-ups amplifies emotional connection.
Medium Close-Ups
“The Island Between Tides”
MCU frame characters from the chest or shoulders up create a stronger connection between the audience and the characters. They can see more detail in the character’s facial expressions and subtle emotions while blending with environmental context. Perfect for dialogues or conveying reactions.
Close-Ups
“The Island Between Tides”
CU focus on a character's face, filling the frame with their features. This shot size is used to convey intense emotions and draw the audience into the character's inner world. Close-ups create a powerful sense of intimacy, making the audience feel as though they are sharing the character's experience directly.
Extreme Close-Ups
“The Island Between Tides”
ECU focus on minute details like eyes or hands, intensify the drama, revealing profound emotional states or significant plot elements. ECU can create a sense of discomfort or intensity, as they invade the character's personal space.
Wide Lens Close-Up
“First Family”
Using a wide-angle lens for close-ups creates a unique and powerful effect in cinematography. This technique offer a broad field of view and tend to exaggerate the sense of depth and perspective. It brings the audience closer to the character, fostering a sense of involvement rather than a voyeuristic detachment. By isolating the character from their surroundings, wide-angle close-ups emphasize emotional states and power dynamics. The audience’s focus is entirely on the character, enhancing their significance in the scene. When we use very wide lens, it tend to exaggerated expressions and amplify emotions, making fear, anger, or desperation more pronounced. However, it requires careful composition to avoid distortion, ensuring the focus remains on the character's emotions and the narrative's essence.
Ultra Wide Angle Close-Up
During the production of the Disney TV show “Gabby Duran and the Unsittables,” we embraced a unique visual approach. Opting for an 18mm Zeiss MasterPrime lens as our close-up (CU) lens, our aim was to infuse the scenes with a vibrant, comic book-esque aesthetic. However, this creative choice brought its own set of challenges.
Challenges
“Gabby Duran and the Unsittables” Season 2
The primary hurdle was the proximity of the actors to the camera. Achieving the precise eye-line needed with this lens meant positioning the actors exceptionally close to the camera, which was nearly impractical in regular setups. To circumvent this, we placed markers inside the matte box, guiding the actors' focus.
Solutions
Adding another layer of ingenuity, our focus puller, Dustin Chouinard, devised a creative and actor-friendly solution. To make the process more engaging for the cast, he replaced the standard tape markers with customized icons featuring the faces of each character. This personal touch not only lightened the atmosphere on set but also provided a more relatable point for the actors to focus on, especially when having multiple actors to look at during a scene.
This solution, while effective, introduced another complexity: the actors, instead of engaging with their co-stars, had to direct their performances to these markers. Fortunately, the adaptability and professionalism of our cast (including Kylie, Max, and others) were phenomenal. They embraced this unconventional method, ensuring the scenes were executed flawlessly.
Multiple Camera Challenges
Incorporating a B camera into these setups posed its own challenges, given the spatial constraints and the specific requirements of our chosen lens. Nevertheless, every effort and adjustment was worthwhile. Our goal was to craft a visually dynamic and stylistically unique narrative, mirroring the show's energetic essence and its storyline.
The journey was a testament to our team's creativity and resilience, showcasing how technical challenges can be transformed into opportunities for innovation in visual storytelling.
Long Lens Close-up
“First Family”
The use of telephoto lenses in close-up cinematography brings a unique visual aesthetic to film. These lenses, known for their longer focal lengths, compress and flatten the space in an image, which can significantly alter the viewer's perception of the scene.When used for close-ups, telephoto lenses can create a sense of observing intimacy. It brings focus by isolating the subject from the background, making the character's emotions and expressions the focal point as the background distractions are minimized, drawing the audience closer into the character's personal space and experience. Using Telephoto lens also help make people look skinnier.
The Importance of Eye-line
Eye-line in cinematography is crucial for establishing a visual and emotional connection between characters and the audience. By carefully aligning the eye-line, filmmakers can direct the viewer's gaze, convey relationships, and emphasize the intensity of interactions. It helps maintain spatial continuity, ensuring the audience understands where characters are looking and how they relate to their environment and each other. Proper eye-line matching enhances the realism of the scene, making conversations and interactions feel more natural and engaging. Ultimately, mastering eye-line is essential for creating a cohesive and immersive visual narrative.
Wide Eye-line
The wider the Eye-line, the more disconnected we become therefore becoming an observer.
Tight Eye-line
This is an important factor in choices you make with close-ups. The tighter the Eye- line the more engaged the audience feels with the character.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Finally, when a character's eyeline is so direct it breaks the fourth wall, central framing becomes essential. This technique forges a personal, intimate connection with the audience, as exemplified in “Fall Back Down."
Conclusion
Cinematography is about making subtle yet impactful choices. By understanding the audience's psychological responses, we can shape their emotional journey. At times, using framing that contrasts with the narrative adds layers of depth and perspective to the visual story.
Stay tuned for next week's part 3 of our series, where we'll explore the significance of elements and their spatial relationships.
