Leading Lines

In a composition there are a variety of techniques that can be utilized to explore the piece. One of the most dynamic means of guiding the audience through a piece is through the use of leading lines. Leading lines are one of the top rules of visual composition and are used to great effect to guide the viewer's perspective through the piece, drawing attention to focal points and creating narrative rhythm. These lines are also can be used singularly or with additional supporting lines. Photo Credit A narrative composition is led by leading...

Filtered Perspectives

Perceptions, Tones, Filters… A writer's challenge in crafting a narrative is conveying the piece they envision to an audience that has no concept of the piece. The creator has to balance the elements of the piece, the settings, characters, thrills and the visual elements that can affect the perceptions of the piece. Even as a piece is painstakingly balanced between the elements, it still may not convey the vision that the creator desires. It may not have the appropriate tone or saturation. Conveying the appropriate tone for a piece can often...

A Sound Design

Any narrative composition is an assemblage of elements from the relationships between characters and their interactions, to subtle details like lighting, depth of field and narrative angles that are all designed to control the audience's perceptions of the piece. In cinematography, a primary element that is necessary to unify a composition is sound. Whether it's the audio levels for a given scene, the subtle use of background noise or even music, audio creates the gestalt composition. Controlling the audio levels in cinematography, while challenging,...

Juxtaposition of Relationships

Every narrative composition is about the dynamics of relationships, the interactions between characters that drive the piece forward. There are however, more elements to conveying those relationships than just the interactions between the sculpted characters. As with any visual composition, the elements of a piece can be juxtaposed in a manner that can convey the specific dynamics of relationships. Through a manipulation of perspective and the details of a scene it is possible to emphasize ties or relationship dynamics, convey emotions and shared...