The Language of Film

Framing: Day 1 Film 1Mrs. Kelly Brown

Rio Seco

Framing is how you first design a shot. A shot refers to one, uninterrupted image that is seen onscreen.When you look at a frame, one of the first things to consider is distance.

How much do you see of the character(s)?

•Is it a close up?•Is it a full or long shot (wide)?•Is it a medium shot?

Can you see the whole body or a part of the body?

A Place in the Sun 1951-close up

In general the closer the camera gets to the characters, the closer the viewer feels towards the characters.

This is why close ups are often used in:

romantic scenes

scenes where the character is suffering or fearful

any other scene where the viewer is supposed to understand what the character is feeling.

CLOSE-UP

• A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large.

• In a close-up a person's head, or some other similarly sized object, would fill the frame.

Close-up or Close Shot

• The object or subject takes up 80% of the screen space.

• Appears very large.

• Also, “what is not in the picture” is important too.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP

• A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large; most commonly, a small object or a part of the body usually shot with a zoom lens.

• Again, faces are the most recurrent images in extreme close-ups

Close Ups

The Two-Shot Close Up

Makes two characters the subject of the frame. It allows you tounderstand how the characters interact and react to each other.

Avatar 2009

MEDIUM SHOT

• Framing such that an object four or five feet high would fill most of the screen vertically.

• Also called plain américain, given its recurrence in the Western genre, where it was important to keep a cowboy's weapon in the image.

Medium Shot

• Between a long and close-up.

• Lacks much cinematic effect.

• Most TV shows are filmed at this distance.

• Can show more context and setting.

As the camera moves further away from the character(s), the viewer is provided more information about them or about their situation. The shot on the right is a medium shot, but the one on the left is a close up.

From Rosemary’s Baby 1968 From Babel 2006

Medium Shots

LONG SHOT

• A framing in which the scale of the object shown is small; a standing human figure would appear nearly the height of the screen.

• It makes for a relatively stable shot that can accommodate movement without reframing

Long Shot

• Shot showing their entire body.• Establishes the scene (like skyline)• Show separation or distance between characters

The further the camera is from the subject, the moredistant you will feel from what is happening in the sceneor to the character(s) this lets the audience have a look at the subject

in relation to its surrounding. (A Long Shot shown here)

Long Shots

EXTREME LONG SHOT

• A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape, or crowd of people will fill the screen.

• Usually the first or last shots of a sequence, that can also function as establishing shots..

The Establishing Shot

It lets the audience have a look at the subject in relation to itssurroundings. It usually appears at the beginning of a film orscene to establish the setting or to introduce a film.

The Illusionist 2006