Directing, 5th Edition



CHAPTER 14

THE MOVING CAMERA

 

 

Figure 13-10, bottom from Mabaroshi is a static composition, meaning the camera and subject remain fixed. There is some movement as the character turns the pages of her book, but the essential composition does not change. However, entirely new compositional principles and visual dynamics come into play if either the subject or camera moves significantly during a take: shot emphasis can shift; a balanced composition can become disturbingly unbalanced, or camera movement in any direction can create entirely new compositions with completely new subjects. The shot in Figure 13-10, top from Frozen River actually begins as an ECU of a tiny rose tattoo on a woman’s toe, and then the camera slowly moves ...