Shot Composition and Camera Movement for

Narrative Film: Lecture Notes

Lecture Outline:

1. Basic Shot Composition

2. The Camera Axis

3. Camera Movement

4. Use of Props

5. Really cool stuff

Six Things to Consider With Each Cut according to
Walter Murch and why directors should consider the
same in planning their shots.

1. Emotion
The cut is true to the emotion of the moment.

2. Story
The cut advances the story

3. Rhythm
Is the pace rhythmically interesting?

4. Eye-trace
Where and how the audience perceives what’s in the frame.

5. Two-dimensional plane of screen

How does the photography capture a 3 dimensional world on a 2 dimensional
screen.

6. Three-dimensional space of action.

Where characters are in the scene in relation to one another.

Basic Shot Terminology: Character Shot Sizes

The Full Shot:

Takes in the character from head to toe: Careful not to cut the shot off at the actors
ankles. It gives it the idea that the actor is standing in something nasty.

The Medium Full Shot:

Cuts just below the knees. Don’t frame AT the knees, or the actor will look ampu-
tated.

The Cowboy:
This shot cuts at where a cowboy’s holster would end.

The Medium Shot:

Cuts at just above the belt line.
The 3 T’s:
Teeth, throat and Tits. Sometimes called 2 T’s by some DPs.

The Close-up:
Cut’s just below the throat.

The Choker:
A bit tighter than a CU, cutting at the throat.

Actor Spacing Using Edward T. Hall’s “Proxemics”

Remote Distance
The individual person is not identified as a particular person.

Public Distance
People who are “Unapproachable” as individuals

Social Distance
10-15 feet. Social environment manners

Personal Distance
Reserved for close acquaintances of friends.

Intimate Distance
Physical Involvement

The Rule of 3rds

The importance of eye-trace and character spacing: Putting it all together so far us-
ing the Over-the-shoulder shot (not as simple as it seems!)

Working with close-ups: Shared Space and Negative Space and their emotional
impact on the audience.

Lens Height: Where most beginning directors fail.

The “Line”

How to never be confused again! I used to use shapes to describe this, and feel free
to do that if you like, but Per Holmes of Hollywood Camerawork has an easier to
remember way:

Human interaction patterns using the letters:

I, A, L, U, H, and O

Doesn’t make sense? I’ll explain camera and actor staging using these letters of the
alphabet.

Putting it all together (so far).

The opening table scene from John Frankenheimer’s

“Ronin”

Moving the Camera

Exploring Motivated and Unmotivated moves.

Moving between “Static” Shots: using “Ronin” and “Rosemary’s Baby”

Props
“North by Northwest”, “The Professional” and “Touch
of Evil”
The size of a prop in the screen.

What props say about character.

Shot Lists:
Emotional vs. Standard
Why I hate Story Boards:
“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”

Putting it all together one last time:

Roman Polanski’s “Frantic” Hotel Room Arrival Scene

Cool Stuff:
How John Frankenheimer screws with my head.

Bertolucci’s One Shot establishing shot from

“The Dreamers”

Recommended Reading and Viewing:

Hollywood Camerawork, By Per Holmes:

A truly excellent 6 DVD series on camera movement. Pricey as
hell, and worth it.
www.hollywoodcamerawork.com

Alexander Mackendrick: On Filmmaking By Alexander

“Sandy” Mackendrick, edited by Paul Cronin. Sandy
was best directing teacher I’ve ever had. He directed among
other things: “The Lady Killers”, “The Man in the White Suit”,
and my all time favorite movie “The Sweet Smell of Success.”
Sandy has since passed on, but all of his class “notes” have been
brilliantly edited into book form by film writer, Paul Cronin. DO
NOT pass this book by! It’s an amazing resource.
Killer Camera Rigs that you can Build by Dan Selako-
vich (yep, that’s me): I won’t go tooting my own horn, but you
can check out the web site and read reviews and comments of
others. You can e-mail me with any questions about this lecture
or the book at Dan@DVcameraRigs.com
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Recommended Viewing

For Staging Actors

The films of Alexander MacKendrick

The Man in the White Suite

The Lady Killers (the original!)
The Sweet Smell of Success
Whisky Galore!

For the use of wide lenses and generally packing the

frame with information

The Films of John Frankenheimer

Ronin
The Manchurian Candidate (the original!)
The Birdman of Alcatraz

For the use of 50mm lenses and camera movement

that matters
The films of Alfred Hitchcock (Particularly ones pro-
duced by Selznick)

North By Northwest
Vertigo
Psycho
Rear Window

For the use of wide lenses and perfect composition

The films of Orson Welles

Citizen Cane
Touch of Evil

For using Longer Lenses and scene transitions

The films of Steven Soderbergh

Ocean’s Eleven
The Limey