Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Disjointed Shots
Scenes depicting bad drug trips and nightmares, earthquakes, pillaging barbarians, and
general chaos may show extremely different shots together to instill in the audience a sense
of what it feels like to be disoriented. However, the rest of the time you need to provide an
uncomplicated fl ow of visual information to the viewer. Continuity of content requires that you
show us all the “pieces” we need to see, usually in a natural, chronological order. It is
important that you do not make the viewer work too hard in order to know what is going
on. It is your story that should engage the audience. Make the story easy to understand. Sto-
ryboards help you to establish both visual continuity and continuity of content. However, since
storyboard artists are inherently “too close” to the storyboards to see them objectively, show
your boards to others who do not know the story you are working on to see if it makes sense
to them. Ultimately, the success of your fi lm will not only depend on whether you understand
and like what you see, but rather on whether you have communicated well to others.
Visual continuity also requires the story artist to build an appropriate evolution of shape,
color, space, lighting, and other formal elements of design as the story develops. The visual
design elements can either harmonize or contrast from one shot to the next. Harmonious or
similar shapes and colors suggest small changes in the story. Contrasts, big changes in the
design or composition, usually suggest more extreme shifts in content, emotion, or action.
Filmmakers often will show a fi lm for several minutes with fairly constant, harmoniously
designed images until the moment when something that will change the story happens, like
when the villain appears. When the villain appears his color may be different, the shapes
and tones in the background could go from horizontal to diagonal, the camera angle may
be very low for the fi rst time in the fi lm, and the lighting might be harsh with strong shadows
after having been soft and even in earlier shots. It is important to avoid making strong
changes in the design from one shot to the next if the story does not have a strong thematic
or emotional shift on that shot.
Too Big of a Gap
Story clarity and continuity can fall apart if there is not enough information. Let's say a
character is walking down the street and then the scene cuts to that character inside a house
sitting in a chair.
This could work if the audience believes that time has passed and we are now in some new
place. However, if you want us to know that the character went into a particular house that
belongs to someone he knows who the character discovers is not at home..., you will
have to explain these things. The character may need to be seen walking up to and perhaps
into the house, searching for the other character, looking into several rooms and then sitting
down in the chair. As this character is looking for someone you may need to show him
walking through a bedroom door and then cut to a reverse shot showing the character's
face looking around inquisitively. Then you may need to show the character's point of view
revealing what he sees and does not see as he looks. After that it may be necessary to show
