Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
To viewers, positive space tends to proceed forward from the frame, whereas negative
space recedes. Playing with the position of positive and negative space greatly affects the
dynamics of your frame.
Design a static frame in which the objects are all centered and evenly spaced, and your
viewers will wonder why they're looking at your composition. Arrange the composition
so that your subjects occupy more interesting areas of the frame in which they play with
negative space, and the eye is drawn all over the frame, creating a dynamic composition.
This principle applies to still images as well as to animation.
In the tutorial in Chapter 10, you'll use light and shadow to turn a still life of fruit into
a dynamic and interestingly composed frame.
Balance and Symmetry
Balance in a frame suggests an even amount of positive space from one side of the frame
to the other. A frame that is heavier on one side can create a more dynamic composition.
Symmetrical objects in a frame are mirrored from one side to another and create a
certain static balance in the frame. An asymmetrical composition, therefore, denotes
movement in the composition.
A popular technique used by painters, photographers, and cinematographers is called
framing in thirds . With this technique, the frame is divided into a grid of thirds verti-
cally and horizontally. Interesting parts of the frame, or focal points of the subjects, are
placed at strategic locations in the grid. Placing your subject in the lower third makes it
seem small or insignificant, static, or even boring. Placing it in the upper third makes
the image more dynamic, magnifying its perceived scale or importance, and even tells a
better story. Figure 1.4 illustrates the difference between a static, symmetric frame and a
frame based on thirds.
Figure 1.4
A purely sym-
metrical frame looks
static; the boy seems
still with nowhere to
go. Framing in thirds
helps create or
heighten a sense of
motion, giving space
for the boy to run.
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