Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Contrast
Contrast in design
describes how much your foreground subject “pops” from the back-
ground. As you can see in Figure 1.5, when you create an area in your frame that contains
little variation in color and light, the image seems flat and uneventful. Using dark shad-
ows and light highlights increases the perceived depth in the image and helps pop out the
subject from the background. Animating contrast can help increase or decrease the depth
of your frame.
As you'll see in Chapter 10, light plays an important role in creating dynamic contrasts
within your frame.
Figure 1.5
With low contrast,
the subject seems to
disappear into the
background. If you
add shadows and
highlights, the sub-
ject pops out.
Color
Your use of color also plays a big part in creating impact in your frame. As stated earlier,
warm colors tend to advance toward you, and cooler colors seem to recede into the frame.
Placing a warm color on a subject on a cool background creates a nice color contrast to
help the dynamics of your frame.
Colors opposite each other on the color wheel are
complementary
colors and usually
clash when put together. Using complementary colors can create a wide variation of con-
trast in your scene.
narrative
A
narrative film
is a film that tells a story of a hero, called a
protagonist,
and that hero's
struggle against an
antagonist
. Even in the most abstract concept, there can be a perceived
journey: a change that somehow occurs, even if it's a change in the viewer as they view
the imagery.
