Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 12.9 The “center” of this composition is the balance between the street on the right , the
peaked rooftop to left of center, and the street corner at lower left (Render courtesy of Dwight
Cornel)
a point, after which it is a subjective measure. If your subject is outside of the frame,
it is a weak composition. If your subject is unclear, even if it is in the frame, it might
be a weak or a strong composition, depending on your goals. If you want the subject
to be unclear initially because you plan to reveal it later, this may be an acceptable
composition. If it must be clear and it isn't, then it could be weak. Alternatively,
regardless of your goals, if the composition is interesting and exciting it might be
strong even if it fails to satisfy all of your goals.
Your subject should be framed in the center of your frame. The subject should
not pass outside of the frame (Fig. 12.9 ). The trick to accomplishing both of these
goals is to identify what the subject is. This is not as obvious as it might sound. If
you are rendering a character in a movie, is the “subject” the character itself, or the
character's relationship to the environment? There are many different things to
focus on in any given situation, and those “things” may not be whole objects, but
radically cropped objects that frame actions, thoughts, or emotions. It is these last
three items that are the subjects, not the physical objects you see in the frame. The
subject is the substance of the idea your image is meant to convey.
An artist might react by saying that the character on the screen really is the subject.
If that is so, then what about the character makes it the subject? Is it because the
character is being introduced to viewers? If this is the case, in what way is it best
introduced? What kind of character is it? These kinds of questions will elicit answers
that lead to radically different compositions.
Once the subject is known, it should be fairly easy to compose an image that cen-
ters it in the frame, but this is not always the case. Depending on what is in your scene,
you may have to modify your camera to include those things that are relevant to your
Search WWH ::




Custom Search