Composition

Composition

Composition isn’t unique to film and television shooting. Painters, sculptors, photographers, graphic designers, and other artists all have to understand composition.

But film and television are a little different. For example, shooters are locked in to the dimensions of the screen (usually 16x9).

NOT GOING TO HAPPEN

Don’t hold your breath waiting for VBN (Vertical Basketball Network). TV shows and movies are always going to be horizontal media. So it’s important to learn the rules of composition that are unique to TV and film—as well as the more general basics.

A photographer can rotate her camera and get a vertical shot, but a filmmaker can’t because no one is going to remount their TV set vertically.