1.

Story:
Building blocks of plot, character, and dialogue

[Link]:
Building blocks of dialogue, sound effects, and music

What is the 3rd block?

3. building blocks for all visuals are the basic visual components
The Basic Visual Components

space, line, shape, tone, color, movement, and rhythm

A visual component communicates moods, emotions, ideas, and most importantly, gives visual structure to the pictures.

We will discuss the basic visual components in relation to television, computer, and movie screens.

LINE AND SHAPE

TONE

COLOR

MOVEMENT

RHYTHM
 Understanding and Controlling Visual Components

These are our cast of characters, the basic visual components: space, line, shape, tone, color, movement, and rhythm.
Visual structure is based on an understanding of the Principle of Contrast &
Affinity.
What is contrast?

Contrast means difference ?

Tone refers to the brightness of objects. Tone can be organized using a grey scale. Contrast of tone means two
shades of grey that are as different in terms of brightness as possible. The two grey tones with maximum contrast or
difference are the black square and the white square. A picture illustrating maximum contrast of tone would use
only black and white tones.
 What is affinity?

Affinity means similarity.

Any grey tones next to each other on the grey scale have affinity. A picture illustrating maximum affinity of tone would
use a limited portion of the grey scale.
Space

Space is a complex visual component. It not only defines the screen where all the other visual components are seen, but
space itself has several subcomponents that must be explained.

Deep Space

Deep space is the illusion of a three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional screen surface.

There is never real depth because the screen upon which the picture exists is only two-dimensional.
The audience believes they see depth on a two-dimensional screen because of depth cues.

Deep space, the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface, is created and controlled using the depth cues. Depth
cues are visual elements that create the illusion of depth.

Films to watch :Touch of Evil (1958)

Deep space, the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface, is created and controlled using the depth cues. Depth cues
are visual elements that create the illusion of depth.

The plane’s top and bottom lines are parallel and its left and right side lines are parallel. This is a frontal plane.
This is the simplest type of perspective.
Using the same wall, the viewer’s position can be moved, revealing the depth cue
of perspective.

V
P

The lines along the top and bottom of the plane now appear to meet or converge
at a single point called a vanishing point or VP.
Usually the vanishing point appears on the horizon, although it can appear
anywhere. This creates a longitudinal plane, an extremely important cue to illusory
depth. The longitudinal plane appears to have depth. One side of the plane looks
farther away even though it exists on this flat paper surface.
Two-Point Perspective
The next, more complex, level is two-point perspective, which uses two vanishing points. There are several ways
that two-point perspective can be produced, shown here:

This longitudinal plane still has only one vanishing point. Additional lines have
been added to the plane to make the convergence more obvious.
The longitudinal plane can be given a second vanishing point. If the viewing position
is raised or lowered, the sides of the longitudinal plane no longer remain parallel.

There are two vanishing points. The plane’s top and bottom lines converge to one
vanishing point located to the left of the frame. The sides of the plane converge to
a second vanishing point located above the frame.
Two vanishing points can also be generated using two separate longitudinal surfaces.

Commonly, this occurs at the corners of buildings. The top and bottom lines of
each longitudinal plane converge to separate vanishing points.
Inverting the two longitudinal planes reveals another example of two-point
perspective.
Three-Point Perspective
Three-point perspective is more complex than one- or two-point perspective.

One vanishing point will appear above the building. The second and third
vanishing points will appear along the horizon line to the building’s left
and right.
 flat, frontal plane

When the camera is lowered and tilted up, the actor becomes a longitudinal plane. This also occurs when the camera is
raised and tilted down at the actor.
 The audience’s attention will usually be drawn to any on-screen vanishing point.

In this picture the viewer’s attention is drawn to the actor, but it’s also drawn to the vanishing point between the two walls.
Size Difference
As an object of known size gets smaller, it appears farther away. As an object of known size gets larger, it appears closer.

This shot has depth because the three people have been staged
on three separate planes.
Object Movement
An object is anything in front of the camera: a person, an animal, a basketball, a chair, a car, a boat, a beam of light; it makes
no difference.

There are only two basic directions that an object in the real world can move in
front of the camera. The object can either move parallel or perpendicular to the
picture plane

Movement parallel to the picture plane can be left-right, up-down, diagonal, or

in a circular direction.

A single object moving parallel to the picture plane cannot create depth, but
deep space is created on a flat screen surface when two or more objects in
different planes move parallel to the picture plane.
This example shows two track runners (one in the FG and one in the BG)
at a starting line. Both runners will begin running at the same time parallel
to the picture plane, and move at identical speeds. But the FG runner will
appear to move across the picture plane faster than the BG runner, even
though both runners actually travel the same distance.
As an object moves at a constant speed toward the camera it appears to
increase in speed. Conversely, as an object moves away from the camera
it appears to slow down. This change in apparent speed is the depth cue
produced by movement perpendicular to the picture plane. For example,
as an airplane taxis down a runway and takes off, it actually gains speed,
but it appears to slow down as it flies away into the distance.
Camera Movement

There are three camera moves that create relative movement and illusory depth. These moves are the dolly in/out, the track
left/right, and the boom up/down. It doesn’t matter how the camera is being moved (by dolly, crane, car, helicopter, special
mechanical rigs, or simply hand-held)—the same basic principles apply.

As the camera dollies in, the FG actor will get larger faster than the two actors in the BG. This is due to the relative distances
of the FG and BG actors from the camera.
 Shape Change
An object’s shape change is perceived as a cue to illusory depth. Shape change can occur on moving objects or stationary
(nonmoving) objects.

A cup, for example, changes shape as it turns or as the camera moves

around it. From table height, it appears as a rectangle but when viewed
from above it’s a circle.
 Tonal Separation

Tone refers to black and white and the gray scale. The gray scale contains no color. It’s a series of tonal steps from black to white

Even with two objects of identical size, a viewer will usually see the brighter
object as closer and the darker object as farther away .
Color Separation

Colors can be used as a depth cue by classifying them into warm and cool groups. The warm colors are red, orange, and yellow,
and the cool colors are blue and green. “Color,” elaborates on this list and explains the complexities of color more fully.

Warm colors usually seem closer to the viewer and cool colors appear farther away.
Up/Down Position

The vertical location of objects in the frame affects their apparent distance from the viewer. Objects higher in the frame
appear farther away, and objects lower in the frame seem closer.

Even though these two people are the same size, a viewer
will perceive the person lower in the frame to be more in
the FG.
Overlap
When one object overlaps another, illusory depth is created.

The overlapping objects create more depth than the objects without overlap. In most cases, overlap is a minor depth
cue. The overlapping objects must display other major depth cues before the actual overlap adds much illusory depth.
Focus
Focus refers to the sharpness of objects in a picture.

As a depth cue goes out of focus, it loses its deep space characteristics and becomes flat or limited space
Frontal Planes

Perspective, converging lines, and vanishing points must be eliminated in flat space.

Planes must be frontal, not longitudinal

The frontal plane emphasizes the two-dimensionality of the screen surface

Size Constancy

To emphasize the flatness or two-dimensionality of the screen, all similarly sized objects should be kept the same size and
staged on the same frontal plane.
Object Movement

In flat space, objects move parallel to the picture plane.

Camera Movement

There are three camera moves that maintain flat space because they do not create relative movement:

the pan, the tilt, and the zoom.

The camera pan creates flat space

When the camera pans, all objects in the frame keep their relative positions to one another
The tilt is the second flat space camera move.

Tilting moves the camera on a vertical axis. There is no relative movement

created with a tilt
the zoom

A zoom is not really a camera move, but it is the flat

space equivalent of the deep space dolly

A zoom creates flat space for a number of reasons. Most

importantly, the camera is not physically moving, so there will
be no relative movement. A zoom-in enlarges everything in the
frame at exactly the same rate of speed
The FG, MG, and BG grow larger in unison as if everything in
the picture existed on a single, flat plane.

Relative movement is eradicated

A zoom-in also alters the focal length of the lens, changing it

from a wider angle to a telephoto lens
Textural Diffusion

Objects without texture look farther away, and

heavily textured objects appear closer. To
achieve flat space, avoid these differences
because it creates depth.

Maintaining flat space by manipulating FG and

BG texture is difficult, but avoiding heavily
textured FG objects can aid in maintaining flat
space.

Normally, objects with more textural detail

appear closer. If BG objects are given more
textural detail, they tend to move forward or
advance into the FG. FG objects that lack
textural detail will tend to recede into the BG.
Tonal Separation

Tone refers to the grey scale. Maintaining flat space

requires a reduction of the grey scale range within
the picture. Remember, brighter objects usually
appear closer and darker objects seem farther away.

The depth cue of tonal separation suggests that brighter

objects appear closer and darker objects appear farther
away. Reversing this rule by placing brighter objects in
the BG and darker objects in the FG flattens the space.
The brighter BG objects will visually advance and the
darker FG objects will recede. When the FG recedes
and the BG advances, the space flattens.
Color Separation

The warm/cool color range must be reduced to maintain flat space.

Since cool colors (green and blue) recede and warm colors (red, orange, and yellow) advance, flat space can be emphasized
by reducing color to only warm or only cool colors.

As a depth cue, warmer colors advance and cooler colors recede. Placing warmer colors in the BG and cooler colors in the
FG can flatten space. The warmer colors in the BG will advance, bringing the BG plane forward, and the cooler FG colors
will recede, pushing the FG into the BG. The FG and BG planes will appear to merge rather than separate.
Up/Down Position

The position of objects relative to the frame can help create flat space.

Keeping all the objects on the

same frontal plane maintains flat
space.

Since larger objects appear closer

and smaller objects seem farther
away, the depth cue can be
reversed. If larger objects are
placed in the BG and smaller
objects in the FG, the space of the
picture will flatten.
Overlap

Ideally, in flat space, objects should not overlap, because overlap suggests depth. Completely removing overlap in the creation
of flat space is impossible, because every shot has a background and any object appearing in front of that background
produces overlap. Overlap can be reduced with a careful arrangement and staging of objects in the frame, but its elimination
is impossible.

Focus

Once any object is out of focus, it becomes flat. It

doesn’t matter if the object is in the FG, MG, or BG, it
flattens when it becomes blurred. . FG, MG, and BG
objects will often blend into one flat plane when they
are out of focus. Occasionally, the out-of-focus plane
will read as a flat BG plane.
Limited Space

Limited space is a specific combination of deep and flat space cues. Limited space uses all the depth cues except two:

Longitudinal planes. The deep space

longitudinal planes are replaced with flat frontal
planes.

Object movement perpendicular to the picture

plane. Movement toward or away from the
camera must be reduced or eliminated. Objects
should move only parallel to the picture plane.
Limited space requires physical and visual separation between the frontal planes. There’s a great difference between
physical separation and visual separation. Limited space requires both. Two objects may be extremely far apart physically
but when seen through a camera, they may appear close together.

In this version of the same shot, the BG actor and the

In this picture there is a clear visual separation depth cues have been removed. The BG wall is no
between the MG and the BG because of the depth longer visually separated from the MG. This picture is
cues. not limited, it has become flat.
 M
F B
G
G G

The quality of limited space is similar to looking through a series of visually well-separated FG, MG, and BG sheets of
glass. If the glass sheets appear too close together, it produces flat space. If the glass sheets are visually well separated,
limited space is produced.
Ambiguous Space

Ambiguous space occurs when the viewer is unable to

understand the actual size or spatial relationships of
objects in the picture.
Most pictures are not ambiguous. Usually pictures
contain visual information that reveals the subject, the
actual size of objects, and the camera’s location in
relation to the subject. This kind of picture creates
recognizable space.

Lack of movement. Sometimes objects must move

before a viewer can understand the object and its
surrounding space.
Objects of unknown size or shape. The actual size
relationship between objects can be purposefully
manipulated to trick the viewer. Size relationships
between unfamiliar objects can create confusion.
Tonal and texture patterns (camouflage).
Space can become impossible to define because the
deep or flat space cues are disguised.

Mirrors and reflections.

Multiple images can disorient the viewer, making it
difficult to understand the location of objects in an
environment.
 Comparing the Four Space Types

The first version uses deep space. The picture still exists on a two-dimensional surface but it has an illusion of
depth. There are several longitudinal planes, one-point perspective, shape change, size difference, textural
diffusion, color separation, tonal separation, and up/down position. The camera will crane down and dolly in as
the FG actor walks perpendicular to the picture plane.
This is flat space. The walls are frontal, and there are no longitudinal planes or converging lines. The actors are staged on
the same horizontal plane; they’re the same size, they have the same amount of textural detail, and any movement will be
parallel to the picture plane. The camera will zoom or dolly parallel to the frontal wall plane.
This third version is limited space. The depth cues in this shot include size change, textural diffusion, up/down
position and tonal separation, but there are no longitudinal planes, only frontal surfaces. Eliminating longitudinal
surfaces is critical to creating limited space.
In the fourth version, the picture illustrates ambiguous space. The lights are off in the hall, some stray light illuminates the
stairs, and the two actors are somewhere in the dark. The picture is ambiguous because it’s impossible to tell the actual
size and spatial relationships in the shot..
 Controlling Space During Production
Creating Deep Space

1. Emphasize longitudinal planes. Any wall, floor, or ceiling can create a longitudinal plane. Keep frontal planes
out of the shot because they’re flat. Including longitudinal planes is the most important way to create deep space.
2. Stage objects perpendicular to the picture plane (toward or away from the camera). This is commonly called
staging in depth. Arrange the objects emphasizing size change. Objects in the FG should be larger and objects in
the BG should be much smaller. Keep movement perpendicular to the picture plane to emphasize size change,
textural diffusion change, and movement in depth.
3. Move the camera. Get a dolly, a crane, or hand-hold the camera but keep it moving as much as possible. Be
sure to motivate the camera moves by linking them to object movement or dramatic purpose. Dollying in and out,
tracking left and right, and craning up and down create relative movement.
4. Take advantage of tonal separation. Light scenes with more tonal contrast. Make objects in the FG brighter
than objects in the BG.
5. Use a wide angle lens. A wide angle lens has a wider field of view and a greater ability to include more depth
cues in the picture. Wide angle lenses also have a greater depth of field than other lenses. Depth of field refers to
the area in front of the lens that is in acceptably sharp focus. Objects must be in focus if they’re going to be used
as depth cues.
 Creating Flat Space

1. Eliminate perspective. Remove all longitudinal planes and emphasize frontal planes.
2. Stage objects parallel to the picture plane. Keep the objects in the picture on a single, frontal plane
so that they remain the same size. Keep movement parallel to the picture plane (this is sometimes called
flat staging). If objects move perpendicular to the picture plane, use telephoto lenses to minimize the
depth cues.
3. Remove relative movement. Don’t use a dolly or crane for camera movement unless the dolly
moves parallel to frontal planes. A tripod and a zoom lens may be all you need because the camera
should tilt and pan only to maintain flat space. Zooming will keep the space flat but if you hate the zoom
lens, don’t use one.
4. Reduce tonal/color separation. It will be important to reduce tonal contrast and condense the grey
scale. The production designer should reduce the tonal range of the set to one third of the grey scale.
Color should be limited to all warm or all cool colors. Reversing the depth cue of color and tonal
separation can further enhance the flat space.
5. Use telephoto lenses. A longer, telephoto lens excludes depth cues because of the lens’s narrow field
of view. The longer lens will require objects to be staged farther away from the camera, eliminating the
depth cues of size difference and textural diffusion
6. Let objects blur. A shallow depth of field will allow the backgrounds to go out of focus. Blurred objects
eliminate depth and emphasize flat space.