Introduction to Composition in Media Studies

1. Composition
• Look at the painting you group has been given
– Can you identify the main focus/subject of the
image?
– What clues help you to identify them?
– Are there any shapes hidden in the composition?
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Connect

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4. Composition
• Composition is all about HOW a shot is laid out – it is
a TECHNICAL CODE
• The photographer or cinematographer will spend
time carefully positioning the subject and the shot to
encode messages
• There are some basic elements of composition you
need to know for analysis of a text
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Develop

5. CW MEDIA Language 24/09/2015
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Learning Objective:
To know what is meant by the terms
Media Language
Learning Outcome Level
All: Will understand the key term – Media Language 1
Most: Will be able to use the terms correctly to describe media texts 2
Some: Will be able to identify links between Denotation & Connotation 3

6. Key Concepts in Media
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M ediaLanguage
I nstitution
G enre
R epresentation
A udience
I deologies
N arrative
E conomical, social,politicscontext

7. Rule of Thirds
• Mentally divide your viewfinder into thirds horizontally and vertically.
• Lines of interest should occur at 1/3 or 2/3 of the way up (or across) the
frame, rather than at the center.
• In shots of people, the main line of interest is the imaginary line going
through the subject's eyes. So try to place the eyes about 1/3 from the top
of the screen.

8. Framing
• Look for natural "frames" within your scene.
• Also, beware of horizontal and vertical lines in the frame (edges of
buildings, counter tops, picture frames, and so forth). Make sure the
horizontal lines are level and the vertical lines are straight up and down.

9. Balance
• There are two main forms of balance:
• Symmetrical balance creates a formal appearance.
• Asymmetrical balance creates a feeling of movement and suggests a
creative and dynamic mood.
• Use the form of balance that is most appropriate for your subject.

10. Depth of Field
• Depth of Field is the amount of a photograph
which is in acceptably sharp focus from the
foreground to the background
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Everything in
focus
Main subject in
focus – background
blurred but
recognisable
Main subject in focus
– background totally
blurred
Deep Focus Shallow Focus Very Shallow
Focus

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12. For an answer…
• The advert for …… uses a ______________ camera
shot and a _________ angle
The Focus is _________________
The Layout uses the rule of thirds by______________
• These technical codes can connote_________ and
________ which is positive for the brand image
because__________________
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