Framing: |
|
framing
From a technical standpoint, the witness photographer and film director rely on numerous factors to frame an event. The frames, whether implicit or direct, serve a rhetorical purpose. As Butler points out, “Even the most transparent of documentary images is framed, and framed for a purpose, carrying that purpose within its frame, and implementing it through the frame” (70). Bordwell and Thompson illuminate the role of the photographer and function of framing in moving film to create the mise-en-shot (literally, “the things the in the shot”). “The frame is not a neutral border; it imposes a certain vantage point” by defining the size, shape, height, distance, and angle of the shot (182). Significantly, the frame defines onscreen and off-screen space (182).
The term photography literally means “writing in light” whereas cinematography builds upon this by adding movement; the photograph stands alone while a film is, quite literally, a series of photographs (162). The framing of a shot relies on the positioning of the lens in terms of angle (i.e. high, low, straight on), level (parallel to the horizon or tipped), height (i.e. high, low, straight on), and distance (extreme long shot, long shot, medium long shot, medium shot, medium close-up, close-up, and extreme close-up) (190-1).
The aperture and shutter operate in tandem as light passes through the lens in order to capture the shot. The aperture absorbs light from the scene through an opening, hole, or gap, and the lens creates a depth of field between itself and an object of focus to compose a foreground and background of the shot (172). Lighting is integral to the mise-en-shot (literally “things in the shot”) because it develops highlights and shadows to create a sense of spatial relations among people and objects (126). Hard light creates “defined shadows, crisp textures, and sharp edges” whereas soft light refers to “diffused illumination” (126). Exposure refers to the amount of light that passes through the lens when the shutter snaps.
Shutter speed refers to the amount of time a shutter is open (165) In photography, a slow shutter speed is usually more appropriate for still shots such as portraits and landscapes whereas a fast shutter speed is more appropriate for action shots. However, a photographer may opt to use a slower shutter speed for an action shot to create a blurred effect, which is sometimes very effective for conveying movement in the shot. Robert Capa’s images taken on Omaha Beach during D-day demonstrate the chaos of the moment through the blurred shots; the viewer can almost feel the men struggling to move through the water. In film, speed of motion refers to the rate of motion and rate of projection, or “frames per second” (165). An action packed scene moves more quickly, whereas a scene meant to create tension might use slow motion. In Saving Private Ryan, the first twenty minutes of the film uses an incredible speed of motion: a reported 24 frames per second (Stripek 1). This film is also well known for using a 45 degree shutter and extremely fast shutter speed in order to create crisp frames bordering on virtual reality (1). All of these elements come together to create six zones: the space beyond the four edges of the frame, the space behind frame, and the space behind the camera (187). Therefore, how we perceive an event has everything to do with the manner in which it is “framed” by the person looking through the viewfinder and anyone who edits the image after the shot has been taken.
It is not only important to consider technical aspects of the frame but to think about the underlying structures which shape it—i.e. the “framing of the frame” (74). According to Butler, “The frame functions not only as a boundary to the image, but as structuring the image itself . . . not only what it shows, but how it shows what it shows” (71). What are the larger structures which underlie the frame? In what ways do these larger structures reveal a “normalizing effect” in terms of the way we view such concepts as “race” and “civilization” (74)? Butler points out that frames establish norms, and these norms govern “which lives count as human and as living, and which do not” (74). This also relates to the “when” and “where” factor. Geographically, where are our cameras fixated, and how does this reflect military directives and U.S. interests? Who determines the extent to which we visually witness war? How do you raise political consciousness when everything we visually witness in the news is operated by those with political and economic power?
The term photography literally means “writing in light” whereas cinematography builds upon this by adding movement; the photograph stands alone while a film is, quite literally, a series of photographs (162). The framing of a shot relies on the positioning of the lens in terms of angle (i.e. high, low, straight on), level (parallel to the horizon or tipped), height (i.e. high, low, straight on), and distance (extreme long shot, long shot, medium long shot, medium shot, medium close-up, close-up, and extreme close-up) (190-1).
The aperture and shutter operate in tandem as light passes through the lens in order to capture the shot. The aperture absorbs light from the scene through an opening, hole, or gap, and the lens creates a depth of field between itself and an object of focus to compose a foreground and background of the shot (172). Lighting is integral to the mise-en-shot (literally “things in the shot”) because it develops highlights and shadows to create a sense of spatial relations among people and objects (126). Hard light creates “defined shadows, crisp textures, and sharp edges” whereas soft light refers to “diffused illumination” (126). Exposure refers to the amount of light that passes through the lens when the shutter snaps.
Shutter speed refers to the amount of time a shutter is open (165) In photography, a slow shutter speed is usually more appropriate for still shots such as portraits and landscapes whereas a fast shutter speed is more appropriate for action shots. However, a photographer may opt to use a slower shutter speed for an action shot to create a blurred effect, which is sometimes very effective for conveying movement in the shot. Robert Capa’s images taken on Omaha Beach during D-day demonstrate the chaos of the moment through the blurred shots; the viewer can almost feel the men struggling to move through the water. In film, speed of motion refers to the rate of motion and rate of projection, or “frames per second” (165). An action packed scene moves more quickly, whereas a scene meant to create tension might use slow motion. In Saving Private Ryan, the first twenty minutes of the film uses an incredible speed of motion: a reported 24 frames per second (Stripek 1). This film is also well known for using a 45 degree shutter and extremely fast shutter speed in order to create crisp frames bordering on virtual reality (1). All of these elements come together to create six zones: the space beyond the four edges of the frame, the space behind frame, and the space behind the camera (187). Therefore, how we perceive an event has everything to do with the manner in which it is “framed” by the person looking through the viewfinder and anyone who edits the image after the shot has been taken.
It is not only important to consider technical aspects of the frame but to think about the underlying structures which shape it—i.e. the “framing of the frame” (74). According to Butler, “The frame functions not only as a boundary to the image, but as structuring the image itself . . . not only what it shows, but how it shows what it shows” (71). What are the larger structures which underlie the frame? In what ways do these larger structures reveal a “normalizing effect” in terms of the way we view such concepts as “race” and “civilization” (74)? Butler points out that frames establish norms, and these norms govern “which lives count as human and as living, and which do not” (74). This also relates to the “when” and “where” factor. Geographically, where are our cameras fixated, and how does this reflect military directives and U.S. interests? Who determines the extent to which we visually witness war? How do you raise political consciousness when everything we visually witness in the news is operated by those with political and economic power?