Space

Cinematography and Visual space

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.

Up/Down Position

Contrast and Affinity

• The greater the contrast in a visual component, the more the visual intensity or dynamic increases. The greater the affinity in a visual component, the more the visual intensity or dynamic decreases.

Simply stated

• Contrast= Greater Visual Intensity • Affinity = Less Visual Intensity

Affinity of Space

Affinity of space

• A surface division divides the frame in half and both halves are flat space. Although the frame is divided, both halves are spatially similar, creating an affinity of space.

• Affinity of space represented in these two

shots which are both flat.

Flat Space

Contrast of Space

Contrast of Space

• The surface division separates the deep and flat halves of the picture.

Deep Space

Four Types of Space

• Deep Space• Flat Space • Limited Space • Ambiguous Space

Flat Space

Flat Space

• Flat space is not an illusion. Flat space emphasises the two-dimensional quality of the screen surface.

• The walls are frontal, and there are no

longitudinal planes or converging lines. Actors are staged on the same horizontal plane, they are the same size.

Deep Space

Deep Space

• Deep space gives the illusion of a three dimensional picture on a two-dimensional screen surface. There are several longitudinal planes, one-point perspective, shape change, size difference, colour separation, tonal separation, up/down position.

Limited Space

Limited Space

• Limited Space the depth cues in the shot include size change, up/down position and tonal separation. There are no longitudinal planes, only frontal surfaces.

Ambiguous Space

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 relationship in the shot.