Justin Oakley Posted September 13, 2021 Share Posted September 13, 2021 I know there are certain fundamentals and rules in filmmaking. And I do understand that they can be broken from time to time…as long as they are understood. Look room is one example of a basic “rule” of framing and composition. But I’m wondering what this would be called (if there’s even a name for it) and in which circumstances it could be used. I’m watching this documentary on Netflix and I noticed a few of these shots. To be honest, they were a little bit annoying to look at. In each example here, there was nothing of significance in the background. And to my knowledge the story/sequence didn’t really have an air of suspense or claustrophobia or anything. I want to say I’ve seen stuff like this in the past but I’m sure the story actually called for it and I didn’t feel compelled to post on cinematography forums like “wtf is this about?!” I wonder if they made this framing choice like “whatever, we’re on Netflix. Let’s have a good time with it just because we can”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted September 13, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted September 13, 2021 It's often called "short-siding" -- it's useful in a story where paranoia is a theme, you see this sort of framing in "The Insider" for example as the main character thinks he is being watched or followed. It's useful when the background is ironic in some way, for example in "Manhattan" an outdoor cafe conversion is framed this way to show the happy couples in the background while the main characters are breaking off their relationship. I've also done it when the background is simply more interesting that way, like in a restaurant scene with a two people talking at a table against a wall, short-siding the close-ups keeps the busy, crowded restaurant in the background rather than a wall. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Oakley Posted September 13, 2021 Author Share Posted September 13, 2021 8 hours ago, David Mullen ASC said: It's often called "short-siding" -- it's useful in a story where paranoia is a theme, you see this sort of framing in "The Insider" for example as the main character thinks he is being watched or followed. It's useful when the background is ironic in some way, for example in "Manhattan" an outdoor cafe conversion is framed this way to show the happy couples in the background while the main characters are breaking off their relationship. I've also done it when the background is simply more interesting that way, like in a restaurant scene with a two people talking at a table against a wall, short-siding the close-ups keeps the busy, crowded restaurant in the background rather than a wall. Ahh, I see. Thanks. it totally makes sense. I do know that it serves a purpose. I would imagine it’s more effective for narrative stuff? along with this particular documentary, I recently saw some of the same short-siding in a documentary series on 9/11. It seemed arbitrary. People are telling these incredibly sad stories about that day, and it looked…kind of weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted September 13, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted September 13, 2021 Some examples of short-sided framing in "The Insider". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Oakley Posted September 13, 2021 Author Share Posted September 13, 2021 1 hour ago, David Mullen ASC said: Some examples of short-sided framing in "The Insider". Thanks for this. I can actually see is this makes sense. And it looks really good actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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