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Framing someone out of a frame


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Hey all,

 

I was watching the show Prime Suspect, and something that they seem to LOVE to do is to do an over the shoulder shot but frame the subject in focus 1/4 to 1/2 out of the frame.. cutting them in half, essentially.

 

I assume since this is a network TV show that it isn't just sloppy cinematography, it must be a choice to get a certain effect.

 

Is there any specific type of emotion or effect that framing a shot like this is supposed to elicit?

Edited by Tyler Leisher
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Knowing nothing about the show, I assume it's 4:3 center extraction from network TV. Unfortunately, when they went to digital broadcast of television, to save space I guess, the SD signal is pulled from the center of the HD. So it's like the early days of VHS without pan-and-scan all over again.

 

Do yourself a favor and get an HD TV if you want to talk about cinematography in general, not that they aren't still f***ed when it comes to having to frame with the center in mind. And 16:9 was supposed to fix this! Same problem, just biased in favor of the opposite aspect ratio now.

 

 

One small positive, I saw "Soldier" on Starz/Encore in HD the other day and they preserved the 2.35:1 aspect; at the same time, it is very possible the movie's poor box office numbers didn't give it a budget for a pan-and-scan for the HD telecine.

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Knowing nothing about the show, I assume it's 4:3 center extraction from network TV. Unfortunately, when they went to digital broadcast of television, to save space I guess, the SD signal is pulled from the center of the HD. So it's like the early days of VHS without pan-and-scan all over again.

 

Do yourself a favor and get an HD TV if you want to talk about cinematography in general, not that they aren't still f***ed when it comes to having to frame with the center in mind. And 16:9 was supposed to fix this! Same problem, just biased in favor of the opposite aspect ratio now.

 

 

One small positive, I saw "Soldier" on Starz/Encore in HD the other day and they preserved the 2.35:1 aspect; at the same time, it is very possible the movie's poor box office numbers didn't give it a budget for a pan-and-scan for the HD telecine.

 

I do have a HDTV, 16:9... I'd hate to see how it looked on a 4:3 cropped TV, the people wouldn't even be on the screen.

 

I'll try to take a screenshot or photo of it to show what I'm talking about though.

 

Additionally I should mention, I'm talking about the new show on NBC.

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Please don't take offense to this, but you don't have stretch ("full" screen") on, right? You have the HD feed, not the standard-def. camera distorted to fill the frame, correct?

 

 

 

I tend to be looked at as the family a$$hole for going and setting all the televisions from FULL to NORMAL aspects in standard def. mode. I tell them I am only doing my job as a cinematographer B)

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Please don't take offense to this, but you don't have stretch ("full" screen") on, right? You have the HD feed, not the standard-def. camera distorted to fill the frame, correct?

 

 

 

I tend to be looked at as the family a$$hole for going and setting all the televisions from FULL to NORMAL aspects in standard def. mode. I tell them I am only doing my job as a cinematographer B)

 

You and me both bud.

 

But seriously, sounds like Borowski's got it nailed. HD signals are totally diluted and F'd, and the displays are more so.

 

If you want to see some deliberately interesting framing in a TV series, check out John Adams. Nearly every shot is on a dutch.

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