Composition Scavenger Hunt

The first example of a framing device that I found was the rule of thirds: left, center, right. This image came from the film, Mystery Train. This shot is an obvious example of this framing device with each of the characters clearly occupying either the left center or right areas of the shot. This scene happens shortly after "Elvis" (left) shoots a store clerk. The fact that all of the characters are given equal screen space shows that while not all of them are responsible for what happened, they are all guilty, or would be found so if caught. Whatever the reason for their situation they are in it together.

The next compositional technique I found was deep space composition. This shot comes from a film called Stranger Than Paradise. The use of deep focus here is clearly evident. Both of the major elements of this shot, the woman and the airport, are separated by a large distance. As I haven't seen the movie I can't say for sure what the emotional element is. But from looking at the still, it seems pretty obvious that the airport is where the woman wants to go, but that for some reason she is unable to get there. But then as I haven't seen the film I could be completely wrong.

Next is lead room. This still from Stranger Than Paradise is pretty self explanatory. The woman is walking to what the viewer sees as left, and, as is typical for a shot of someone walking, the camera places her on the right of the screen, giving her lead room. This shot doesn't say much emotionally or psychologically; she could be walking anywhere for any reason. It's difficult to determine much from a shot like this without a little more context.

Next is symmetrical balance, and it doesn't get much more symmetrical than this. This shot from Mystery Train contains two characters sitting opposite each other, doing the same thing, even sitting in similar positions. Even the view outside the window is symmetrical, even though they are sitting across from one another and not looking at each other, the fact that they are the only two people in the frame, and that they have equally spaced within the frame shows that they are both of equal importance in the film. And the fact that they are both listening to the same music device shows that they are traveling together, rather than having met by coincidence. 

This still from Down By Law was the best example of the rule of thirds: top, center, bottom that I could find. It would also work as a left, right, center, however if you use the grid mentioned on the dvd, you can see that each of the characters faces is positioned on either the top, center, or bottom area of the shot. As for the emotional impact of the shot, the positioning of the characters could give some insight into their relative importance within the movie. The fact that the man on the right is more prominently shown in the frame suggests that he is the most important, or even the "leader" of the three.