Visual Language 101
#02
DL-847_YR1
3D Animation
S1-01-01
20/09/26
Composition
The relationship between elements(s) and their frame

Weekly Assignment #01

Secret Emotional Shapes

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Weekly Assignment #01//Secret Emotional Shapes

Secret Emotional Shapes

We are now going to respond to one another’s work with a single written word. Whatever emotion, idea or feeling jumps out to you the most.

Firstly we will present our body of work as best we can.

If it is digital, then arrange your work on your screens so all 5 drawings can be seen.

If your work is traditional then arrange them on your desk as best you can.

Then we will go one by one around to each body of work and write our response and leave it at the desk.

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Composition

The relationship between elements(s) and their frame

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Composition//Composition

What is Composition?

Composition in it’s simplest form is how elements are arranged in a frame and how that changes the context of the image. How it shapes the meaning of the image.

Aspects of Composition to be mindful of:

  • Position: Is the subject high or low in the frame, in the middle or to the side?
  • Balance: Is the frame balanced? Symmetrical or Asymmetrical?
  • Positive & Negative Space: Is the subject filling the frame or being dwarfed by it?
  • Scale: How large is the subject in the frame?
  • Relationship: Is there another element in frame? What is their relationship to one another?
  • Contrast: Is there a juxtaposition happening in the frame?
  • Leading the Eye: Is there something in the frame that is leading the viewers eye?
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Composition in Film

Using the frame to tell a story

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Composition in Film//Negative Space
A tiny white shape floats alone on a vast expanse of dark, rippled water, seen from above
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Composition in Film//Negative Space
A single small astronaut figure drifts in the centre of a black, star-scattered frame
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Composition in Film//Leading the Viewers Eye
A figure in a pale robe stands at the foot of a diagonal shaft of light in a dark hall
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Composition in Film//Leading the Viewers Eye
An animated figure sits on a bed in a room where bands of coloured light fall across the walls and floor from a large window
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Composition in Film//Extreme Close
An extreme close-up of a man's eyes and furrowed brow
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Composition in Film//Close
A close-up of a young woman's freckled face and plaited hair against soft orange out-of-focus lights
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Composition in Film//Mid-Wide
Two men in suits, one in a wide-brimmed hat and one in a flat cap, stand side by side beside a red vintage car in a green landscape
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Composition in Film//Wide
An animated girl in red runs down a narrow, colourful city alley toward tall towers in the distance
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Composition in Film//Extreme Wide
A wide dusk shot of a frozen river and pine forest, with a tiny figure crouched at a small fire on the bank
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Composition in Film//Balance
A red corkboard covered in photos, maps and clippings linked by string, with a curly-haired figure seen from behind at the bottom
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Composition in Film//Balance
A symmetrical wide shot of a pale-blue room with tall windows, rows of people in white seated facing one person standing at the centre
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Composition in Film//Balance
Looking straight up through a circle of sky framed by tall, dark pine trees
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Composition in Film//Balance
A high-angle shot of a lit phone box beside a rain-swept road, with a figure at its door, in cold blue light
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Composition in Film//Balance
An extreme close-up of a woman's face in profile at the right, beside a large blurred red shape, in green tones
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Weekly Assignment #02

Secret Emotional Compositions

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Weekly Assignment #02//Secret Emotional Compositions

Secret Emotional Compositions

This weeks assignment is going to be very similar to last week, only this time you will focus your attention on utilising these Aspects of Composition to communicate your emotion.

Aspects of Composition
  • Position
  • Balance
  • Positive & Negative Space
  • Scale
  • Relationship
  • Contrast
  • Leading the Eye
  • Please use a landscape rectangular frame for this assignment, ie. 16:9 or 4:3 ratio. It doesn’t have to be absolutely exact.
  • Drawings should be hard black and white and use only simple primitive shapes (eg. Squares, Circles, Triangles, Rectangles etc.)
  • Sketch up ideas before drafting your drawing.
  • Spend Approx 20 mins max per drawing.
  • Try and use all the Aspects at least once if you can.
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