Finalising Notes on Framed Ink

Today I wanted to continue work on my essay, starting off I made some further notes on Framed Ink as I knew there were multiple sections I wanted to go over within the essay. Below are the notes I made while reading. 

The book introduces some core things to bare in mind when trying to create narrative art:

• What are we trying to tell the viewer?
• What mood do we want the viewer to be in?
• What function does it serve?
• How can the viewer be brought there?
• What in the art is contributing to what we want to tell the viewer?
• What can we leave out without changing what we are trying to say?

Show not tell, try to show the audience the atmosphere using colour, light etc.

Atmosphere

Expression, energy and mood can be more important than the accuracy of a subject. It can be a better way to give a sense of reality to a piece.

Lighting is a useful way to set the scene, it can change the way we perceive what is in front of us, helping to create completely different moods to scenes. Studying reality as what it is rather than what we know can be helpful, as an example, if light is shining on a face from one direction and the rest is cast in shadow, rather than trying to fill the blanks you would show what you can see. As lighting falls in different ways it can tell different stories about the subject.

Long or wide shots can help in establishing where we are, what is in the environment? Medium shots can also help in this but they limit interference with less important elements. Close ups showcase specific subjects with no other distractions, extreme close ups are a more intense version of this.

Using the rule of thirds can help when framing multiple elements in a scene, by placing the elements at the axes or the intersections it can make a piece more well balanced and interesting.

Both psychical lines and ‘linear motives’ can be used to give a different feel to a piece. Curved shapes usually are more subtle and peaceful whereas harsh lines are more dynamic and aggressive. Lines can also direct the viewers attention, shaping parts of the scene to gesture to a certain direction or to for a shape. 

Size can be used to make a scene more interesting and dynamic, making certain shapes small and some big, creating a contrast between the two. It can also be used to draw the viewer to what is more important, making that element the larger part of the piece. Perspective is also a useful tool for creating a scene that feels more real.

Screen direction can be used to portray different feelings, as we read left to right, actions going in this direction are familiar and often seen as positive. Whereas the opposite would imply difficulty. Elements in the background of the scene can also follow in these directions to reinforce the feeling. 

Purpose

The book goes on to show some examples of different scenes and how tweaking slight elements of what I have noted above about the scenes, they can offer a completely different feel.

Restaurant Scene

Image 1 - There is space between the characters which makes it feel like the conversation is open and positive. Being equally lit it also makes it feel balanced between the two.

Image 2 - Visually heavy elements being in the way does the opposite, and makes the dialogue seem heavy and intense. A dimly lit scene can add to this further.

Image 3 - One character in shadow and one in light can imply that one has good intentions and one does not.

Image 4 - If a character is lit in more contrasting lighting it draws the viewers eye, giving more visual relevance.

Establishing Scene

Image 1 - A single scene can convey multiple messages, the example given shows a soldier up close to the screen, this gives an idea of setting for the world and the upright symmetrical soldier gives an aura that the world is flat, unquestionable and harsh.

Image 2 - The second image shows a group of people talking by a car. The scene is a lot more relaxed in contrast, the smiles of the teenagers are clear in the shot and they are well lit. It creates an open mood, and implies that the viewer is about to be welcomed into the story.

Animating the Scene

Image 1 - In this scene lines of action are used to structure the piece, lines almost like a fan are used to guide where the characters are placed, showing a fluid motion. 

Image 2 - The next scene uses one point perspective and a wide-angle lens effect to show motion and height.

Looking Down

Image 1 - Lighting is very important in guiding the viewer, the lighting in the scene here is focused in on a suspect being interrogated by police, with the light focused on him the viewer focuses in on him over the rest of the characters within the scene.

Image 2 - In this shot the camera looks down on a single subject, a soldier within a swamp. The light is focused on him and the viewer can barely see what is around him, giving us a feeling of dread.

Overpowering Upshots

Image 1 - Shows two characters appearing to be on the lookout for something, the camera angle being from below makes them look imposing.

Image 2 - This scene shows a city with tall buildings, looking from below makes this scene feel overwhelming. 

Negative Space

Image 1 - While negative space is often the least important part of an image, it can also be used to solidify the intended message of the image. This image shows a thief looking at a treasure he wants to steal. The light focused in on the object and the character himself being almost entirely negative space, giving a mysterious and tense feeling. 

Image 2 - This scene shows three characters talking in the dark with a single light source, behind the light shining on the characters it is completely dark, the negative space allows the viewer to focus on the characters.

Order vs Chaos

Image 1 - This image shows a building or a series of buildings covered in windows, the building is completely uniform in the placement of the windows, making it appear very overpowering.

Image 2 - This image shows a building with windows of random shapes and sizes, but despite being more ‘chaotic’, it seems more human, and less intense. 

The ‘Tree vs. Forest’ Effect 

Image 1 - This image shows an implied mass of soldiers, the image doesn’t need to show us all the soldiers in detail, it is just implied that there are a huge number of them.

Image 2 - This image again only shows us part of the world, but enough is implied about the scene for the viewer to understand the area enough, leaving some parts a mystery.

Landscape As a Character

Image 1 - This image shows some trees by what appears to be a large rocky surface, in this section it is described how landscapes act like characters, they tell a different story depending on the camera, lighting and framing used. This first image, shows us a lot of detail with the framing and lighting, it is reassuring and not mysterious or unsettling.

Image 2 - The second image on the other hand of the same scene is set at night, and is almost completely in darkness, giving a feeling of unease and distress.

Weird Beats, Weird Shots

Image 1 - Scenes can be framed in a way to create a sense of foreshadowing, the example shown in this image is of a truck driving on a road, a streetlight directly in the centre of the frame. Making a symmetrical shot, with unimportant elements, can give this feeling of foreshadowing, building tension or uncertainty in a scene.

Image 2 - This scene shows part of a face surrounded by negative space, by leaving out full detail of who this character is and hiding any other indicators in the shot it makes the message of the scene unclear.

Composing For Continuity

P.77 details how contrast can be used to tell us different things about a story. Part 1 is a flat line of contrast, nothing to dramatic or intense, so a peaceful shot. In part 2 more contrasting parts are added into the scene, but nothing too complex or anything to suggest to the viewer what might be happening. Part 3 brings us close to a characters face within a scene so we can better see expressions and features. 

By gradually adding more abstract contrasting shapes and getting closer to the main subject, the scenes progressively changed in feeling, gradually becoming more tense. 

The next example given shows three shots of a train, part 1 shows a train at the same level as the camera, heading towards the viewer. Part 2 the train is significantly closer, overpowering the frame, part 3 shows the train inches away, the camera at a low and wide angle makes the image very dramatic and intense.

Characters

This section discusses the importance of silhouette, how it is one of the first stages in creating a character, and how using different shapes can not only make a character more recognisable by the shapes used in the silhouette but it can also showcase more of their personality. 

This isn’t just so for face shapes, but also for full body shots. The structure of the body and what the character wears can give a different feel, it changes the visual impact of the character p.100 If the same character is going to be wearing various outfits across a series of illustrations, an interesting hairstyle, tattoo or some unique element of their design will be important in making them remain recognisable to the viewer. 

The shapes used in designing the expressions on a character can also give the viewer a different perception of the character. p.103 

Lining out the movement of bodies also helps in making their movement more exaggerated or stand out more.