Uncomposed: unconventional cinematographic composition in cinema and television

Article


Maddock, Daniel. 2018. "Uncomposed: unconventional cinematographic composition in cinema and television." Australian Art Education. 39 (2), pp. 268-287.
Article Title

Uncomposed: unconventional cinematographic composition in cinema and television

ERA Journal ID9873
Article CategoryArticle
Authors
AuthorMaddock, Daniel
Journal TitleAustralian Art Education
Journal Citation39 (2), pp. 268-287
Number of Pages20
Year2018
PublisherAustralian Art Education
Place of PublicationAustralia
ISSN1032-1942
Web Address (URL)https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=870860568235553;res=IELHSS
Abstract

The rules of composition for cinematography are an entrenched system of mathematical frame division that have remained unquestioned since the advent of the cinema medium. The rules have become convention to a point that, when broken, the result appears radical and stark to both critics and viewers. This article explores several of the leading examples of unconventional composition in the contemporary cinema and television drama genre, including Tom Hooper's 'The King's Speech' (2010) and 'The Danish Girl' (2015), and, briefly, the television series Mr. Robot (Esmail, 2015). The author compares the use of composition in these media to the use of it by the painters Edward Hopper and Vilhelm Hammershoi to suggest that the industrialisation of cinema has restricted the ability of filmmakers to experiment with the form.

Keywordscinema, cinematography, conventional composition, composition, framing, rule of thirds, unconventional composition, television
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020360501. Cinema studies
Public Notes

c. Australian Institute of Art Education. No evidence of copyright restrictions preventing deposit of Submitted version. The Submitted version of this article, as made available here, differs in title from the final Published version, as cited in this record.

Byline AffiliationsMarketing and Student Attraction
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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