Composition for video
The composition rules from photography still apply to video, with one difference: here everything moves. Your framing has to anticipate where the subject is going, where they're looking and what's going to happen in the next second.
The rule of thirds, in motion
Divide the image into a 3 × 3 grid and place the important elements on the lines or where they cross. In video, the most common use is placing the eyes on the top-third line. Turn on the grid on your camera or phone screen.
Lead room and room to move
Lead room (also called nose room or looking room) is the free space in the direction the character is looking. If someone looks to the right, give them more space on the right. If you take it away and push them against the edge, it conveys stress or confinement, which can be useful on purpose.
The same goes for movement: if someone is walking to the left, leave space in front of them so they “have somewhere to go”.
Don't
An interviewee looking right and placed in the right third, with their nose almost touching the edge.
Do
The interviewee in the left third, looking into the free space on the right, where the interviewer is.
Headroom
This is the space between the top of the head and the edge of the frame. Too much headroom makes the person look like they're sinking; none makes them look squashed. In close-ups it's normal, and looks good, to crop off a little of the top of the head.
Depth: foreground, subject and background
The screen is flat, but the image can look like it has volume. To get there:
- Put something in the foreground (a plant, a shoulder, a door frame), even if it's out of focus.
- Separate the subject from the background: move them at least 6 feet (2 m) away from the wall.
- Look for a layered background, like shelves, lamps or windows, instead of a flat wall.
- Use lights in the background, warmer or dimmer than the subject.
Place the interviewee on a diagonal to the room, not facing a wall. That way the camera sees the corner and the depth of the room. Add a lamp switched on in the background and a plant or two in the foreground, out of focus.
Lines, frames and symmetry
- Leading lines: paths, railings or hallways that lead the eye to the subject.
- Natural frames: doors, windows or branches that enclose the character within the frame.
- Symmetry: centering the subject in a symmetrical space conveys order, solemnity or a certain unease. Some directors have made it their signature.
Composing for the format and for the edit
In vertical (9:16), the rule of thirds still works, but keep the bottom strip and the right side clear: that's where the platform puts text, buttons and captions. And think about the cut: if a character exits frame right, in the next shot they should enter from the left. You'll see this in the lesson on continuity.
- Eyes on the top third.
- Leave room in the direction the subject is looking or moving.
- Foreground, a subject away from the wall and a layered background give depth.
- In vertical, respect the interface zones.
Your turn: fix your background
Set up a corner of your home for talking to camera.
- Film a “before” shot: sitting facing a wall.
- Now turn diagonally, move away from the wall, switch on a lamp in the background and put something in the foreground.
- Compare the two shots. Take a screenshot of each one and save it for your portfolio.