Visualizing The Age of Reason: Part 2 – Contrast & Affinity

*This series focuses on how to create visual structure.

We’ll show you how we used certain techniques for The Age of Reason – though not perfectly — and what tools you can use to give your low-budget flicks a more professional look. Let’s start with explaining two basic concepts:

“Contrast & Affinity” – The Basics

One of the best books we’ve ever read on both the practical and theoretical aspects of imagery was written by Bruce Block, called “The Visual Story: Seeing the Structure of Film, TV, and New Media.” He explains the underlying concepts of visual structure — what he terms “Contrast” and “Affinity.”

Here’s a basic (too basic) explanation. Elements within a frame (Space, Line, Tone, Color, Movement, etc) work individually and together to create similarities (Affinity) or conflicts (Contrast). These two concepts are applied to the frame, the shot, shot-to-shot, scene-to-scene, etc. to create your movie.

In short, quoted from Block’s book (p.10):

“CONTRAST = GREATER VISUAL INTENSITY

AFFINITY = LESS VISUAL INTENSITY”

For example:

Which would you choose for a scene and why?

Let’s say these two pictures could be storyboards for a scene you are about to shoot where MAN and WOMAN are in a fight. Who is winning? In the Flat Space example, both characters occupy similar-sized space in the frame (Affinity) and are both roughly on the same horizontal and vertical planes (Affinity). However, the WOMAN seems to be slightly more powerful than the MAN, as she occupies center frame, cornering the MAN into frame-left.

In our Deep Space example, we see both the illusion of depth and the disparity in MAN and WOMAN’s sizes in the frame (Contrast). Our focus may still be on the WOMAN in the foreground yet all lines lead us to the MAN (Contrast). The MAN also occupies the part of the frame with the most contrast in Color Tone, so our focus is somewhat split. Again, Who has the power? Who do we sympathize with?

These questions and the choices made will all depend on your script, your dialogue, your scene — and eventually, your blocking. Personally, if their dialogue created intensity, I may not want to create more contrast in the space, color and lines, as this may distract from their dialogue.

When discussing space, ask yourself: What I am trying to achieve and why? How should I use Contrast and Affinity and for what visual elements?

Contrast and Affinity: Example from The Age of Reason – SHOT TO SHOT

INT. FREDDY’s HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

Context: Freddy sits on the couch after a terrible night, wondering why he’s such a screw-up.

We wanted to keep Freddy isolated and imprisoned by his surroundings using an Affinity of Flat Space — but also create a sudden Contrast when we cut. We first chose a close-up with a longer lens and an Affinity of Tone in Color to flatten the space so he could blend in with the background.

CUT TO:

INT. FREDDY’s HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – MORNING

Context: Freddy has been on the couch all night. Hasn’t slept. Hasn’t moved.

We chose a Contrast of Tone in the Color palette to depict dawn; however, tried to keep the illusion of Flat Space by shooting head-on. Our awesome Production Designers had set the living room so we could use the symmetric division of space (Affinity) — also a tool for isolating Freddy.

What other aspects of Contrast and Affinity do you see in these shots? What would you do different?

“The Visual Story”

I highly suggest buying Bruce Block’s book. It’s the best theoretical and practical book on visual elements I’ve ever read. Here is an embedded preview from Google Books — if you like what you read, you can purchase the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Visual-Story-Second-Creating-Structure/dp/0240807790

Examples of Deep Space in The Age of Reason: