Refining my style frame/ Rules of good composition

Compositions have different types of balance, symmetrical and asymmetrical. The choices have different conventional representations; for example, balancing out the layout has connotations of being steady and secure, often used to connote formality (Lewis, 2014). 

The mood I would like to achieve is calm and cosy. Because of this, I need to restructure my Happy Places layout in the style frame to have symmetrical balance. I need to mirror the weight, large and visually more cumbersome objects evened out through the central line. As the rule of thirds, objects not only need to be balanced, but positioned to meet the points of the 3x3 grid, As Janney ‌(2017) states, placing objects in these main points is 'aesthetically pleasing' to the audience. Which, I want my scene to be positively impactful, and peaceful to watch.  Furthermore, its visually more pleasing to go-off centre rather than having objects centred, according to Barry O Carroll (2016). I will experiment with different variations of placement, based on the rule of thirds. 

First style frame: doesn't meet the focal points of the 3x3 grid, doesn't have a focus point, or a balance. (Image below)

Lewis, B. (2014) mentions scenes should be more simplified; avoid busy backgrounds, remove unneeded objects. Because I am animating the foreground (water fountain, candles) and background (rain pouring down a window) I may use depth of field to create a rack focus, focusing on the foreground to the environment (Lewis, 2014). I want my scene to be calm and relaxed; seeing too much movement makes it hard to focus and maybe chaotic. Clement, (2019) suggests simplifying anything that is not the main focus. Instead of simplifying the designs, I am going to blur them when I no longer what them to be in focus; the blur should hopefully make the designs unfocused and undetailed, but still be present complementary to the main focus of the rain. 

Updated storyboard, simplified with a track focus (image above.)

Boddy-Evans ( 2019) suggests using leading lines to create movement, he notes that the lines can be composed from positing objects or physical lines. In the storyboard (above) I have tried framing the central point to the middle; however, in my updated style frame, may add extra plants to position to create leading lines towards the candles. 

Bilb:

JANNEY, R. (2017). Back to Basics: The Rule of Thirds and Filmmaking. [online] The Beat: A Blog by PremiumBeat. Available at: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/rule-of-thirds-filmmaking/.

Lewis, B. (2014). 12 Days of Framing: Tips & Tricks for Great Composition | Creative Cloud blog by Adobe. [online] Adobe Creative Cloud. Available at: https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/12-days-of-framing/ [Accessed 24 Jan. 2020].

Boddy-Evans, M. (2019). The 8 Elements of Composition in Art. [online] LiveAbout. Available at: https://www.liveabout.com/elements-of-composition-in-art-2577514 [Accessed 25 Jan. 2020].

‌BARRY O CARROLL, B.O. (2016). 20 Composition Techniques That Will Improve Your Photos. [online] PetaPixel. Available at: https://petapixel.com/2016/09/14/20-composition-techniques-will-improve-photos/ [Accessed 25 Jan. 2020].

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Clement, J. (2019c). Global Facebook user distribution by gender 2019  | Statista. [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/699241/distribution-of-users-on-facebook-worldwide-gender/ [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

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