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Digging Deeper:  Framing Shots

The framing of shots contributes to the overall mood in a scene.  Consider this image.

Notice how different choices in the framing of this shot convey a sense of danger and mayhem:

• the use of smoke
  
  
• the destroyed buildings
  
  
• the dark framing along the top and bottom of the subject (the axe-toting dude in the centre of the frame)

All of these decisions in the framing of the shot contribute to the mood.

Watch this short video clip from an opening scene of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.  Remember to use the points in the Note It section to guide your viewing.  You can add your observations about the effect of framing on the mood of the film to your Elements of Film Handout.

While you view this short video trailer from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, consider . . .

1. How does the director convey the somber mood of Hogwarts, under the leadership of Professor Snape, Hogwarts’ new Headmaster?