The Compositional Frame

Now that we've had the opportunity to better understand composition through the Formal Elements of Art and the introduction to Principles of Design, we can begin to connect how artists use this notion of the composition 'frame' through the use of the camera - as a still photograph, as a moving picture, and as video art. The 'frame' or 'viewfinder' directly refers to the four edges of where the picture/image starts and stops. We've already been introduced to this with the terms:

Composition: an ordered relationship among the parts or elements of a work of art; the arrangement of forms and shapes within the picture plane

Design: a planned arrangement of visual elements; the organization of line, form, color, value, texture, and space in an eye pleasing arrangement

Groundsheet OR Picture Plane: in two-dimensional pieces, the paper on which an image is developed

Finding (Still & Moving) Film's Identity as an Art Medium

One difficulty in the integration of Photography into Art was its tendency to objectively record whatever was in the viewfinder, and could be used to scientifically document subject matter. However, many artists tried to counter this by inventing methods to make the photo look more like a painting such as atmospheric effects and/or stage the scene to mimic representational painting that usually contained a narrative or story of some kind. The still and moving image continues to have a bit of an identity crisis as new technology continues to emerge and become even more accessible to the masses.