We discussed these 8 elements in the “Design Principles” during the last session (see below). As discussed in class, please take some photos and upload at least two of them at your ePortfolio on OpenLab, stating which elements you think your images convey. If you have trouble uploading, you can just e-mail the images to me at rterao@citytech.cuny.edu. Thanks!

“Design Principles”

1. Unity is the principle that the visual organization be a “whole”, self-contained and complete. This is true even if it is a deliberately chaotic or unorganized composition.
2. Balance: Every element in a visual composition has a visual weight
3. Visual Tension: The interplay of balanced or unbalanced elements and their placement in the frame can create visual tension, which is important in any composition that seeks to avoid boring complacency.
4. Rhythm: Rhythm of repetitive or similar elements can create patterns of organization.
5. Proportion: Mathematics is the controlling force of the universe (proportion and size relationship), ancient Greek philosopher
6. Contrast: It is a function of the light/dark value, the color and texture of the objects in the frame and the lighting. It define depth, spatial relationships, and carries emotion and storytelling weight
7. Texture: It gives perceptual clues. Texture can be a function of themselves, but usually requires lighting to bring it out.
8. Directionality: Anything that is not symmetrical is directional. It determines how it will act in a visual field and hot it will affect other elements.

Brown, B. (2016). Cinematography theory and practice: Image making for cinematographers, directors, and videographers. (3rd ed.). Boston: Focal Press.