Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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December 09 2013

The Cinematography of The IncrediblesPart 1Here is Part 1 of 3 on a case study of the shot compositions from Pixars film The Incredibles Ill go over how therelationships of all the visual elements on screen were meticulously crafted to form a point focus in every shot It isthrough the arrangement and control of all the elements on screen that the filmmakers were able to guide the sightthoughts and emotions of the audience All images used here are copyDisneyPixar (unless otherwise stated)

Cinematography in film is an art form all by itselfIt involves three main factorsPlacement of people and objects within the frameMovement of people and objects within a fixed frameMovement of the frame itself

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Few filmmakers have ever used composition to its full potential The concept of the ever-changing image can be verydifficult to execute because it involves the simultaneous control of all these three main factors of cinematography Thefilmmaker unlike the photographer and the theatre director creates his visual compositions in a flexible ever changingarena

In animation the term staging refers to the purpose of directing the audiences attention and make it clear what is ofgreatest importance in a scene what is happening and what is about to happen This can be done by various meanssuch as the placement of a character in the frame the use of light and shadow and the angle and position of thecamera

In a 3DCG animated movie cinematography can be split between two areas Layout and Lighting but overall creatingstrong compositions is the end goal of this process It is all created to emphasize the subjectmoodaction of the imageand make it both easily understood and aesthetically pleasing to the viewer The directors have ultimate control over thecamera lighting depth of field perspective and subject placement - and have the freedom to adjust these factorsendlessly until the desired picture movement and effect is achieved Unlike live action film once youve shot your actorson location did some retakes and reshoots wrapped principle photography youre then stuck with what you gotEditorial and post production can make some adjustments visual FX and compositing tricks can add remove and cheatlots of things but overall youre locked in with what you have

There is often many months and even years of pre-production work to plan out the visual look with costumes setsprops and character designs but eventually each individual shot of the animated film is designed as well Thestoryboard and pre-viz artists compose their scenes and sequences long before anything is fully animated on thecomputer and they keep refining how the shots cut together and how every scene is staged until it is exactly what theywant At Pixar they are known for literally spending YEARS doing thousands of story sketches of every single shot inorder to visualize the script communicate the story effectively and portray the characters and environments in the mostclear and entertaining way always adjusting and perfecting along the way

A scene comprised of elements that are just there - permits the audiences attention to wander and lapse but in TheIncredibles every shot has a center of a attention

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Upon my first viewing of this movie in the theatre I noticed right away how fantastic all the shots were setup obviouslylots of thought and care was placed in the compositions Not that many other animated films before and after did not Ijust felt that this particular film seemed to pay extra attention to this I had never noticed such deliberate care in thecamera work designs and colors in a computer-animated cartoon before Lots of great staging clear lines of actions andplenty of dramatic angles taking full advantage of the superheroaction-adventure genre that it was

THE PROCESS

How is the composition of every shot determined

It all starts with the storyboards Building the storyboard is an integral part of putting together an

animated feature and its definitely the first stab at figuring out the cinematography The process

provides not only a visual interpretation of the script it also allows designers and animators in all

departments to get a feel for what will be presented on screen After the screenplay is

developed creating the visual story is the next step in the animation productionprocess its composed of consecutive storysketch panels that depict the action and staging of the films script

The procedure taken to get each animated shot completed is a long and tedious one heres a

basic summary to give you a hint of the many steps taken to produce a shot from concept to

completion (Courtesy of Frank Baker)

1) Storyboard Sketch ndash Hand drawn (digitally or with pencils amp markers) storyboard panels that

plan out the staging of every shot which later get compiled into an animatic (story reel)

Assembled with all the panels placed back-to-back with the recorded dialogue track This allows

for the directors and editors to see where they can trim down the feature film to an appropriate

length of time observe all the sequences in order and see how well they play off each other as well as plan out all the camera moves and determine the

length of each individual scene Once an animatic is complete it becomes the vision of continuity that will drive the entire production from that point forward

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2) Layout and Key Animation ndash Layout helps the director plan the location and motion of the camera the position and main poses of the characters

(blocking) and the timing of each shot Using rigged character models animators control every aspect of the character motion providing the physical acting

for the scene according to the storyboards poses and the guidelines provided by supervisors and director

3) Surfacing Set Dressing and Final Layout ndash The process of surfacing requires the applying of the finished models that define the form of particular objects

and environments All these models are positioned to form the set and its surroundings The placement of models helps to promote the purpose of a shot

leading the eye or allowing the character to interact with their surroundings

4) Simulation ndash After the characters bodies are animated the motion of their clothes and hair are added This motion is based upon the movement of the

characters using a computer simulation of the physics of fabric and hair The simulation takes into account gravity weight stretchiness friction and other

factors as well as the collisions of each garment against itself and its surroundings Ensuring that the hair and clothing move in a manner consistent with

the goals of the shot

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5) Shading and Lighting ndash Shading is the process whereby an object is given color and a tactile quality that helps us to recognize what material the object is

made from An important step in shading is determining how the object reacts to light how light is absorbed reflected or internally scattered by the form

Once shading is complete lighting adds virtual lights to each scene creating the look of the final images Colored filters are used to affect light and shadow

and atmospheric qualities can further enhance the mood of the sequence Finally physically based optical effects such as the focal qualities of the lens and

the blur of moving objects and characters provide the familiar cinematic cues of reality

At each stage the filmmakers refine the shots composition The final cinematic image is made to position all the visual elements within the frame in a

manner that accurately displays the intended situation action and story Theres an average of 1500 shots in an animated film so you can just imagine

how long it can take to develop the scene planning for an entire movie

For every Pixar movie a color script is created Im not sure at which stage in the entire film-making process this isproduced but Id think it would be during or after the storyboards This is essentially a rough look at the color keyspalettes and tones for the entire film This visual script gives you a good look at how the color arcs relate to the storyLou Romano created the one for this movie the intention was to richly visualize the story like a long illustrative comicstrip this is made to help plan for the computer-generated coloring and lighting process to come later on

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TYPES OF SHOTS

Lets begin with the terminology Ill be referring to as I go through the shot analysis of this film

Extreme Wide Shot Establishing Shot

These types of shots give us the big picture It displays the location we are in they tell us about the setting ourcharacters are performing in If the characters are in the shot at all they are usually so small we can barely see themits not about our characters its about the environment and the world where the scene is taking place

Click to enlarge

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Long Shot Far Shot

When we need to see our characters and what they are doing in their environment we go for the Long Shot With this type of shot they are not establishing

the lsquoworldrsquo so much as establishing the character(s) in that world

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Full Shot

This is a full body shot of the character There is some space above and below them inside the frame No part of themis cropped off unless they are behind an object The environment the character is in becomes less important This shotis all about the lsquowhorsquo This shot wants us to look at our characters see them move about full body gestures walkingaround interacting with others

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I consider Extreme Wide Shots Long Shots and Full shots to all be wide shots

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They used wide shots through out the film to help establish or re-establish the location the characters were in The closer you go in on a character the

more clearly you can see what they are doing and how they are interacting with their environment or other characters

Medium Shot

Medium Shots are widely used through out the film they are a reliable standard to show you the character nice and close but not too close usually cutoff

at the waist plenty of empty space is left around the character giving him room to act out gesture and still see the character in relation to the environment

hes in Its not too intimate but its showing you something specific

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There are slight variation like the Medium-Full Shot where the characters are cut off around the knees

Close-up Shot

The close-up is usually the full head and sometimes a bit of the top is cropped off and includes the neck and a bit of the shoulders Its an emotion-teller

and and information-giver This shot is ALL about the subject it tells us the important stuff we need to know to understand the story We can tell what the

character is feeling and thinking

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There are variations on these too like the Medium Close-Up which crops the character off somewhere between the ribs and the chest

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The closer you frame your main subject the more it becomes all about them The background gets phased out as the focus closes in on the character or

object you are centering on

Extreme Close-up

It can be used for a very intense or super intimate moment or it can just be a very useful information tool It dependswhat the director wants to show you and why In this shot nothing else matters but the subject matter And itrsquos usuallyonly a portion of that subject matter Backgrounds are usually unrecognizable you can only see the character or objectas they cover most (if not all) the frame It keeps the audience informed about the story the characters and thesituation up close in detail clear information-giver

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Theres not much room for the character to move so the audience can focus on the expressions and emotions You cancall this a cut-in also instead of zooming in you cut the camera in closer or to a different part of the body to showsomething important

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Depending on what the director wants to show the audience every type of shot has its purpose how the filmmakers decide how close or wide to frame a

scene depends on what they want the focus to be and what information they are trying to display

Lets have a quick look at camera angles

Straight-On

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The camera is level to the ground and the lens is lined up parallel to the main subject

Up Shot

The camera is pointing up at the subjectThis is called a Low Angle in live action

Down Shot

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The camera is angled to point downwards towards the subject

This is called a High Angle in live action

Up Shots place the viewer beneath the focus and Down Shots

place the viewer above both physically and psychologically

Ill talk a lot more about this later

Birds Eye View

Worms Eye View

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More extreme version of up shots and down shots where the angle

of the camera is pointing nearly (or entirely) straight up or down

Over The Shoulder Shot

(OTS) One of the most efficient and widely used methods of shooting a conversation scene or even to see the vantagepoint of one character as she glares at another Sometimes the characters are in close proximity sometimes they arefar away the shots reverse back and forth and can be used in combination with up shots and down shots depending onthe camera angle and height or placement of characters

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1 Shot

2 Shot

3 Shot

Group Shot

These are pretty self-explanatory 1 shot one subject in the frame 2 shot theres two when you get more than 3 inthere youve got a group shot

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There are endless combination that can be used to describe a shot

Heres a 2 Shot Medium Shot and a slight Up Shot all rolled into one

Low AnglesWhen the camera is sitting right on the ground

Each angle and framing technique and the combination they are used in - can all help to tell the story and to clearly display the information on screen so

that the audience can follow along easily Variety of shots is important but as I will show you the Incredibles excelled at using dynamic angles and

perspective to make the film very visually exciting Ive noticed that different film theory books have slightly different terms for this sort of thing My terms

here are more akin to Animation Filmmaking some studios and directors have variations on these as well

Point of View (POV)

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This shot places the audience in the characters shoes seeing the world through their eyes

Rack FocusShifting the attention of the viewer by changing the focus of the lens from a subject in the foreground to a subject in the background (or vice versa)

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ForegroundBackgroundFraming characters or objects of varying depth can help to keep the image well balanced and keep the eyes moving Framing the subject with elements in

the foreground can also add scale and depth to pictures

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Overhanging tree branches doorways anything that covers at least two sides of the frame can give added depth that invites audience into the location

Layers of foreground mid-ground and background can help add depth to a composition Rather than showing all of the character all the time characters

can be blocked by objects in the foreground and middle ground helping to place the characters within the situation making them part of their environment

and the story

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There are so many dramatic angles and deep focus shots in this film that it often reminded me of Raiders of The LostArc (one of the very best looking action movies of all time) It seems obvious to me that Brad Bird was probably ahuge fan of Indiana Jones

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Live action film have slightly different terms than 3D (and especially 2D) animation for types of shots and camera workLook at this nice reference site for live-action film terms on this sort of thing

Rule of Thirds This has to do with the a basic principle of placing the subject matter away from the middle of the frame In simple terms the Rules of Thirds states that

there are certain hotspots on screen these are areas of intensity that exist within any given image and if one were to align the subject within the range of

influence of these hotspots it will make for a more energetic and interesting composition

Imagine a tic-tac-toe board over the scene the position of the subject(s) are placed along the areas where the lines intersect This avoids dead center

composition which can make an image seem to look unnatural and mechanical

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Even the horizon line is often placed on the top or bottom line allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section

Theres lots more stuff like Pans Truck-in amp out Camera TiltsRotations View-Throughs Wipes Shot Progression Triangular Composition but well get to

all that very soon For now you are familiar with the terms for shots and angles that I will be referring too the most

SHOT COMPOSITION ANALYSIS

So lets get started

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The opening sequence shows some interviews with our protagonists This develops the characters personality typesright away Its made to look old and made to let the audience get to know our heroes right away The frame is square(to show old aspect ratios) with some out-of-focus moments to sell the fact this is old footage

Then we burst in the title logo we see red red usually signifies energy bold dynamic excitment plus the redorangepalette is identical to what well see later worn by the hero-familys trademark colors

And it transitions nicely to the red police dome light urgency danger high energy we truck out the camera a longdistance and go straight into the bad guys car being chased by the cops

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This is a long truck-out the camera pulls way back to reveal the bad guy in the car Placing the audience in the shoesof the criminal for just a second

Lots of information in a short period of time the fact they are armed and not ready to give up without a fight then pansright to show them firing at the cops Establishing right away we have a hot pursuit happening the action starts rightaway Its is an action movie and after the slow-paced intro we ant to start with a bang Dynamic camera work like thishelps you to put the audience right into the action

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Invisible lines that lead your eyes

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Some POV shots - close-ups clearly showing how the car engages the auto-pilot and starts what feels like is a verycommon procedures

Great angles to show the transformation of how the car automatically suits him up in his costume

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Lots of the shots inside the car have his head in the black part of the roof This helps to keep the area around hisheadeyes devoid of textures and details to help focus on him more clearly

The rule of thirds comfortably places elements on the screen in a balanced manner but the nice diagonal lines if thecurb helps to unconsciously lead our eyes to the focal point

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This is a quick shot so you need to see quickly what is going on so they make all these background elements point towhere they want you to look leading your eye instantly to the focus

Simple Rule of thirds over her shoulder to see them both nicelySee how the brim of her hat points to his faceInvisible techniques used to unconsciously lead the viewers eye to where they want you to look

Looking over his shoulder you get a sort of point-of-view from Mr Incredible seeing what he sees and the challengethat lays ahead of him Placing the audience in his shoes making you feel how he feels Also a clear silhouette of thecat makes him easy to spot

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To show that Mr Incredible notices the car chase is getting near him we pull the camera out and change the focus tothe monitor in his car he becomes framed by the car window clear composition is the best composition

The angles of the building is no accident the negative space created by the empty space around his head helps toframe his face plus everything else around him all helps to lead the viewers eye to the point of focus

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Mr Incredible and old lady are framed by the tree the cops are framed by the buildings

This definitive arrangement of shapes makes the whole layout clear and easy to read and the staging itself has beenturned into part of the visual pleasure Its so well thought out and artistically managed through out the entire film itslogical creative and simple all at the same time

See the triangular shape created by the characters positions this is a common method to setup up the characters touse the space on screen more economically especially when you have a group of characters all facing each other inconversation Mr Incredibles eyeline falls on the cat in the ladys hands too Notice all their hats are angled to point tohis face this is all done on purpose it creates

See below how this simple setup keeps your eyes moving

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The camera pulls back to reveal the kid everything in the shot is designed to help lead your eyes to the focal point thekids face

Rule of thirds here again with some the empty space around his head devoid of much detail to help the audience focuson whats important the characters face reading his cues his expressions his intentions

Notice below how the camera angle allows for the invisible lines of direction to subliminally lead your eye to where thedirector wanted you to look at

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Framed by Mr Incredibles shadow notice the space above the characters head usually this is taboo as youll notice inmost of the shots shown here barely any space is left above the head but in this case you want to see Mr Incrediblesarrival and how over-powering he is

A low angle shot to show his proximity to the robber and his dominance in the scene

Mr Incredible is largest in the screen to show dominance in the shot Hes larger and placed higher in the frame

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Notice how the sky helps to place his head in that blank negative space with this shape around his head it helps tomake his facial reaction the focus

The negative space around her helps you to focus on just her shes framed by the building shapes around her Verynon-ambiguous despite their being barey any details on her you know what her pose and body language is by herstrong silhouette

Camera tilts up as she comes forwards closer into view establishing her characters and that shes taken control overthe scene

Triangular Composition occurs when the placement of the subjects (or group of elements themselves) form the shape ofa triangle Sometimes to create depth other times to break up the image for variety in spacing and positioning andoften to create a connection or relationship between the different subjects

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Body poses leaningbending towards or away from each other add nice contrast and harmony to the image

Many films use this method to display information on screen in a clear and efficient waywhich also helps to develop thecharacters and stories when used properly Also notice the head tilts the line of action that runs through each of theirbody more on lines of action later

More classic rule-of-thirds Their height difference creates a nice and simple balanced composition We want theattention to be solely in this moment so the background is devoid of details so it doesnt distract from the charactersfacesreactions

The amount of screen space characters take up naturally affect the composition but so does the characters actualdesigns The basic shapes they are made of speaks immensely to their personality but also the body language theyperform with those bodies within the scenes

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Since theres an obvious size difference in these two characters showing these over-the-shoulder-shots but itsnecessary to clearly read their faces and know what the characters are feeling and what they are thinking

Whether its up shots or down shots youll often find these lines that run through the characters eyes againunconsciously leading your eyes to where the director wants you to focus

With so many nice angles that keep making the shots look visually interesting even when they are meant to be verysimple all reminds of the show Mad Men Almost that retro look I suppose The Incredibles is meant to be set in the 50sand then once they flash forward to after the marriage and the trial were in the 60s Its strong graphic bold cinematicstorytelling displayed in the visual grammar of this film Like in the Mad Men The Incredibles has sleek colorcombinations and contrasting shapes well balanced imagery textures space on the screen is well balanced with flattexture-less areas particular areas of each shot hold certain amounts of weight and value

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See a bit more about the amazing camera work in Mad Men here

Simplicity is often the clearest way to communicate an idea the intent of most films is to project a story about charactersto an audience Script sound effect music and other factors have much to do with the overall experience of movie-watching but the film needs to successfully (visually) communicate its ideas and plots to the audience Film is a visualmedium first and foremost sometimes the purpose is to confuse or disorient the viewers but most of the time you needto achieve clarity

Off-center subjects can be balanced on the opposite side of the frame with leading lines shadows and objects in theforeground or background Balance can also be achieved by creating simple geometric shapes This makes imagesnaturally easier to decipher and more pleasing to the eye

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See all the crazy angles in the following shots Nothing is by accident the perspective they chosewas purposefully done to help visually tell the story Either to see a characters point of view or to help show thedominance of a character with a certain interplay Close-ups show what a character is thinking or feeling over-the-shoulder shots place the audience right into the conversation and the whole time there are shapes and lines in theforeground and background that aid in leading the viewers eyes to where they need to look

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Watch the story reel (animatic) for this sequence hereCourtesy of Carlos Baena

Establishing shot to show where we are Notice the void of detail behind the characters and rim lighting on top of them

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The camera moves here telling us where to go and where the character is looking and going

Establishing a new character similar to Elasty Girl on the rooftop earlier centered slight up-shot background absent ofdetail so all eyes are on him

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Observe these shots here above and the one below - notice the circular shape surrounding the characters that framesthe subjects Simple tricks to lead your eyes

Directors usually avoid putting their subject directly in the center of the picture unless they are striving for a formalarrangement in which the subject firmly commands attention With landscapes horizon lines placed along the lower thirdof the screen is arranged to give a feeling of spaciousness Positioning the horizon along the upper third gives a feelingof nearness or intimacy

Here the light fixtures obviously help to lead our eye to one of the areas we need to glance at Even at such a distanceMr Incredibles body language is apparent hes shocked and annoyed at what hes seeing With this nice low angle thecamera is sunk in the floor it allows to see the reverse angle from what we saw as their point of view in the cut beforeand now we see what the boy ses as he activates his rocket boots to fly over to them

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Some nice lines of action here they are present through the whole film they indicate to the viewer what the charactersare feeling and helps the body language to be interpreted more clearly

Heres a lot more info about the importance of the Line of Action

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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This is a nice little bit as the kid walks away from camera you see his reflection in the busted door He turns and comesback camera following his actions you see Mr Incredible keeping an eye in him as he does his rant

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

The intersecting lines are subtle in present the line running behind Buddys head and the lines leading to MrIncredibles head is no accident its all on purpose to help lead the viewers eyes to the primary and secondary focalpoints of the shot This technique is used through out the film along with the alternative method of having a shapebehind a subjects head that frames the head nicely again for the purpose to draw attention to that spot of the screen

The following shots cut fast with the on-screen action moving quick as well The graphic elements on screen have to becarefully arranged so that the audience doesnt miss out on whats going on

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

A few close-ups and cut-aways to showing what the viewers need to see

Fast action sequences that have motion blurs and fast movements of the subject and the camera along with the shotscutting together quickly can confuse the audience Keeping track of who is who and where everything is can be difficultwhen the purpose of the shots are to show a bit of visual chaos and confusion Color lighting and clear compositionsare important to help not lose the audience

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

You get really close-up to tell the audience you must see this only only this its important

This is centered cause its a straight-on shot hes just recovered he hears the train at a distance

POV shot we see what Mr Incredible sees the following shot shows the imminent danger this damage has caused

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

That building is pointing straight to his face purposefully done so you look there first

These shots below are all about highly dynamic shots which seems to to be the whole deal with this movie Notice theconverging lines of the building details he perspective of the train tracks the light source on the oncoming train they areabout to collide a dramatic situation is about to happen and the angle of these shots and the lighting help to prepare oufor that

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Just to show you this quick shot below notice how everyones of different height the most important people are in thefront row its a quick scene but the information is clear and well arranged

More examples of triangular composition here below See how their heads form an invisible triangular shape

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

This method has been present in film for many decades Often used to make a connection between the characters onscreen

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Notice in the shots below how the faces are always shown clearly the posture angle and position of the characters helpto create a nice visual balance in each scene

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

The subliminal triangular shape makes your eyes move around the picture

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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The following is the news coverage of the lawsuits and court-room style sketches depicting the drama and media stormfrom the trials and news coverage

Going black-and-white offers its own challenges as you only have tonal values to go with for your contrast of lights anddarks with no aid of color one must be even smarter with your compositional choices Notice how clear the silhouettesand faces are Graphic variety in the positions and scales of all background characters nice visual balance in everyframe

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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The classic pencilcharcoal courtroom drawings are amazing the shading creates the obviously nice contrast andallowed the artist to make the characters pop off the page

See how that stack of pencils helps to balance the image The dark background helps to add contrast to the shot so nothaving a light backdrop helps to have the old lady stand out more clearly Then the shot of Bob the computer and thebook shelf create invisible leading lines that direct your eyes to his face where the attention needs to be

The colors in the office space are bland and lifeless to show the workers boredom in this cold and oppressingenvironment

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Here we have this view-through these panels of cubicle walls give us a sense of we the viewer are spying on thissituation like a co-workers point-of-view glancing over to see whats going Notice how those shapes frame the mainsubject

Framing devices help to draw attention to the object or character they frame they can be window shaped they can beround they can be organic or ragged To illustrate this concept more clearly heres a short tutorial on CompositionalFraming Elements by Matt Kohr

To hold the attention of the viewer pictures must be given a bold and dramatic arrangement and there is plenty of thisthrough out The Incredibles

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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Even something as boring as this phone conversation has well-thought out compositions All the elements in the sceneshelp to make your eyes look around at the important parts

See how the lines the counter tops make to lead your eyes to the focal point (her face)

The angle of the filing cabinet handles and Bobs computer its shape and direction the pattern of books behind him

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

none of this is by accident Functional compositions are all about having the basic large forms of the picture workingwell together How things are arranged and structured must be both practical and a pleasing image in itself

Wide shots to show Bob looking around to see if his boss is anywhere nearby also establishing thegiant corporate company hes now working for

Then some close-ups to show the urgent and secretive nature of whats going on You want to go up close so you canhear him whispering

A close-up to show the state of secrecy hes in as he tells her what to write down

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

The details in the layout of every shot are not as important as the overall form of the picture Details can be verydistracting if the picture has no form or clear composition

Everything in strong cinematography has to do with designing each shot for the purpose of leading the viewers eyes

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Hes just been chewed out by his boss so they show how depressed he is (after helping someone in need) by doing thisdown shot The situation is bearing down on our hero he hates his job and the composition helps to evoke that feeling

Look at where all the heads are the props on the walls the shapes the pieces of furniture create all purposefully doneto balance the image appropriately

The brown beige orange (warm) color palette is meant to create a more welcoming and inviting environment oppositeeffect from Bobs coldgrey workplace

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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Notice all the down shots for Dash and the up shots for the teacher The teacher is the dominant one in this interplayDash is on trial hes meant to feel small and guilty

Some nice depth it shows the teachers determination and obsessiveness up close while showing the other characterscuriosity and anticipation The lighting and the slight down angle of the shot allows us to see all this clearly

Diagonal shapes and lines and tilted camera angles are very common in the whole film The only times the compositionis very flat and straight-on is usually for comedic purposes Anything dramatic tension suspense or showing off actionscenes theres some sort of an angle to the framing or the elements on screen

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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The angle of the chairs the placement of the characters props and objects the angle of the camera the poses of thecharacters (how they stand or sit how they lean or twist their bodies) all create these shapes and forms on screen thathelp to create a well-balanced and clear picture for each shot

As soon as the principal takes control and deflates the teachers authority the camera angle changes more neutral andevan has Dash as the one taking up the most space on screen at the end showing how the level of dominance hasshifted

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Below we have classic examples of how the characters are carefully placed to be comfortably framed by shapes in theforeground and background

The visual language at play here is the characters are split by the windshield frame but its also splitting their views onthe subject of keeping their powers hidden from the public

Establishing shot shows the audience that were in a new location a new setting some time may have past

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Her head is boxed in by those strong diagonal lines ensuring theres no doubt where you should lock your eyes

His head is framed by those vertical shapes

The following sequence has some nice simple camera work

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Starting off with the flat straight-on shot of Bob in traffic crammed in his little carFlat = funny

Establishing shot of his home as you see him drive in Composition is flat this makes the situation funnier

Notice the colors and the weather all help to sell the fact Bob is unhappy with his routine his current situation is mid-life crisis grey bleak joyless

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

OTS shots to show the two characters point of views bob seems larger than life as he hulks out on the car Showinghis obvious dominance in this sequence over the shoulder shots the camera points up to him making look even larger

Characters placed higher in the frame as well as taking up more actual space on-screen makes them appear to bemore dominant both physically and psychologically In this case its used to express the wonderment of witnessing Bobfeat of strength hes is meant to seem larger than life in the boys eyes the camera angles help to evoke that

In a more dramatic setting - up shots and down shots cutting back and forth are also used to show one character beingin power of the situation and the other character being powerless

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

httpfloobynoobyblogspotcom201312the-cinematography-of-incredibles-part-1html[1032014 75131 AM]

Posted by Ron at 630 AM

Labels Cinematography The Incredibles

See Part 2 here

25 comments viacutector said

Thank you very much for this fantastic analysis Ill be waiting for the next one

December 09 2013 845 AM

Anguel Roumenov Bogoev said

Awesome stuff =D

December 11 2013 202 AM

Tobias Deml said

Absolutely incredible work really detailed

December 11 2013 557 AM

nelson zagalo said

wow what an amazing and impressive work youve done here this is an absolute gem on the analysis of cinematographyhighly pedagogical

congratulations

December 11 2013 242 PM

Geoff Beatty said

This is amazing Im going to put this at the top of my students reading list for their Storyboarding class Looking forward toPart II

December 11 2013 342 PM

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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Илья Максимов said

Great TNX

December 11 2013 505 PM

Anonymous said

This film is genius

December 12 2013 1235 PM

Anonymous said

This is amazing Thank you so much Looking forward to the next one )

December 12 2013 321 PM

DAVID WILSON said

Great post One of the best posts Ive seen here Thanks for the hard work to make it Its a valuable resource for sure

December 12 2013 417 PM

Anonymous said

give this guy a cookie

December 13 2013 1150 AM

dzart said

ExcellentGonna have to set aside a day for this

December 15 2013 109 AM

cherukuri santosh kumar said

that was Awesome and fantastic thank u so much And i was eagerly for Part II

December 16 2013 208 PM

Robby Colvin said

That was totally wicked )

December 17 2013 610 PM

Anonymous said

Amazing Cant wait to watch this again

December 18 2013 1026 AM

power3d said

thank you

December 23 2013 1003 PM

John VanHouten said

Great post about composition Thanks

December 29 2013 623 PM

Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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Post a Comment

Misha Petrik said

Hello Ron thank you for greatest workI translate you post on Russian language for russian auditory i hope you like it mdashhttpwwwpetrickrumasterstvo_vizualnogo_rasskaza_chast_pervaya

December 30 2013 736 AM

vineet chander said

Awesome info Thanks for the detailed information I have learnt much more here then getting a book on the subject -)

January 02 2014 115 PM

Chuckie D said

This is awesome Thanks so much for posting this This is a great learning tool

January 19 2014 746 PM

Anonymous said

Few filmmakers have ever used composition to its full potential

That put me off Nice analysis but time for you to watch some other films

January 23 2014 249 PM

biasa aja said

Wow very good article

I learn much from this article

February 04 2014 1247 AM

Andres Galeao said

Thank you so much for sharing

February 26 2014 1142 PM

HoneydewStudios1 said

Nicely done The Incredibles is an excellent animated film and one that should be studied by all animation students andfilmmakers in general for all the genius you have revealed and more

April 12 2014 1022 PM

Rajan Roy said

Hey

Wow very nice blog Lots of good information in your posting I would like your blog post so I can visit again in the near future

Best Animation Training Award Winner

September 10 2014 940 AM

Jax Video said

Nice post Cinematography is not a easy task to do But it is easy for professional cinematographer

September 21 2014 314 AM

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Flooby Nooby The Cinematography of The Incredibles Part 1

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