Framing
Why a Close-Up Can Change a Scene’s Temperature
A close-up changes a scene’s temperature by altering access to expression and gesture; learn how camera distance…
The full reel
All pieces
Browse pieces on the choices behind film scenes, from framing and sound to editing, design and performance. Each starts with a specific detail worth noticing.
Sound
Room Tone or Music: What Holds a Quiet Scene?
Room tone or music can hold a quiet scene in different ways; learn how each directs attention and changes the feeling…
Editing
The Match Cut, from Visual Rhyme to Story Bridge
A match cut links separate moments through shape, movement or sound. Learn to spot the echo and see how it carries a…
Design
The Lived-In Room Myth: More Props Do Not Make Better Design
Screen rooms feel lived in through purposeful selection and placement, not clutter. Learn to read which objects…
Performance
A First Watch for Gesture: An At-Home Viewing Exercise
A first watch for gesture helps you notice how posture, hands and pauses shape a scene, using an ordinary screen, a…
Our point of view
Every scene is a set of choices
A frame can hide as much as it shows; a pause can do more than a speech. We look closely, describe what we can see and leave room for more than one reading.