The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds

When shooting scenes for our film opening, we wanted to maximise the effectiveness of each and every shot. The rule of thirds is a theory devised to ensure that each shot is appealing to the eye, while maintaining its symmetry and balance. The rule of thirds applies both within photography and film.

Above shows an image composed with the rule of thirds.

The theory is based on scientific research that the human eye automatically and subconsciously gravitates to an insertion point when an image is split into thirds. The theory also states that the main focus and interest of the shot should be situation in the first and second thirds of the shot. The focus of the image can be placed on the right or left hand side, however it must remain within only the two thirds. This is demonstrated in the image above, with the building located within the right hand two-thirds.

Shown above is a still from our film. As you can see, the railings and the line between water and line align with the horizontal thirds. Vertically we wanted to keep our shot symmetrical for aesthetic value so we kept our protagonist central rather than framing him in the left or right third.