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Composition
> Close-ups
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The classic close-up. Note the space
above the head and the point where
the image is cut off: the arm pits.
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When
you shoot people, you want to capture their emotional
state. And the only way to do that is to get a shot
of the person's face filling up a significant portion
of the screen. Professionals call these shots "close-ups."
Customarily, a close-up leaves a little bit of room
above the person's head (not too much!); and includes
the entire face and shoulders down to the armpit.
Why
include the shoulders? Because if you eliminate the
shoulders, all you have is a floating "disembodied"
head. It's psychologically disturbing--that's what early
filmmakers discovered. Showing the shoulders implies
that the subject actually has a body--even if we don't
see it.
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