180º rule — Floating World

The following screenshots are from the series 鋼の錬金術師 Fullmetal Alchemist, episode 15 – 東方の使者, Emissary from the East.

In this episode, there are two scenes I believe to be examples of poor storyboarding. There is a general lack of creativity stemming from lackluster framing that creates little movement or aesthetic weight, thus resulting in unimpressive scene overall. Specifically, the storyboard artist greatly fails to understand how to create a focal point/point of focus for the audience, likely stemming from little/no concrete knowledge of the Thirds Rule:

The black lines divide the vertical into thirds, the blue lines divide the horizontal into thirds, and the red dots are the points of intersection of both black and blue lines. The red dots are, respectively, where the focal point of any framing/composition should be – whether it be photography, cinematography or animation, this general rule applies if one wishes to create an effective point of focus in any scene.

Additionally, in framing multiple bodies in any scene, it is important to maintain a sense of visual movement even if there isn’t any immediate action occurring per say. Thus, understanding the 180º Rule is quite pertinent in this respect:

Note that the subjects and camera are depicted from an aerial point of view.

For instance, in the above diagram, the camera position (indicated by the blue line) establishes that subject 1 (purple) is on the left and that subject 2 (yellow) is on the right. The camera can move along this 180 degree axis (indicated by the blue dotted line) without violating the established positions of either subjects – that is, subject 1 will always be on the left and subject 2 on the right. However, should the camera be placed beyond this 180º axis (indicated by the red arrows), the subjects’ respective positions will be switched, thus violating the 180º rule.

Taking these two basic ideas into mind, it is now easy to see what the storyboard artist did wrong in two separate scenes, and perhaps how one may remedy/redraw the scenes to create a more effective depiction.

Ling, Ed, and Lanfan are all in frame, yet it is only Ling and Ed who are speaking – thus, Lanfan does not need to be in frame. This three body framing has no focal point – based off a screenshot alone, it’s difficult to tell who the storyboard artist intended to have the audience focus on – and is instead clustered, claustrophobic even. Instead, one might opt for a framing like this:

The scribble above no longer involves Lanfan, and her presence is only hinted by her hand holding the kunai on the bottom right. Ed is now the focal point of the scene as he intersects a focal point (blue) that correlates to the thirds rule (lines scribbled in red). Ling is now in the background, but is still very much a part of the scene since the viewer’s eye will naturally traverse back and forth between Ed and Ling when they converse. Also note that Ling and Ed are still in their respective positions – Ling on the left, Ed on the right – so the 180º rule is not broken.

Here is another scene, this time with Lanfan, Ling and Fu in frame. Again, the storyboard artist mistakenly incorporates a full-body shot of Lanfan while she conversationally contributes nothing to the scene. The thirds rule obviously mis- (or not at all) understood by the storyboard artist, it is again difficult to pinpoint a specific focal point or focus in the scene. Ultimately, the framing is lackluster, uncreative, and boring. Alternatively, one could visualize the scene like so:

In this depiction, there are two points of intersection – Ling and Fu. However, both points of intersections are at a diagonal, so the viewers eyes will naturally flow initially from Fu to Ling (as depicted by the blue lines). Lanfan is also included, but she is a secondary subject and is only seen in the background, away from the focal convergence on Ling (note that she too is also near a focal point, an intersection of the lines depicted by the thirds rule). Had I drawn this better it could be presumed that Ling is in between Fu and Lanfan, but otherwise no distinct position has been changed – Fu on the far right, Lanfan on the far left with respect to the original camera position – so the 180º rule still holds true.

What I’ve drawn is far from perfect: both scribbles are only two possible examples as to how one may redraw/reframe any scene that is particularly weak in conveying narrative and visual aesthetics. It must be noted that above all, understanding fundamentals like the thirds and 180º rules are crucial should one wish to artistically and competently frame subjects in any medium.

Note: this series is a prime excuse to exercise my hobby of doodling/drawing and utilizing a tablet.

Fun times!