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How do you arrange the elements in your frame in a way that’s pleasing and relevant to your story? That’s what composition is all about. In this video, Varina from Muse Storytelling walks you through some tips for correcting your composition.

Every decision that you make in your film should support your story. If we consider Hitchcock’s rule, which states that “The size of an object in the frame should equal its importance in the story at that moment.”, this can help guide us as to how to portray our main character.

The biggest mistake to avoid is centering the subject of your image. This brings us to the Rule of Thirds. Since the human eye naturally gravitates to the four intersections of these horizontal and vertical lines, we should use them to our advantage to guide the viewer and best tell the story.

Graphic designers rely on a trick known as “The Squint”. Look at your image and then squint your eyes. You might be naturally drawn to see something in your frame while squinting, but perhaps you don’t want your audience to be distracted by this element. This might cause you to alter your lighting setup or change your composition to solve this issue.

Scanning the edges of your frame to find distracting elements is another great tip for correcting your composition. Take some time to go through this exercise and clean up your frame before you hit record!

Check out the full video for the rest of these Tips & Tricks for Correcting Your Composition.