What I'm most interested in right now, however, is the use of the caesura in screenwriting.
Changing the focus, sharp on one actor or object, then switching focus to another. Changing the color, texture, and location. The focus on an object could be highlighted by describing the character matching the background: grey, more than white, as the tower was a grey of a darker shade - and the red eye of the orb glowed before him (OK, that sucks, but you get the idea.)īut film is not static, and negative space can be manipulated to create meaning and moods in movies through movement - whether it's as simple as pulling back to increase the volume of negative space, or pulling in to tighten on an actor. These things might be implied in a script by describing the big sky behind the character, or the tight box enclosing them. Here's a great image from Lord of the Rings, where the actor becomes part of the negative space, a shade lighter than the background, and the focus is on an object in the foreground. The negative space sets them apart, sets the actors apart. Without the negative space surrounding them, these moments in the film would feel smaller, less important. Look at the use of negative space in these filmic images, and the way they dramatize the actor, make them seem bigger than life, or overwhelmed by their environment: Where the eye is not directed is the negative space. Visually - framing, focus, and light are used to direct the eye. Which brings me to screenwriting and film. Perhaps in a similar manner, in a story what seemed like the background, or what seemed like the pauses between action, could suddenly pop to the forefront, while the the other story becomes backgrounded. Negative space is used to create optical illusions, where we focus on one image, and only when we shift our perception do we see another image as well. It applies not only to painting and photography, but to three-dimensional and functional arts such as sculpture, architecture, furniture, and even jewelry. In visual art, we talk about "negative space," which is, simply, the space not used. This kind of echo, or refrain, is used in music and poetry in a similar manner. This one is interesting because it effectively blends the background details so that they appear monochromatic, and then it also echoes for emphasis and to play on the message. High end advertising often contains a large amount of white space, and may be a single large object on a white or other simple background, with little more than a short slogan and a logo.Īs opposed to something busy like this, where the message gets lost
#Blade runner plaaying near deerfield full#
A page of advertising that's full of exclamation points and neon lettering and bright photos might as well be a black and white list of dense text - when everything is loud nothing stands out. In advertising and print design, we talk about "white space." The page needs to have a certain amount of white space in order to look like something meaningful, or it all bleeds together. A dance that is all "pow" simply isn't as interesting. On Dancing with the Stars, one of the judges is fond of saying that a good dance needs "light and shade," by which he means aggressive or flashy moments should be punctuated by quiet ones in order to have the most impact.
What I've noticed recently, is that there is some equivalent to the caesura in all art forms. That pause give a whole new meaning to the line.) (For example, when I sing White Christmas, when I get to the line, "everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe," I like to pause after "turkey". When used skillfully, they can not only add to the flow of a piece, but can actually create implied meaning. It is used purposefully, using the rhythms of speech to make it fall in a specific place, to create a desired effect, and can be soft (barely noticeable) or hard (as in a full stop, such as a period.) Without these little pauses, the words all run together an become meaningless. Caesura is a literary term, referring, in poetry, to a pause that occurs naturally when a line is spoken.
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