Simple Lines Reveal Masterful Compositions in Iconic Film Scenes

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

The Shining

Last year, Raymond Thi reignited our appreciation for film cinematography. Through his app, Composition Cam, he highlighted the brilliant arrangements of memorable scenes in iconic movies like The Shining, Ghostbusters, and Citizen Kane. Thi has recently expanded his idea by examining even more visually stunning film and TV compositions.

Thi places bright pink lines to show how each scene is built. Through simple shapes like triangles and circles, as well as division of halves and thirds, he demonstrates that every frame of a film is truly a blank canvas. Cinematographers use the same compositional guidelines as artists, with an added twist—their work is constantly in motion. When you consider that these stills are just one fraction of what’s involved in the entire production, it’s all the more impressive.

Since his project, Thi has created a new website called Geometric Shots, which is a collection of these freeze-frames from movies and TV. “What's cool about the site is that all the images are tagged and categorized,” he tells us in an email. Compositions are classified based on their organization (like quadrant, diagonal, and symmetry). “The shots are very pleasing to look at when viewed together by group,” Thi explains. “You can definitely see some patterns emerging, for example the triangular images have a strong correlation with power.”

Head on over to Geometric Shots to see what else Thi has revealed. And if you’d like this sort of reference for your own photos, Composition Cam is now available on iOS and Android.

Thanks to strong film compositions, these scenes are memorable.

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

The Wolf of Wall Street

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Requiem for a Dream

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Sherlock

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Westworld

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Stand By Me

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Stranger Things

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Breaking Bad

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

2001: A Space Odyssey

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

The Godfather

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Kill Bill

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Metropolis

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Full Metal Jacket

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

The Fall

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Black Mirror

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

A Clockwork Orange

Film Compositions Revealed with Simple Lines

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Raymond Thi: Website |  Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Raymond Thi.

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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