Basic Training: The Rules of the Grid

Kyle Cassidy
January 2008

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If you've been reading this column for any length of time, you've heard me talk about the Rule of Thirds. If you've been reading about film and video producing anywhere else, you've heard other people talking about it too. It is one of the most important compositional rules in painting, photography and, by extension, film and video producing.

As complicated as its history is, the Rule of Thirds is extremely simple for you to follow.

Divide your video screen into three horizontal and three vertical segments - like a tic-tac-toe grid. The Rule of Thirds dictates that points of interest should land at the intersection of two of these lines or, in the case of lines, like horizons or pillars, they should fall at either the 1/3 or 2/3 level.

While it's easy to explain why other compositional rules such as "look space" or "chin room" work, it's extraordinarily difficult to understand why composing with the Rule of Thirds works. For some reason, people simply find it pleasing. This is borne out by more than a hundred years of cinematography. But don't take my word for it - after reading this article, try an experiment. Go set up some shots with your video camera. In one, have the subject centered, and then shoot a second, following the Rule of Thirds. Watch the shots on your television and see if one of them seems inherently "right" and the other inherently "wrong" - try to quantify your own reactions.

The great thing about movies and television is that you have access to the greatest artists in the field with a $2 rental at your local video store.

Those among you who live alone and are dedicated to becoming better videographers may try this experiment: Take four pieces of string and tape them across the front of your television set to represent the grid. Remember, you'll need to move the horizontal ones a little if you're watching something that's letterboxed, so that they represent the director of photography's intended screen. (If you're watching the 4:3 "full screen" version of a film shot in 16:9, shame on you.) Then go to the video store and rent some of your favorite movies. They don't necessarily have to be films that have won an Oscar for Best Cinematography, though it's always nice to check out what people consider the best. While watching them, see how often people, things and points of interest lie at these intersections. Also, pay attention to how often things are centered - if they are, is there a reason? With the lines actually on your television screen, you'll be able to look at things that draw their own lines, like roads and horizons. Do objects in the frame - a person and a building perhaps - draw an imaginary line between two intersections on the grid? How are the director and the director of photography using these intersections? How are they using empty space? How much information is in each shot?

If you don't live alone and have a spouse who will make your life miserable if you tape string to the television, you can put eight small bits of tape on the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the screen and imagine there are lines between them. If your spouse notices and asks about the tape, just say you're performing an experiment by visualizing the Rule of Thirds in great movies that you've rented. Then it turns into a date and you get points for it. (For this to work, it's best to have already purchased popcorn and flowers.)

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