CLOSED FRAMING: CHARACTERISTICS, EXAMPLES - ART - 2024

The closed frame is a technique that is applied to various areas of art and aims to focus on a small part of the body or any object. This process is also known as a detailed plan or close up (whose literal translation would be “close up”). Its purpose is to carefully highlight the features of the element portrayed.

This method is used in both film and television to specify the events of a scene, or to give details about the plot without having to cover the entire story. It is generally used after several open-frame shots, in order to give a twist to the events represented.

The closed frame seeks to focus on the details of the object portrayed. Source: pixabay.com

Specifically in the field of photography, this approach is used for an emotional purpose: through the image, the artist aims to create a powerful affective relationship between the viewer and the work.

This plan emerged in the mid-18th century, just when Nicéphore Niepce was conducting his first photographic tests with a camera obscura. Although the scientist did not obtain major achievements, from that moment the angles that later forged the closed frame began to be developed.

Close-up shots were widely used in the mid-20th century. In addition, they are the captures that stand out the most on a daily basis today, these being called selfies or selfies.

characteristics

This technique is characterized by projecting itself from a frontal view. Somehow he seeks that the scenes or images are compressed to reflect the sensations of balance and immobility. For this reason, the closed frame figures in a special way in portraits and horror films.

This focus is achieved when the lens approaches the landscape, person or object that is intended to be recorded or photographed. However, it is important to note that such closeness is not maximum, as there must be a focal distance between the camera and the artifact or model to be portrayed.

The origin of the name is located in England, where the terms closed frame were used for the first time (in 1913) to refer to narrow theatrical stages. From that moment on, the name began to be used as a synonym for fractional plane.

It is usually stated that the closed frame covers only one element, but such an argument is not true because these shots can comprise several bodies or instruments, and these must be represented in a fragmented way. Next we will explain what are the angles that this format has:

Foreground

It refers to when a certain element is detailed, such as the face, legs, hands or perhaps a piece of furniture. It is an immediate capture with which you try to convey some emotion.

Thanks to this approach it is possible to minimize the scene and displace the landscape. The purpose is to accentuate in the viewer the feeling of fear, hatred or emotion.

Detailed plan

This box is identified by being completely closed, since it encompasses a specific feature of the object or individual: it can be the eyes, the lips, the design of a table or the telephone receiver. It focuses on minimal gestures that are magnified.

Some people often compare this frame to macro photos, although they don't really link. The detailed plan consists of the exteriorization of an element that would go unnoticed in the course of a scene or in a complete portrait. Instead, macro images expose certain landscape components.

Inclined angle

The slanted angle is characterized by creating miniature edges that reduce the stage. Through this approach it is perceived that each element represented is reduced.

For this reason, sometimes the audience will clearly appreciate that the environment and the characters are moving away, but it is the effect of the shot that causes that mirage.

illumination

Lighting is an essential aspect within the closed frame because it defines the story that the artist wants to tell. In fact, this factor plays a fundamental role in the cinematographic and photographic field. Below we will detail some of the functions that light has when preparing a detailed plan:

- Thanks to the play of shadows, volumes are created in the focused features.

- Through chiaroscuro dual effects are established, in which a fictitious figure can be seen young and old at the same time. That is, they highlight and alter the expressions of the characters.

- It increases the emotionality of the portrayed gesture and gives continuity to the scene.

- It is used to separate the man or object from the environment, causing a three-dimensional sensation since the shot is not perceived flat, despite the fact that the person is not located in any specific space.

Examples

Although its development began in the 18th century, the closed-framing technique did not have great relevance until the mid-1990s. From that moment on, the artists and producers began to value the scenes and images in the foreground. Among the works with a prominent presence of closed frames are the following:

Lawn and lake

This photograph shows a set of triangular figures that occupy the entire painting. The portrait does not have a specific shape, which is why it can be considered abstract.

Still, the photo falls into the closed framing category because it reflects only a portion of reality.

However, the viewer does not know if he is facing a mountain range or, as the title indicates, he is facing the lake and the grass. The base of the image is chiaroscuro; For this reason some silhouettes are blurred and others are exalted.

Psychosis

Psychosis was a film that stood out for its proper use of the foreground. Throughout the film, several shots are seen that emphasize the looks of the characters, but the capture that has had the most importance is the one that takes place in the bathroom.

In that scene, only the actress's expression of horror is exposed. Likewise, the space and the character are separated due to the play of light and shadow.

References

1. Agar, J. (2003). Global story of photography. Retrieved on August 6, 2019 from University of Cambrige: cam.ac.uk
2. Bennet, T. (2009). Evolution of the photographic framing. Retrieved on August 6, 2019 from University of London: London.ac.uk
3. Burke, E. (2018). Photography and cinema. Retrieved on August 6, 2019 from the University of Louisville: louisville.edu
4. Durán, R. (2019). The time of the image. Retrieved on August 6, 2019 from the Art Academy: madridacademiadearte.com
5. Geimer, H. (2010). Close up. Retrieved on August 6, 2019 from the Art Institute of Chicago: artic.edu
6. Gibson, J. (2001). About lighting. Retrieved on August 6 from the University of Buenos Aires: uba.ar
7. Gutiérrez, P. (2016). Photographic framing understood as a process. Retrieved on August 6, 2019 from the National Institute of Fine Arts: enba.edu.uy