How to Frame Scenes Like a Filmmaker

well-storied.com/blog/how-to-frame-scenes-like-a-filmmaker

January 27,
2018

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Have you ever thought about writing fiction with filmmaking in mind?

This certainly isn’t a concept I originated. Rather, I recently rediscovered it after reading
Diana Gabaldon’s I Give You My Body, her guide to writing intimate scenes,in which she
discusses framing the scenes in her books as though she were shooting a film.

Having taken a few communications classes in my day—all of which involved a good bit of
camera work—the idea of framing scenes with filmmaking in mind is advice that I not only
find interesting, but believe may be vastly helpful to many writers looking to improve their
craft. Sound like something you’d enjoy? Let’s kick off today’s discussion!

Why should writers think like filmmakers?

Whether named or omniscient, the authors of pre-20th century novels often made use of
external narrators as the means by which to tell their stories. Why was this the case?

For millennia, stories were told in the oral tradition. What stories were written or
performed still largely depended on this tradition, making use of narrators to convey what
often could not be actively “seen” as part of the narrative: backstory, scene changes,
passages of time, thought processes, and so on.

Then, everything changed with the rise of cinema in the 20th century. Suddenly,
storytellers were no longer limited by the confines of paper or the stage. What previously
couldn’t be explained without an external narrator could now be shown via handy work
both behind the camera and within the editing room. Just like that, storytelling became
visual.

The more consumers grew to love cinema and television, the more they craved a new
narrative style in their literature. They wanted to strip away the narrator, to blast through
that last veil between themselves and the story’s characters, and to see and experience
stories through the characters’ eyes—much as they did when viewing their favorite flick.

To meet this demand, writers began utilizing techniques derived from their new storytelling2/16
To meet this demand, writers began utilizing techniques derived from their new storytelling
cousins: filmmakers. Techniques such as Deep Point-of-View, which we discussed in-depth
on the blog here, and—as we’ll discuss today—framing scenes to be seen “visually” by
readers.

What does “framing a scene” actually mean?

When I speak of framing a scene in written fiction, I’m talking about the way you compose
a scene so that its subjects and settings can be imagined viscerally and visually by readers.
This can be done both through descriptions of the scene’s setting and through narrative
additions that fill out the dialogue and/or action of the scene.

The most important thing to keep in mind? Framing is power. The way you compose your
scenes has a major impact on how each scene is perceived (the same goes for framing
scenes in filmmaking). How the characters are composed in a shot can prompt viewers—
or, in our case, readers—to feel the specific emotions and dynamics we're working to
convey.

Confused? Here’s the good news: it’s highly likely that you’re already framing your scenes
as you write, whether you realize it or not. But let’s not leave the composition of our stories
up to chance and happenstance, shall we?

Let’s work with purpose and power instead by taking the time to learn how to apply these
principles of filmmaking to our stories, beginning with the four most common types of
shots you can use when framing your scenes (note: the examples included below are from my
current work-in-progress, Lady Legacy):

1. The Establishing Shot.

This shot is aptly named, as it establishes the setting of a scene by indicating the location
and time of day or year. It may also hint at the scene’s tone.

1. “They could see the city from the river, gleaming bright in the warm yellow light of the
Rodain sun.”

2. “Beyond lay the Serenault, its silvery waters surging as snow slithered from the
mountainside.”

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2. The Wide-Shot.
This composition “shows” one or more characters from head to toe and is often used to
establish a character’s location at the beginning of a scene. It implies a distance of several
paces between the point-of-view character and the subject or object at hand.

1. “She paused at the threshold. He was there, on the balcony, sitting in solitude as white-
capped waves churned in the sea beyond.”

2. “A few paces ahead, Coster rode with an arrow-straight spine, his dark eyes sweeping the
street for any sign of danger.”

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3. The Medium Shot.
This popular shot indicates that its subject is seen or observing something from a casual
distance, often while maintaining some of the scene’s surrounding environment. In other
words, the reader is not made to feel that the subject or object being discussed is very
near or very far away from its point-of-view character.

1. “The Lord Master leaned forward in his chair, a devilish smile playing at his lips.”

2. “She studied the canopy above, where shadows writhed against the glow of the
candlelight.”

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4. The Close-Up.
Another frequently used shot, the Close-Up can indicate the POV character’s nearness to
the subject or object at hand or emphasize the importance of a specific detail. Close-Ups
are used more frequently in more personal or intimate scenes.

1. “The dark splotches beneath each eye made him look halfway through death’s door.”

2. “She could smell the salt on him, and something darker, the hearth fire and ink, the
sweat of the day.”

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As you can see from that last example, the words used to frame a shot don't always need
to be visual. If the point-of-view character is close enough to pick up certain details via
touch, taste, smell, or hearing, those senses can also serve to establish the shot in fiction.

When composing your scenes, pay special attention to what your shots convey. For
example, you can use a wide-shot to show that your characters are attending a party. You
can then "push-in" with a medium shot to show that the protagonist and their love interest
are much more interested in talking to one another than they are in dancing.

As their conversation turns personal, you can push in once more and use close-ups to
indicate the love and attraction growing between your characters. Does someone interrupt
their near-kiss? Another wide-shot can immediately break the romantic tension that was
building. Clever, eh?

How to Practice Angling for Emotion

See how common those four types of “shots” are in prose? Chances are that you’re already
utilizing them, whether you realize it or not, right? But those four shots aren’t the only ways
you can frame your scenes.

Let’s go pro by tapping into three additional shots that can really liven up your prose.
These shots specify the angles from which you compose your scenes and can work
wonders for conveying the dynamics and emotions you’re looking to evoke.

1. At Eye-Level.
Though often assumed rather than explicitly stated, this type of shot frames subjects or
observations at eye level, indicating a sense of ease or equality among characters and
their environment.

“She tried to memorize Sarenne’s face. The soft wrinkles around her eyes, the way she sucked in
her cheeks, mouth set, as she practiced patience on the most trying of days and with the most
trying of people—her own stubborn student included.”

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2. The High Angle.
By having the POV character view others or their environment from above eye-level, you
can establish feelings of dominance, awe, contemplation, or isolation, depending on the
tone of your scene.

“Soon, the horizon began to climb. They chased it, the donkey huffing wearily, until they crested
the rolling hill and watched in awe as the orchards of Brenmere unfurled before them. Her
breath caught in her throat at the sight.”

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3. The Low Angle.
By having the POV character view others or their environment from below eye-level, you
can establish feelings of fear, inadequacy, wonder, or sorrow, again depending on the
tone of your scene.

“A woman stood above her, not too much older than herself, looking down with eyes narrowed
against the rising sun. ‘You’ve never done this before, have ye?’ she said.”

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See how powerful it is to frame your scenes around how your POV character is feeling and
experiencing the world around them? This is again where Deep POV comes to play. Many
readers crave the immediacy of experiencing a story from the main character’s point-of-
view. So why not do everything in your power to take them there?

Is thinking like a filmmaker the best way to write?

The answer here is simple: there is no right way to write!

Not every story is best told through the limited point-of-view of a subjective narrative (a.k.a
in Deep POV). Some stories demand narrators, while others are told as legends or through
an epistolary framework. Unsure of the storytelling style that would work best for your
novel? Check out this article on novel frameworks today.

But if you are writing in Deep POV and you are a largely visual thinker, writing with these
filmmaking techniques in mind may be a great way to take the nebulous, often
overwhelming task of framing your scenes and turn it into a more purposeful and
organized process.

And yes. That’s right, my friend. Framing scenes like a filmmaker does mean that you can
now officially watch movies as part of your storytelling research. Just make sure to do so 15/16
now officially watch movies as part of your storytelling research. Just make sure to do so
with a critical eye in mind, okay? I’ll bring the popcorn!

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