Frame within a Frame
On daytime soaps, the “over-the-shoulder” shot often frames heated dialogue. The speaker is filmed from over the shoulder of the listener. Including the shoulder in the foreground presents conversation from the viewpoint of the listener. In other kinds of television shows and movies, conversations are framed by cracks in the floor, security monitors, foliage and so on. Each of these different frames presents the subject from a different perspective: of conflict, surveillance or longing.
All photographs start out with an exterior frame: the edges of the photograph. For this project, students will focus on the use of interior frames, which can help to shape the viewer’s perspective.
Learning how to walk a while in another’s shoes is an integral skill for high school students. After looking at photographs whose interior frames show the world from another perspective, these students will learn how to select and compose interior frames to express their own viewpoints.