Composition is how you arrange what is inside the frame. Good composition makes a viewer look where you want them to look, and makes phone footage feel intentional. Content adverts ask for composition, and public skills frameworks rate composing and framing shots as a core task for camera work. Editors also need a good eye to pick the best framed shots from a pile of footage.
Shot sizes
Professionals describe shots by how much of the subject you see:
- Wide shot. Shows the whole scene: the market stall and the street around it. It tells the viewer where we are.
- Medium shot. Shows a person from about the waist up. Good for someone talking to camera.
- Close up. A face, hands, or a product filling the frame. Shows emotion and detail.
A short video usually mixes all three: a wide to set the scene, mediums for talking, close ups for detail. Changing shot size between cuts keeps viewers interested.
The rule of thirds
Turn on your camera grid. It divides the screen into three columns and three rows. Placing a person's eyes or an important object near where the lines cross often looks more natural than putting everything dead centre. If someone is looking or walking to one side, leave space on that side so they are not squashed against the edge.
Rules can be broken on purpose. A centred face talking straight to camera works well in vertical videos. The point is to choose, not to place things by accident.