The Rule of Thirds

1) Still image from The Walking Dead, 2010, demonstrating "The Rule of Thirds."

This still image from The Walking Dead shows Negan, the show’s antagonist, in alignment with the Rule of Third’s left vertical hotspot holding a spiked bat near the central area of the picture. Some characters in the show appear to be on their knees facing him with his bat, suggesting submission, while others standing behind this group are also facing Negan. His character being the only one on the left vertical line, with the other figures falling in the center and right part of the frame, signals that he is the enemy and that he has authority over the group. The man with ginger-colored hair, Abraham, who can be seen close up in the image along the horizontal hotspot has Negan’s weapon facing his direction. The focus on this character and his placement compared to Negan, who in the frame is standing over his general area in the vertical hotspot, indicates that he may be in danger from this man. He is vulnerable to what is to come and after this scene, Abraham is indeed killed by Negan with the same bat he is holding here.

2) Places/Settings/Landscapes

a. A photo taken without regard for the rule.

b. A photo taken with a) the horizon correctly aligned with a horizontal rule line, and b) focal objects lined up with hot spots (intersections between horizontal and vertical lines on the tic-tac-toe grid).

3) One figure (human, animal, or stand-in)

a. A photo taken without regard for the rule.

b. A photo taken with the object figure aligned with hot spots on either vertical line.

4) Two Figures

a. A photo taken without regard for the rule.

b. A photo taken with eyes and landscape aligned according to the rule and figures with neutral spacing.

c. A photo taken with eye and landscape alignment and vertical placement to suggest agreement or attraction.

The photo above conveys agreement or attraction because the figures are within very close proximity to one another. The figures touching each other create the narrative that the two have established some form of a positive and cordial relationship. Both are positioned at an angle toward one another, adding to the development of agreement or attraction between the figures. My subjects are aligned on the right vertical line hotspot, drawing focus to them and their closeness. A low-angle shot was used to create an intimate focus that is on the same level as them. A closer shot of the figures is used to intensify the relationship I want to capture they have. Mis en Scène is used here with the beige color-schemed background contrasting heavily with my subject’s strong colors of blue as a way to exude a sense of isolation they feel from everything else; An “us against the world” cliche of intimacy and attraction.

d. A photo taken with eye and landscape alignment and vertical placement to indicate disagreement, conflict, or threat/menace.