Your camera’s lens takes in only a portion of reality. Deciding what to leave out and what to include is called “framing the shot.”

Sometimes you can go a step further and include a frame within the larger frame. This may be done  to focus the viewer’s attention…or just for visual fun.

A famous example is the frame  created by Mrs. Robinson’s leg in The Graduate.

The frame-within-a-frame technique figures prominently in “Julie Drinks,” an astonishing entry in our current music video contest.  Watch the whole video and see how the director, Renee Faia uses this framing device to intensify images of the dancer.

If you keep your eyes open, you will find many opportunities to use this technique whether you’re shooting a documentary or a narrative film. Send us your examples— info@mobilemoviemaking.com —and we’ll share them with this community.