Screen composition of a few films on TV today: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Joy Luck Club, Notting Hill, Captain America.
Surprisingly (or not, for those of us who love Asian cinema) The Joy Luck Club turned out the most visually interesting. There are a lot of frames centered round negative space: the empty chair where a deceased parent used to sit; the courtyard gap between a woman and her estranged family; the wall between two windows, through which we glimpse a face.
The pauses also suggest time: the momentary distance separating a man and woman hints at what is about to happen between them.
In my experience Asian cinema (animated or live-action) focuses just as much on the pause as the action; I'd like to look into that further, which is an academic way of saying I want to watch more Asian film.
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