STRUZAN EYE GAZE PART 4

This is a study on a topic that was near the top of my list of learning this year: What composition elements go where when stacking characters in a montage? While this study will not answer the question in full, I did learn a concept about placement.

Consider the poster below. The characters look off into space, but there is mostly empty airspace between them and the edge of the poster.

Catch and Release

This is where what I’m calling “Catch and Release” comes into play. Below is an example from Struzan.

Struzan places the necklace to “Catch” Kate’s gaze, and then “Releases” the eye path in a new direction to keep the viewer’s eye within the poster and keep a visual flow.

STAR WARS EXAMPLES

Let’s look at two examples from the Prequels.

Struzan “catches” Anakin’s gaze with the lens flare and “releases” it toward Padmae:

The large lens flare edge “catches” the flying space ships:

Let’s look at Revenge of the Sith.

Padre’s gaze is caught by Vader’s shoulder:

The lightsaber catches Obi-Wan’s gaze:

GREEN MILE EXAMPLE

In The Green Mile, Struzan uses the window to catch Hank’s gaze and redirect it to the mouse:

YOUNG INDIANA JONES EXAMPLES

My favorite Struzan examples to study for this subject were his Young Indiana Jones posters. In the example below, Struzan uses what seems to be a triple catch and release on the left-hand side:

In the next example, the film lights are used on the left and right hand side to catch and release the eye gaze:

The last two examples feature more catch and release methods from Struzan: