Okay folks! Let's take a moment to talk about composition.

In visual art like photography, painting or movies, 'composition' doesn't just mean 'putting stuff in the picture.' It means organizing the elements in your work effectively. In film, composition often means more than pretty visuals--it means telling a story.

The human eye is naturally drawn to bright color and high contrast (white against black). Our eyes naturally follow lines and the gaze of people in the image. A well-composed picture uses this to guide the eye through the image.

In this shot from The Dark Knight, the eye follows the line of Heath Ledger's leg across the frame to the focal point (note the stark contrast between Batman's dark figure and the Joker's pale face and light-colored shirt--that catches the eye). This emphasizes conflict!

This shot from Fast Color uses, well, color to tell a story. It contrasts warm yellows and oranges against cold blues. Without knowing anything about this movie, we understand that the woman in the shot is leaving a place of safety for a scary, unfriendly destination.

Now let's look at the image KEVIN SMITH HELD UP AS DIVINE ART. The hammer, which should be the focus, is lost in the muddy, distracting background. My eye is drawn instead to... some shiny clouds far off in the distance. Great job. What story does this composition tell? Nothing.

What am I supposed to look at here? Where is my eye supposed to go? Their gaze is no help. No lines to follow. I'm just stuck in this dark, boring swamp.

I know Cap is supposed to be the focus here, but his face is so dim; it's indistinguishable from the cluttered background. Instead, I find my eye following his gaze... to this bright spot of empty sky. Nice job.

Back to Metropolis! The mad scientist's outstretched arms lead us to the lines of Hel's face, which focus on her enormous eyes. Gorgeous contrast. We see how the scientist's grief towers over his life. And though this is symmetrical, the rule of thirds is in play at top & bottom.

What am I supposed to look at?
Where is my eye supposed to go?
What is the focal point of this image?
What is this image saying?

Imagine you haven't been brainwashed into thinking a magic hammer is important. Your eye naturally follows lines into light. This is bad composition. https://twitter.com/SpideyRode/status/1231585149982269445

I understand that a billion dollars' worth of marketing has inflicted upon your lizard brain the belief that this imaginary hammer is important. But nothing in this image--the light, the color, the use of lines--reinforces this. Therefore it's bad composition.

per @grimbax: "also misses the point that the in a movie the visuals should be supporting and enhancing the story, not relying on the story to be a cheat sheet for bad, confusing visuals"