Studies in Composition: Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai

Many years ago, I designed an online class for AAU (Academy of Art University), in which I used examples from Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai to illustrate principles of composition. While that class is now old, the principles are universal, and so I try to review these principles every now and then, and make sure I am applying them in my own work. The material below is excerpted from that online class. 

Foreground, Middle Ground, Background

Kurosawa's work often utilized the "Rule of Threes", the idea of dividing compositions into three distinct groupings, such as foreground, middle ground, and background, or big, medium, and small.

In the scene below, note the placement of feet on the ground plane. As figures come closer to the camera, their feet come closer to the bottom edge of the frame. The feet of the nearest figure run off the edge altogether. The figures are grouped into distinct layers of foreground, middle ground, and background, which lends itself to a very satisfying composition.

Big, Medium, Small

Along with foreground, middle ground and background, we can arrange elements by size: big, medium, and small. I find that students often don't push the contrast of size enough, and so I use these examples to show how contrast of size can really impact a composition. 

These next examples emphasize headshots, but notice how Kurosawa arranges his actors so that each head appears at a distinctly different size. If your compositions feel too static, or uninspired, try varying the size of elements. Three seems to be an ideal number of groupings: too much variation may result in an ununified composition, while not enough variation risks becoming boring.

Directional Lines

Other methods for creating exciting compositions include: directional lines, and contrast of scale and foreshortening. In this next example, note how almost everything in the environment creates directional lines leading us to the focal point. 

Contrast of Scale

Contrast is one of the keys to exciting composition. Note the extreme contrast of scale between the figures in the foreground and background.

Foreshortening

Foreshortening is seen when an object comes toward the camera, as the stick does here. The strong diagonal, plus the foreshortening, help to create dynamic composition. 

In this example of extreme foreshortening, the sword almost appears to run right into the camera lens. Note the deep focus that includes almost everything from the sword to the distant figures, which was a signature trademark of Kurosawa's compositions. 

These examples barely scratch the surface of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. So much more could be said, but my online classes were aimed at illustration/animation students struggling to learn basic drawing concepts, and so I kept things simple.