Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is almost always used in films and when it isnt it is designed to unsettle the audience or add confusion. The Rule of Thirds involves the positioning of people and objects in the shot, which can affect the signiuficance or meaning of the scene and by undoing the rule of thirds you make the audience feel uneasy. Here are a few examples of the rule of thirds in different films:

This shot from 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Rob Marshall is an excellent representation of the Rule of Thirds. Her white face contained in the middle of the frame and her black hair in the outside thirds keeps the focus on her face and shows how pale and beautiful she is.

Here is another shot just like the last where the most important character is encapsulated in the middle section of the shot like in this shot from the film 'Jackie Brown' by Quentin Tarantino this draws the audiences attention towards the main character and keeps the audience enthralled.

The shot from 'The Green Mile' by Frank Darabont is a perfect example of how the rule of thirds is used to emphasise a point or theme, in this shot the character John Coffey played by Michael Clarke Duncan is shown as the huge powerful man he is towering over the other two, however his weakness is also shown by the fact that he is being held prisoner and how there are two men on either side of him cornering him. Another example of this is the shot from 'Memoirs of a Geisha' showing all three main character each within a third representing the middle character as stuck in the middle and in between the two, also this shot frames the three characters perfectly.

The picture above taken from 'Resevoir Dogs' by Quentin Tarantino is a more interesting version of the shots above as it is a worms eye view which leaves the audience wondering who is looking up at the three men adding mystery and intrigue.

This shot from 'Millers Crossing' by the Coen Brothers shows two characters both standing on the lines of the thirds making this shot balanced and at ease which reflects the time in the film which is at the end where they are civil again and comfortable as all the danger has passed.

This shot also from 'Resevoir Dogs' is really interesting because the man standing is on the line of the third and then the man lying down is over the last two thirds with the two guns crossing over and held in the middle third which grabs the audiences attention to the significance of this shot.

I absolutely love this shot from 'Pulp Fiction' by Quentin Tarantino because Samuel. L. Jackson and John Tavolta are in the middle and right thirds with the guns pointing out of the screen in the left third, this adds a touch of mystery and intrigue as we do not know who they are about to shoot, and also unbalances the frame having the effect of making the audience uneasy and tense.
This is also another of my favorite shots from one of my favourite films 'The Silence of the Lambs' by Jonathan Demme, exhibits the rule of thirds perfectly with the bars in the foreground and Hannibal (Anthony Hopkins) perfectly in the middle thirds this layout draws the audiences eye in from the outside of the screen down the bar lines and to his creepy, sinister face.
Talking of his sinister, scary face, in close-up shots the rule of thirds does not need to be applied or noticed as the full attention of the audience is on the characters and their emotions especially in this scene because the face mask makes him look even more intriguing and menacing.

Finally during the film this shot is used whilst the credits are rolling as she is walking down a long corridor and having her on the edge of the scene in the last third lets us follow her journey as we can see a little bit ahead of her and where she is about to tread.