Out of scope

Offscreen: how is it created?

Off-screen definition

To give you a quick reminder, the image you see on the screen during a film is the framing done by the camera. This is what we call the field of view. And everything that cannot be seen outside this same frame is part of the off-screen (also known as the out-of-frame).

The off-screen is therefore linked to the field, and consists of playing on the perception of a scene. It begins after the four corners of the image and extends it through the imaginary. The off-screen is therefore the spectator’s perception, what the viewer of the short film does not see on the screen. This invisible part is outside time and is defined in three dimensions.

“The off-screen refers to that which we neither hear nor see, yet which is perfectly present, André Bazin”.

The purpose of off-screen

To continue the definition of off-screen in cinema, it has very specific and intentional purposes. Through the presence of the off-screen, the director hopes to arouse emotions through the perception of this undefined space-time. Above all, this staging creates an element of mystery. What is happening in this other space?

It is therefore important to know the difference between a concrete off-screen shot, which shows, for example, an object partially in the field, and an imaginary off-screen shot. In the latter, the spectator interprets what he does not see in the image, and can be frustrated by not knowing. The off-screen is this void, this temporal ellipsis that adds suspense to the action. It’s quite an art.

Offscreen to create emotion

Through this main objective of off-screen in cinema, the director aims to create a particular perception and emotion that is unique to the viewer and to no-one else. Because, yes, off-screen is only for the viewer of the short film.

With the off-screen technique, the viewer in front of the screen can feel fear, astonishment or amazement if the action is dramatic. The surprise effect is definitely there. On the other hand, in the more comic scenarios of Charlie Chaplin’s films, the off-screen technique allows the laughter to come to the fore even more.

This cinematographic method is also used in detective and historical films.

A number of well-known directors have often used the off-screen technique, such as Alfred Hitchcock in Vertigo or The Birds, Fritz Lang in M le Maudit and Steven Spielberg in Jaws.

Off-screen in other media

Off-screen exists in the cinema, but also in other fields.

Off-screen in painting

In painting (the paintings of Edward Hopper, for example, draw their strength from what they do not show), in comic strips and in photography, we tend to talk about the “out of frame”, that which lies outside the canvas or the limits of the photograph. In painting, however, we can speak of the “hors-champ”. Both terms are used.

Out-of-frame in photography

This temporal and spatial effect can be defined by various elements such as an open window, a hidden object (not visible in the image) or a partially shown object (such as a tree). In photography, the out-of-frame effect is most often a shadow, a reflection or a gaze cast outwards during the photographic shot.

Out-of-frame: techniques for getting it right

Playing with the eyes

One of the main methods for creating an out-of-frame effect is to create a look. The attitude of the actors is crucial here. As before, this gaze is drawn to the outside of the field. Everything is done to appeal to the viewer of the film, and it’s all a question of acting and point of view.

Because, yes, the gaze can be worked on. For example, an actor can look away with a particular emotion or, on the contrary, keep his gaze fixed in another direction. All these types of gaze help to give value to the out-of-frame.

Off-screen, lines and sounds: dialogue

Another way of creating an out-of-frame effect is through dialogue. If voices come from off-screen, they come from characters who are also off-screen. The voices of these off-screen actors are called voice-overs. An actor may, for example, be talking to another person who we can’t see but who we can hear.

All the sounds can therefore create this imaginary space and highlight the mysterious aspect of the action.

Framing to create off-screen effects

The way the camera shoots during a short film is another way of creating an off-screen effect. There are two shots that achieve this effect. These are the American shot, which often stops at the protagonists’ knees, and the close-up, which zooms in on part of an object.

A part of the face, such as the eyes, for example, will allow us to imagine a face and a personality. This is the principle of the off-camera shot.

To connect an off-camera camera by radio, you need a transmitter and a receiver.

Organisation of the field

As the out-of-focus area is directly linked to the in-field area, the latter can highlight certain effects to add value to the out-of-focus area. These include framing on a horizon, a room with subdued light or a door that closes. The setting itself and its atmosphere are elements that contribute to the off-screen effect.

In conclusion, off-screen arouses the viewer’s imagination. It only really exists through the viewer and its ability to extend the time and space of the film. This off-screen element is an implicit shooting technique that is created by various elements such as the looks, the attitudes of the actors or the use of very specific sounds.

This way of filming captures attention and gives interest to the film through suppositions that can be multiple. The off-screen effect is a way of extending what can be seen, allowing us to project ourselves into the infinity of the short film.