point of entry and the ballerina effect.

generally speaking we recognize 2 visual format, vertical and horizontal.

vertical format sometimes called a portrait as one object is occupying most of the space given.

horizontal known as landscape, consisting of many objects non of them is dominant.

our eyes as they located next to each other, naturally forming horizontal format.

so we prefer the horizontal format most of the time.

in any case both formats can be in 2 states, with or without point of entry and exit.

point of entry is when an object bleed out of the frame.

the bigger or dominant object when bleed become point of entry.

conforming to perspective laws, the next smaller bleeding object become the point of exit.

there can be many point of exit but only one of entry.

once the viewer entered the frame he can be manipulated to any direction on the frame.

to do so you overlap the objects in the direction of travel.

the ballerina is the object in focus or center of attention.

the ballerina must dominant the frame in relative size and position.

the most stable position is in the center, any other position creat tention and dynamic.

left/right positions are frame crossing dynamic sense and up/down presenting gravity or stability.

as by overlapping objects you can lead the viewer eyes to the ballerina from any direction.

without a point of exit the viewer will exit from the ballerina or will return to point of entry.

as this all related to our field of view and not to 3d vision, it can be applied to all visual media.