The Golden Mean

The Golden Mean is the Ratio of each successive number on the Fibinocci Sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc., which is a series of numbers in which each number is added to its predecessor to arrive at the next number in the sequence. The ratio of each is roughly 1:1.618. This is also the aspect ratio of credit cards. Also, it is found in branches, knuckles, dorsal fins, the list goes on and is terrifying. You can use it in stage and film compositions as well, to control the eye of the viewer.

This is a video of me explaining it to some amateur videographers who would be providing coverage for a spec reality pilot I directed at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2007.

What's kind of cool about this footage is that as I describe the deployment of the golden mean in composition, the framing work of the woman holding the camera gradually improves.