Tonal separation 

Tonal values are essential for communicating depth and points of interest in film and video. But many filmmakers think about contrast when it’s too late.

Contrast is a term that applies to several aspects of filmmaking: contrast ratios with lighting, contrast adjustments in color correction software, contrast in color, contrast in compositional shapes — the list goes on — but primarily, contrast refers to tone.

The Principle of Contrast & Affinity states: The greater the contrast in a visual component, the more the visual intensity or dynamic increases. The greater the affinity in a visual component, the more the visual intensity or dynamic decreases.

Contrast = Greater Visual Intensity

Affinity = Less Visual Intensity

Photo credit to Premiumbeat

Color separation

Color separation is the process by which original full-color digital files are separated into individual color components for four-color process printing. Every element in the file is printed in a combination of four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, known as CMYK in the world of commercial printing.

Flat space

Flat space emphasises the two-dimensional quality of the screen surface. The walls are frontal, and there are no longitudinal planes or converging lines. Actors are staged on the same horizontal plane, they are the same size.

Limited space

Limited Space the depth cues in the shot include size change, up/down position and tonal separation. There are no longitudinal planes, only frontal surfaces. Limited space uses two or more of the frontal planes to create depth. The idea is to create a flat plane which separates one plane from another. If there is only one plane, the image is considered flat.

Ambiguous space

In order to create the idea of depth, you usually have to relate it to something. Ambiguous space is the removal of those cues so the viewer doesn’t know what they’re looking at. A normal place at an odd angle or a close up of a part of an object are 2 examples.