Headroom

The space between the top of the head and the top of the frame. Too much and the figure sinks; too little and the frame presses down.

Headroom is the vertical courtesy of framing: enough air above the head that the figure sits naturally, not so much that they drown in ceiling. The correct amount shrinks as shots tighten, close-ups run almost none, and a fingernail's error is visible to anyone, nameable by no one.

It is also expressive when spent deliberately: crushed headroom presses weight onto a character; excessive headroom dwarfs them under institutional air. The craft habit is checking the head against the frame line in every setup, because drifting headroom across coverage is one of continuity's quietest leaks.