Camera Shots and Angles

These are the main 16 camera shots and angles used when filming.

 

• Establishing Shot-Usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place. It is usually a very wide shot or extreme wide shot.
• Wide Shot-Typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings.
• Medium Shot-A shot at medium distance, shows less than a long shot, more than a close-up.
• Close up-A shot that is close to and focused on a character or object. Can emphasise importance of an object or emphasise feelings of a character.
• Cut Away- Interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually, although not always, followed by a cut back to the first shot, when the cutaway avoids a jump cut.
• High Angle-A shot looking down on a character or subject often isolating them in the frame. Can make someone look alone or small in character/importance.
• Low Angle-A shot looking up at a character or subject often making them look bigger in the frame. It can make everyone look heroic or dominant.
• Extreme Close Up- Closer than a close up allows the viewer to enter the character’s intimate space, revealing certain characteristics and emotions that would otherwise go unnoticed from afar.
• Two Shot-A medium shot that depicts two people in the frame. Used primarily when you want to establish links between characters or people who are beside rather than facing each other.
• Worms Eye View-A perspective seen from below or from a low or inferior position. Can make someone look bigger than they are therefore exaggerating power or authority.
• Birds Eye View-A shot looking directly down on a scene rather than at an angle. Gives an overview to see what is happening in a large part of a surrounding in a scene e.g. a street in a car chase.
• Over The Shoulder-A shot where the camera is positioned behind one subject's shoulder, usually during a conversation. Implies a connection between the speakers.
• Reverse Shot-A shot that views the action from the opposite side of the previous shot, as during a conversation between two actors, giving the effect of looking from one actor to the other.
• Perspective-A technique which employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is.
• Point Of View-A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see. Lets the audience see things from a characters point of view giving them more of a feeling and understanding towards the current situation from that characters point of view.

Effects of Long and Short Shots:


Having a close up or a shorter length shot rather than a long shot does have different effects than longer. This is because, shorter shot lengths focus more on the actors and their emotions rather than what is happening around them. This is effective because it engages the audience more because they have to concentrate to read their body language, facial expressions and emotions. It shows less on the screen but it has more quality rather than quality in this part of the film. In a film there should be both long and short camera lengths, to make sure it is as professional and interesting as possible. There would be more short shots than long in romance films to catch their emotions. But, in action films there would be more long shots because more would be happening in the film and you would want to see everything that is happening not just one part. They would need to capture everything so people could get the whole experience not just some of it. Longer shot effects would mean that you could get the whole picture so you can see what the actors can see, not just their face an their conversations but everything they can see as well.