Camera shots and angles

CAMERA SHOTS & ANGLES

CLOSE UP

• Head and shoulders are in the frame. Used if the director wants to focus our attention on one particular thing. This is often character’s facial expression

CLOSE UP

• Discuss what the director wants us to understand when we see these two close ups

EXTREME CLOSE UP

• Focuses the audience’s attention on small details and these shots are often used more for artistic effect, can give the audience a sense of discomfort

LONG SHOT

• Shows us the whole character, drawing attention to costume and body language. Can be used to offer perspective

EXTREME WIDE SHOT

• The view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot.

POINT OF VIEW

• When we the audience see exactly what he character is seeing

MID SHOT

• When we see the character from the waist up with partial view of the setting in the background. Used so we can focus on the dialogue between two characters

MEDIUM LONG SHOT

• When we see the character from the knees up with partial view of the setting in the background

BIRDS EYE VIEW

• When the camera looks down on settings of characters from high above. This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.

LOW ANGLE SHOT

• The camera is placed below a subject looking up, it look larger and more powerful

HIGH ANGLE SHOT

• When the camera looks down on a person or object, it can look vulnerable. Not so extreme as a bird's eye view.

HIGH & LOW ANGLES

• Discuss with a partner how you think the director expects you to feel when you look at these two shots

• What do you think you are expected to think about the strength of the characters in these situations

OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT

• Looking from behind a person at the subject.

TWO SHOT

• A shot with two people

CANTED ANGLE

• Sometimes the camera is tilted, to suggest imbalance, transition and instability (very popular in horror movies).

CAMERA MOVEMENT

STEADI-CAM

• A camera mounted on a harness attached to a cameraman so the movement is smooth

HANDHELD

• The camera shots move in a disjointed way – the shots are unclear as the camera is held without support

PAN

• A movement which scans a scene horizontally (left to right/ right to left). The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhTEe5vjN3Q

CRANE SHOT

• Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane (or jib), is a large, heavy piece of equipment, but is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it. It can be used to draw the audience right into the centre of the action.

• Crane-Player.wmv

360 DEGREE SHOT

• A camera shot that rotates around a character or an object that is at the centre of the audiences attention

ZOOM

• the camera is fixed and a zoom lens is used to move in closer (at variable speed), or out, further away, from the subject(s). This is used to involve the audience or to focus on the expres sion of a character, by zooming Into a close-up to heighten suspense.

TRACKING/DOLLY SHOT

• The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcADYswshxU&NR=1

• traveling-central.wmv

TILT

• A movement which scans a scene vertically (up and down/ down and up), otherwise similar to a pan.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jYXX48Oz7s&NR=1

WHIP PAN

• Fast pan that can create motion blur

• WhipPan-BruceLee.wmv

PEDESTAL SHOT

• A camera movement in which the camera is lowered or lifted; for example to follow an actor when he stands up

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiMHoTBlqo&NR=1

RACKING PULLING FOCUS

• Changing the focus while filming so that a new aspect of the mise-en-scene is emphasised

• RackFocus-Peking.wmv