Analysing Film

Aim: To identify the key terms.

Aim higher: Apply new knowledge to analyse a film’s effectiveness.

Starter: What kind of camera shot would you call this and what do you think might be its function?

Close up - to show emotion / reaction

Camera shots

• Just as in writing, film uses techniques to produce different responses in their audience.

• Short sentences are used for impact in writing, but certain camera shots are chosen for exactly that effect as well.

• Each camera shot is picked with the intention of delivering a very specific effect on the audience.

Camera shots• There are 7 main camera shots which are each

picked for a particular effect.

• Point of view shot• High-angle shot• Over the shoulder shot• Close-up shot• Low angle shot• Medium Shot• Long shot

These are occasionally played around with to make new versions, depending on what suits the director – for example, you could have a medium long shot, which would half the distance of a long shot, but still wouldn’t be a medium shot, etc.

The Establishing or Long Shot

The High Angle Shot

The Low Angle Shot

The Medium Shot

The Close-Up Shot

You are going to watch a short film which shows you examples of different camera shots / angles and movements using clips from the film ‘Se7en’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KKXW3STiVM

Point of view shot

High-angle shot

Over the shoulder shot

Close-up shot

Low angle shot

Extreme Close Up

Medium Shot

Long shot

Medium Long Shot

Point of view shot

Close-up shot

Over the shoulder shot

High-angle shot

Extreme close up

Low angle shot

High-angle shot

Medium Shot

Long shot

Medium long shot

Point of view shot

Camera shots

• As we’ve discussed, each camera angle is picked specifically with an effect in mind.

• Match up the camera shots you have learned with the correct explanations of their function(s).

• Fill in your answers on the sheet in your booklet.

Camera shots

Close-up shotOver the shoulder shotLow Angle shotMedium Long shotMedium ShotPoint of view shotExtreme close-up shotHigh-angle shotLong Shot

Choose from the following:

________________• The audience sees the

situation from the character’s position

________________• Suggests character’s

smallness, weakness or isolation.

• The audience is in a powerful position.

________________• Focuses the audience’s

attention on one character________________• Concentrates attention.• Shows character’s emotion• Puts audience in a privileged

position.

_______________• Audience in intimate relationship.• Shows a character’s intimate

feelings. _________________• Suggests character’s bigness,

strength or dominance. • Audience in weak position. _______________• Situates character in immediate

environment, yet still shows emotion.

_______________• Shows the context of the shot._______________• Important in action scenes, where

emotion is still important.

Camera shots and their functions

• Point of view shot• The audience sees the

situation from the character’s position

• High-angle shot• Suggests character’s

smallness, weakness or isolation.

• The audience is in a powerful position.

• Over the shoulder shot• Focuses the audience’s

attention on one character• Close-up shot• Concentrates attention.• Shows character’s emotion• Puts audience in a privileged

position.

• Extreme close up shot• Audience in intimate relationship.• Shows a character’s intimate

feelings. • Low angle shot• Suggests character’s bigness,

strength or dominance. • Audience in weak position. • Medium Shot• Situates character in immediate

environment, yet still shows emotion.

• Long shot• Shows the context of the shot.• Medium long shot• Important in action scenes, where

emotion is still important.

Camera shots and their functions

Camera Movement

• Not only is the shot an important tool in telling the film’s story, but the movement contributes a lot to our understanding too.

Camera movement is used to:

• Follow the action• Reveal information – moving plot forward• Change the emotional mood of the scene (e.g.

making someone appear more or less powerful, frightened etc.)

Camera Movement

• There are several established camera movements the director uses for certain effects.

• Panning• Tilting• Dollying in and out• Handheld • Tracking/crabbing

alongside

Aim: To understand how different camera movements can be used in different ways to achieve different effects.

Camera Movement

FunctionMatch up the correct function with the camera movements

Panning Can create a first person perspective, puts the audience in the eyes of the character (who may or may not have been seen) – can give you the thrill of being that character.

Tilting Depends on speed - dollying in to a still object can be quite unnerving if at speed and emphasises the importance of the object (like rushing in to something in real life); dollying in builds tension, can make a place feel claustrophobic, can make the audience feel pulled

Dollying out – can pull back and reveal.

Travelling (hand held)

Builds anticipation if you are dollying along with a moving object, describes the place but makes you feel like you are on a journey – to arrive at the next scene.

Dollying in and out

Describes a person in relation to the place they’re in. Can be used to reveal a location in stages to build surprise or shock

Dollying /Tracking

Describes / reveals the location or follows the action, gets a much wider shot into the shot (short for panorama)

Camera Movement

FunctionANSWERS

Can create a first person perspective, puts the audience in the eyes of the character (who may or may not have been seen) – can give you the thrill of being that character.

Depends on speed - dollying in to a still object can be quite unnerving if at speed and emphasises the importance of the object (like rushing in to something in real life); dollying in builds tension, can make a place feel claustrophobic, can make the audience feel pulled

Dollying out – can pull back and reveal.

Builds anticipation if you are dollying along with a moving object, describes the place but makes you feel like you are on a journey – to arrive at the next scene.

Describes a person in relation to the place they’re in. Can be used to reveal a location in stages to build surprise or shock

Describes / reveals the location or follows the action, gets a much wider shot into the shot (short for panorama)

Dollying in and out

Travelling (hand held)

Panning

Dollying / Tracking

Tilting

Now work in groups to complete the Camera Shots Quiz.

Match each of the film language terms to the visual description on the sheet which best describes it.

Write the answers on the sheet in your booklet.

Camera Shots Quiz Answers

Medium Shot

The condemned man looks squarely at the camera and declares his innocence.

An interior of a car where a couple are having an argument.

A teacher and principal are having a discussion. The camera doesn't move, but the shot moves from the principal, on the left to the teacher, on the right, each time they speak.

The camera moves from an interior shot of a couple arguing in their car, to an exterior shot of their car stuck in a traffic jam.

Eye-level Shot

Panning

Dollying

With the camera remaining in one place, the shot follows Spiderman as he climbs up the side of a building, and then down again.

You have a bird-eye view of a group of children playing in a schoolyard.

All you see on the screen is a well-manicured hand, nervously tapping a countertop.

As the heroes escape, it's as if we are in their shoes, looking ahead at the dark alley as we try to get away.

Tilting

High Angle Shot

Close-upReverse Angle Shot

Low Angle Shot

Long Shot

Tracking

A villain laughs cruelly - it's as if he is standing on top of you as he does this.

A car is driving on a deserted road. The outline of a city can be seen in the distance.

The camera moves from left to right, following the hero as she runs on top of a moving train.