1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. The Establishing or Long Shot

5. The High Angle Shot

6. The Low Angle Shot

7. The Medium Shot

8. The Close-Up Shot

9. 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’.

10. Match the camera angle to the shot
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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11. Match the camera angle to the shot
High-angle shot
Point of view shot 1 2 3
Medium Shot
Close-up shot
Point of view shot
Long shot
Over the shoulder shot 4 5 6
High-angle shot
Medium long shot
Low angle shot
Extreme close up 7 8 9 10

12. 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.

13. Camera shots Choose from the following: Close-up shot
Over the shoulder shot
Low Angle shot
Medium Long shot
Medium Shot
Point of view shot
Extreme close-up shot
High-angle shot
Long Shot

14. Camera shots and their functions
________________
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.

15. 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.

16. 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.)

17. Camera Movement
There are several established camera movements the director uses for certain effects.
Panning
Tilting
Dollying in and out
Handheld
Tracking/crabbing alongside

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

19. Match 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)

20. Travelling (hand held)
Camera Movement
Function
ANSWERS
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)
Travelling (hand held)
Dollying in and out
Dollying / Tracking
Tilting
Panning

21. 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.

22. Camera Shots Quiz Answers

23. Eye-level Shot Medium Shot Panning Dollying
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
Medium Shot
Panning
Dollying

24. Tilting High Angle Shot Close-up Reverse Angle Shot
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-up
Reverse Angle Shot

25. 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.
Low Angle Shot
Long Shot
Tracking