Camera shots & angles: The art and Science of choosing what your viewer will see. Camera Shots & Angles By Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson

Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard

provide the viewer with the context of the subsequent closer shots. 6 Basic Camera Shots: Extreme long shot: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 Known as an establishing shot, and is done at the beginning of a scene to provide the viewer with the context of the subsequent closer shots. Most times is an exterior shot that shows much of the locale such as architecture and local nature. Provides a spatial frame of reference for closer shots. Necessary to give the viewer a sense of location, time and space Camera Shots & Angles amended from Kent Millard by Jesse Thompson

Can also serve as an establishing shot. 6 Basic Camera Shots: Long shot: Kill Bill (Vol.1) 2003 Usually, long-shot ranges correspond approximately to the distance between the audience and the stage in live theater. Can also serve as an establishing shot. Gives a sense of context and scenery Camera Shots & Angles By Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson

Useful for establishing size relationships between characters/objects 6 Basic Camera Shots: Full shot: Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! 1965 A type of long shot that includes the human body in full, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom Useful for establishing size relationships between characters/objects Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard

A functional shot that is used for carrying movement and for dialogue. 6 Basic Camera Shots: Medium shot: Bridget Jones’s Diary 2001 A relatively close shot, revealing the human figure from the knees or waist up. A functional shot that is used for carrying movement and for dialogue. Variations include the two-shot, containing two-figures from the waist up; the three-shot, containing three-figures; and the over-the-shoulder shot containing two figures, one with part of his or her back to the camera while the other faces the camera. Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson

6 Basic Camera Shots: Close-up: The Incredibles 2004 A detailed view of a person or object. A close-up of an actor usually includes only his or her head. Shows very little if any locale and concentrates on a relatively small object - the human face, for example. Because it magnifies the size of an object, the close-up tends to elevate the importance of things, often suggesting a symbolic significance. Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson

A variation of the close-up shot. 6 Basic Camera Shots: Extreme close-up: Psycho 1960 A variation of the close-up shot. A minutely detailed view of an object or person. Instead of a face, the extreme close-up might show only a person’s eyes or mouth. Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson

A shot in which the camera photographs a scene from directly overhead. 5 Basic Camera Angles: Bird’s-eye view: Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance 1983 A shot in which the camera photographs a scene from directly overhead. Since we seldom see things from this angle, filmmakers tend to avoid it because it can be disorienting. This angle can be highly expressive: It permits us to hover above a scene. Reducing the importance of figures and objects like cars and houses making them seem antlike and insignificant. Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson

5 Basic Camera Angles: Eye-level shot: The House that Dripped Blood 1970 The camera is placed approximately five to six feet from the ground, corresponding to the height of an observer on the scene. Used by filmmakers who believe that angles are too manipulative. Can give a more theatrical staged feeling Eye-level shots permit the audience make up our own minds about what kind of people are being presented. Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson

A shot in which the subject is drawn or photographed from below. 5 Basic Camera Angles: Low-angle shot: City of God 2002 A shot in which the subject is drawn or photographed from below. Increases height and suggests the superiority of the subject and the inferiority of the viewer who is made to feel insecure and dominated. Environment is usually minimized and often the sky or a ceiling is the only background Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard

Drawn as if the shot was photographed by a tilted camera. 5 Basic Camera Angles: Oblique angle: Shallow Grave 1994 Drawn as if the shot was photographed by a tilted camera. People look like they’re about to fall to one side. Psychologically, oblique shots suggest tension, transition and impending movement. Camera Shots & Angles Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson