Camera Shots and Angles
Thursday, October 08, 2015This blog post is about different types of camera shots and angles and the effects they possess. Having a variety of camera shots can make a video more interesting to watch and are essential to have in order to receive good reviews/feedback. Using a selection of camera angles can create mood as well as suggesting information about characters, the story, and future happenings in a movie.
However, due to the number of different shots as well as their definitions, effects and diagrams, I thought I would write about film openings & their effective shots in a different blog post.
Aerial Shot: An exterior shot shown from above, often used to establish a setting/location. These shots are usually used at the beginning of a video or introducing a new scene.
Arc Shot: A shot in which the subject is circled by the camera. They are common as they bring a high level of impact & emotions to the audience.
Bridging shot: A shot that denotes a shift in time or place e.g a line moving across an animated map. Often used to fast-forward time and progression.
Close up: A shot that keeps a full face in frame. They are greatly used to add effect and capture the slightest emotions of a character.
Medium shot: A shot that shows less than a long shot, but more than a close up shot. This type of shot is commonly used in ever film, and is the typical way of inflicting the camera to characters when sharing dialogue.
Long shot: A shot that depicts an entire character or object from head to foot. They are not as long as an establishing shot and they aim for the viewer's attention to be attracted to the character.
Cowboy shot: A show framed from the mid-thigh up, generically known to be used in Western films. This type of shot creates suspense and tensity.
Deep focus: A shot that keeps the foreground, middle ground and background ALL in sharp focus. They give the effect of a subject's surroundings and aim for the audience to acknowledge the setting.
Dolly zoom: A shot that viciously zooms in and out towards a subject - creating a woozy, vertiginous effect. Perhaps used to create an visual aftereffect of drugs which the subject may be experiencing.
Dutch tilt: A shot where the camera is tilted on its side and therefore creates a kooky angle. This kind of shot works well as an aftermath of a POV shot, e.g the defeat of a character.
Establishing shot: A shot that vividly shows the locale the action is set in, and often comes after an aerial shot. This shot is useful for introducing the audience to the movie setting.
Handheld shot: This shot is described within its name, and creates a jerky, immediate feel by the camera operator. This shot is great to feature in an adventure/horror film, where the viewer can feel as if they're experiencing the scene & the character's situation.
Low angle shot: A shot that is taken from a low angle, and is often used to make characters/subjects look bigger in the frame. It can make anyone look heroic/dominant, and are good to used when showing a city. They are great to use in action films.
High angle shot: A shot looking down on a subject, isolating them in the fame. It often makes them look inferior, weak and inadequate - thus possibly creating a sympathetic effect from the audience.
Locked-down shot: A shot where a camera is fixed in one position while the action continues off screen. They can create a sense of humour and are regularly used in cartoons or comedy films.
Matte shot: A shot that incorporates foreground action with a background shot. This type of shot creates a sense of determination and power held by a character in the foreground.
Over the shoulder shot: A shot where the camera is positioned behind one subject's shoulder, usually during a conversation. It implies a connection between the speakers as opposed to the single shot that suggests distance.
Pan shot: A shot where the camera moves continuously right to left/ left to right. An abbreviation of panning/panorama. They work well when included in an aerial shot of a city/location.
POV shot: A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see. They are often used in Horror film to view the world through a killer's eyes.
Steadicam shot: A shot from a hydraulically balanced camera that allows for a smooth, fluid movement. This increases the quality of the video.
Tilt shot: A shot where the camera moves continuously Up to Down or Down To Up. A tilt to the sky is traditionally a last shot in a movie. A tilt from the feet upwards of a character can suggest suspense.
Top shot: A shot looking directly down on a scene rather than at an angle. Also known as a Birds-Eye-View shot. This type of shot is commonly used when a showdown/battle between more than two characters is about to commence. They are great to add an climactic effect.
Tracking shot: A shot that follows a subject from behind/alongside/in front. It is an elegant shot that creates a more civilised era.
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.
Whip pan: A shot that is the same as a pan but is so fast that picture blurs beyond recognition. Usually accompanied by a whoosh sound and also addressees the impact of elation and tensity.
Zoom & Crane shot: A shot deploying a lens with a variable focal length that allows the cinematographer to change the distance between camera and object without physically moving the camera. Also see Crash shots do the same except they are quicker than zoom shots and the camera is placed on a crane or jib. This type of shot is used to highlight a character's loneliness or at the end of a movie, the camera moving away as if its narrating goodbye.
Why use a selection of shots and angles? How does this aid the storytelling?
Using a variety of shots and angles help to create mood and atmosphere in a film. By creating this the audience can connect with & understand the character's emotions and personas, as well as apprehending the storyline. Movies that use the same types of shots and angles are very dull and boring to watch because they are only focused on one viewpoint. By using variations of compositions, the storyline is enabled to be expressed realistically so the audience can imagine the film's content on a visual scale.
3 film Examples of specific camera shot/angles:
Aerial shot: American Beauty (1999)
Close up shot: The Shining (1980)
Long shot: The International (2009)
What effects do shorter and longer shots lengths have?
Longer shot lengths provide the time for their content to be analysed and assimilated by the viewer. They are great to be used when introducing a new setting into a film, or to highlight a significant and memorable moment - such as a character's death. These kind of shots are effective to signify a certain mood/atmosphere in a section of a film, such as desolation, clarity or romance.
Shorter shot lengths, dissimilarly, are very effective when it comes to action/hectic scenarios in films. They make the scene tense, exciting and engaging to watch. Shorter shot lengths increase the pace of the film's content and overall, make a film pleasing to experience. Additionally, shorter shot lengths have the capability to indicate extreme senses of emotions if they link in with the scene's sound. For example, shorter shot lengths are effective when argumentative dialogue is being exchanged between two or more characters - implying intensity, bitterness, and frustration.
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