camera shots
- Close up - More intimate than the medium shot, the expressions and emotions of an actor are more visible and affecting and is meant to engage the character in a direct and personal manner. You are starting to lose visual information about the character’s surroundings, but the character’s actions are more intimate and impacting.
- Extreme close up - For amplifying emotional intensity, the extreme close-up puts the camera right in the actor’s face, making even their smallest emotional cues huge -- and raises the intensity of the problems behind them.
- Medium close up - Halfway between a mid-shot and a close-up. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.
- Medium shot - The medium shot is where we are starting to engage with the characters on a personal level. It is an approximation of how close someone would be when having a casual conversation.
- Long (Wide) shot - The distance of the camera from its subject also reflects an emotional distance; the audience doesn’t get as emotionally involved in what’s going on as they would if they were closer. In a way, it makes viewers a casual bystander, somewhat aloof to what’s happening.
- Medium long shot - Falling between the long and close shots, this is more informative than emotional. It is too close for the epic scale of a long shot and too far to convey the intimacy of a close-up, making it emotionally neutral.
- Extreme long shot - Typically used to show subjects of relatively massive scale. Picture a mountain climber represented as a tiny speck against a vast expanse of snow, the extreme long shot conveying the relative insignificance of the character struggling against their environment.
- Bird’s eye view - Typically used to show subjects of relatively massive scale. Picture a mountain climber represented as a tiny speck against a vast expanse of snow, the extreme long shot conveying the relative insignificance of the character struggling against their environment.
camera angles
- Low angle - shot from below the subject looking up, used to make the subject look dominant and confident.
- Eye-level - Most common shot. The camera is positioned so the subject can look directly into the lens without moving his eyes up or down. It is considered to be emotionally neutral and is best used for straight, factual presentation.
- High angle - shot from above the subject looking down. It makes the subject look vulnerable and weak.
- Over the shoulder - Used when shooting conversation between two people, the speaker’s full face is shown while the camera is aimed over the shoulder of the listener
- Point of view - Used to give the viewer the impression of seeing action happen through the eyes of a character.
- Dutch tilt - Achieved by tilting the camera so the horizon is no longer level. Used judiciously, it can provide an unusual or dramatic perspective.
- What am I learning? I’m learning about camera angles and shots.
- How does this show my learning? The time and effort it took.
- What wondering about the result of this learning? Take all off shots especially the point of view one.
