Camera shots & angles
Camera Shots & Angles
By Kent Millard amended by Jesse Thompson
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 sene of location, time and space
Long shot sequence
http://www.thoughtequity.com/video/shell/txp/establishing-shots-showreel.do?title=Establishing%20Shots%20Show%20Reel
Camera Shots & Angles
amended from Kent Millard by Jesse Thompson
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
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
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
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
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: High-angle shot:
North by Northwest
1959
 A shot in which the subject is photographed from above.
 Not as extreme and disorienting as a bird’s-eye view.
 Viewers get a general overview of an area.
 Reduces the height of objects and usually includes the ground or floor as
background.
 Movement (in a film) is slowed down.
 The importance of setting or environment is increased
 A person seems harmless and insignificant when shot from above
Camera Shots & Angles
Kent Millard
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
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
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