Film Studies
Cinematography:
Camera shots, movement and angles
Establishing Shot
• Quite simply this shot is used by a
director to establish the
location/setting of the film. It
could be a shot of New York for
example
• Examples:
• Lord of the Rings
• Taxi Driver
Master Shot
• Similar to an establishing shot but
used to show two or more
characters talking at the start of
the scene without the need for
editing. It establishes both
location and the relationship
between characters.
• Example:
• Reservoir Dogs opening title
sequence
Extreme Close up
• A shot which focuses very closely
on an object or part of the body
to suggest its importance, an
extreme close up of an eye in a
Horror film may indicate terror
for example (note it could be an
object like a map in a War film as
well)
• Example:
• Zombie Flesh Eaters (splinter)
• Wayne’s World
Close up
• A shot which focuses on a
character’s face to suggest the
emotion of that person (again a
close up could be on any part of
the mise en scene which the
director deems to be important
for the audience.
• Example:
• The Shining (Here’s Johnny)
Mid Shot
• Probably the most repeated shot
in film, a mid shot usually
suggests conversation between
characters and is shot from the
waist up (The key thing about this
shot is that the audience should
not attach any importance to the
shot and instead pay attention to
the dialogue.)
• Example:
• Pirates of the C (Will and Captain
Jack fight)
Long Shot
• This shot is used to show
the whole body of an
actress or a number of
actors. This could be used to
show their isolation or
vulnerability or to place
them in a specific location.
• Example:
• Generic example
• The Third Man
Wide Shot
• Similar to an establishing shot or
master shot, a wide shot is used
to show crowds of people in a
fight scene or busy urban
environment (obviously these are
only examples, could be a car
chase with pedestrians in danger
etc.)
• Example:
• Dawn of the Dead (2004)
• Zombieland
Two Shot
• A shot where two
characters are engaged in
conversation/conflict in the
same frame.
• Example:
• The Dark Knight
(Interrogation scene)
Aerial Shot
• Using a helicopter or crane
this type of shot is used to
suggest the vastness of a
landscape, establish a scene
or to make a character
vulnerable
• Example:
• The Shining (opening)
Point of View
• A shot which replicates the view
from an actor or creature when
they are looking at something
else. It is used to make the viewer
feel involved in the action and
make the thing they are looking
at be placed in a position of
danger, suspicion, centre of
attention
• Example:
• Rec trailer
• An American Werewolf in London
Over the Shoulder Shot
• This shot is commonly used to
illustrate conversation and talk
between two characters. It can
also be used in a horror film to
suggest that something
dangerous is going to happen to
the person who we are following.
• Example:
• Heat – Pacino/DeNiro
Shot reverse Shot
Usually shown in the form
of a conversation , where
the camera cuts between
the faces of the two or
more people who are
talking (not in an over the
shoulder manner)
Example:
Heat – Pacino/DeNiro
Dolly
• A Dolly is a wheeled machine
which the camera is mounted on,
so the camera can follow or
surround a character. It has a
smooth action and is in contrast
to the jittery motion of a hand
held camera
• Example:
• Against Me – I was a teenage
anarchist music video
• Panic Room (bedroom sequence)
Crane Shot
• The camera is mounted on a
crane so actors can be viewed
from above or to indicate where
the actors have to go next. Its
purpose is varied, one example
being to mark a moment in time
in the film and make the
audience think about what they
have just seen
• Example:
• Gone with the Wind (injured
soldiers)
• Touch of Evil (Opening)
High Angle Shot
• A high angle shot is
used by the director to
look down on a
character, this action
implies that this person
is in a position of
vulnerability
• Example:
• Terminator (arrival)
Low Angle Shot
• A low angle shot is used
by the director to look
up at a character, this
action implies that this
person is in a position
of authority
• Example:
• Matilda
Tilted/Cantered Angle
• An angle where the camera is
positioned on an angle, usually
used to suggest that a character
is drugged, drunk, being beaten
up or if the director has a
particular style they want to
portray. In the still opposite the
cantered angle is used by the
director to suggest the
devastation that war had on
Vienna
• Example:
• Mean Streets (bar scene)
Pan/whip pan
• This refers to the horizontal (left
to right or vice versa) movement
of a camera when the camera
follows something of significance
in the film.
• A whip pan is a particularly fast
panning action and is usually
seen in an action film when
following a car chase etc.
• Example:
• Paranormal Activity 3 (Toby)
• The Fast and Furious (chase)
Tilt
• This refers to the vertical (up and
down) movement of a camera
(similar to a nod.) This can
indicate the height of an
individual or building for
example.
• Example:
• Random clip
Tracking Shot
• The camera is placed on a track
(think train track) and is then
pushed down the track to follow
the actions of a character or
characters.
• Example:
• Atonement (Beach scene)
• Oldboy (fight scene)
Steadicam
• A camera mounted to the body of
a cameraman which is stabilized
and offers the opportunity for the
cameraman to closely follow the
actions of an actor smoothly, this
increases the feeling for the
audience of being in the scene.
• Example:
• Point Break (office scene)
Hand Held camera
• Usually a very small camera
which can be used by the
cameraman to follow the actors
in a jittery and realistic manner to
make an action film, for example,
that more realistic
• Example:
• Cloverfield (Statue of Liberty)
Zoom
• Quite simply when a cameraman
zooms in/or out of an item of
interest in a film. This could be a
character crying or a bomb that is
about to explode for example if
the camera zooms in or to make a
point about the world if they
zoom out
• Example:
• Contact (opening)
Zoom Reverse Zoom/Dolly Zoom
• When a cameraman uses
different lenses in a camera to
replicate the movement of
zooming in and zooming out at
the same time. The impression
given is something very
significant is happening to the
plot of the film
• Example:
• La Haine (rooftop)
• Jaws (beach)