Shots, Angles and
Lighting
Film Analysis Part One
Mise-en-Scène
The aspects about a film that
create the setting and set the
mood/tone
These aspects include: sets,
props, costume & make-up,
lighting, cinematography, actors,
etc..
Today, we are going to learn
about a few of the aspects of the
mise-en-scène: shots, angles and
lighting!
Example: The Royal Tenenbaums
Commonly Used Frames
Extreme Long Shot
Long Shot
Full Shot
Medium Shot
Close-Up
Extreme Close-up
Deep Focus/Wide-Angle Shot
Extreme Long Shot
People are for the most
part insignificant; more
used to show the setting of
a film
Generally used to show
landscapes: mountains,
sea, desert, forest,
cityscapes etc..
Panoramic-type view
Examples: Legends of the
Fall, The Bourne Identity
Long Shot
Able to see characters more
prominently in the shot
Wide enough to show a significant
amount of the setting/ mise-enscène
Establish people-scaled settings
rather than the settings that extreme
long shots focus on: bedroom, alleys,
store, etc.
Examples: Knocked Up, 28 Weeks
Later
Full Shot
Also known as a MediumLong Shot
Usually able to see the
characters from about the midthigh and above
Background many times is still
prevalent but less so than a
long shot
Examples: The Good, The Bad
and the Ugly, Batman Begins
Medium Shot
Two or more characters are
usually shown from the waist
up
People are the main focus now,
not the setting
Used many times to advance
dialogue or for dramatic
physical interaction
Examples: Titanic, Back to the
Future
Close-up
Camera shows only from the
shoulders up of the characters
Close-ups used to draw attention to
a particular character, isolating
them from the rest of the mise-enscène
Used to show emotional response
to a particular event in the film
Examples: The Dark Knight, Black
Swan
Extreme Close-up
Focuses on one aspect of the
character’s face (eyes, nose,
etc.), or a particular object in
the setting.
Used to elevate drama or
suspense
Used to draw attention to a
particular object in a film as a
means of foreshadowing
Examples: Days of Heaven, Kill
Bill: Volume One
Over-the-Shoulder Shot
Shot that is over the
shoulder of one of the
characters
More emphasis to what
is facing the camera
rather than the character
who has his/her back
turned to the camera
Example: Gladiator, Sin
City
Deep Focus Shot or
Wide-Angle Shot
A shot taken with a lens that can
take in a wider field or greater
range of view than a regular lens
Shows more elements of the
mise-en-scène
Exaggerates distance and depth
between the front of the show
and the back
Examples: Citizen Kane, Inception
Commonly-Used Angles
Bird’s-Eye View
High Angle
Eye-Level Shot
Low Angle
Oblique Angle
Bird’s-Eye View
An angle that looks directly
down on the setting/
characters
Appears as if the audience is
on a plane, looking down
Many times meant to
emphasize setting
Examples: Blade Runner,
Dogville
High Angle
Meant to create the illusion
of the actor being looked
down on
Made to make the characters
appear vulnerable, weak or
inferior
Examples: Matilda, Silence of
the Lambs
Eye-Level Shot
Shot at the level of the eyes of the
audience
Neutral, standard
Examples: Moulin Rogue, The Prestige
Low Angle
Meant to create the illusion
of the actor being looked up
to
Made to make the
characters appear powerful,
scary or dominant (opposite
effect of high angle)
Examples: Sweeny Todd,
Halloween
Oblique Angle
The camera is tilted on
the horizontal plane
Used to show a distorted
point of view of a
character, possibly to
make things seem more
eerie (used a lot on
villains)
Examples: Notorious,
Paranormal Activity
Commonly-Used Lighting
Effects
High Contrast
Backlighting or “Halo Effect”
Cool Colors or Warm Colors
High Contrast
AKA: Low-key lighting
Lighting that creates contrast
between light and dark areas of the
shot, with deep shadows and little
fill light
Seen A LOT in film noir
Examples: The Third Man, Shadow
of a Doubt
Backlighting or “Halo Effect”
Illuminating the
characters or the setting
from the back
Causes a glowing effect
that many times looks
like a halo
Examples: Sin City, L.A.
Confidential
Cool Colors or Warm Colors
Cool colors (blue, green, purple,
etc.) are used to create a feeling of
sadness, creepiness, calmness,
sorrow, coldness
Warm colors (red, orange, yellow,
etc.) are used to create a feeling of
passion, anger, happiness, warmth
Examples: Vertigo, Do the Right
Thing