A2 Media Ashley Hamilton

Camera Shots and Angles

Camera Shots:

Establishing Shot – An establishing shot is used to establish the location in which the scene is going to take place, usually being in the form of an extreme long shot. This is usually used at the start of the scene, and gives the audience a clear view of the environment, giving them more context and understanding to the scene.

Close Up – A close up shot is a shot that only contains one characters head. This is usually used to allow the audience to connect with the character being shown, so is prominently used for protagonists. It also allows for the audience to get a clear sense of the characters emotions in the particular scene. Close ups are sometimes referred to as personal shots.

Medium Shot – This shot consists of a characters body from the waist up. This is usually used to give us a clear view the character, their emotions, and their body language.

Long Shot – This shot consists of a full body shot of a character. This is usually used to give the audience a view of the characters body language and costume, as well as the environment around them. This is sometimes referred to as a full shot.

Two Shot – This is a shot consisting of only two characters. This is usually used to convey the relationship or the interaction between two characters in a scene, and make it clear for an audience.

Over-The-Shoulder Shot – This shot consists of the view over a characters shoulder. This is usually at another character who is speaking, and is used to represent a conversation between two characters, in which shot reverse shot is used, switching between the two characters shoulders.

POV Shot – This shot is used to represent the perspective of a character, shot as if through the characters eyes. This is used to create a connection between the audience and the character, as we can see everything in the way the character can see it.

A2 Media Ashley Hamilton

Camera Angles:

High Angle – A shot that look down on something at an angle from above, usually at a character. This is used to make the character in the shot seem weak and vulnerable, and is usually used in conjunction with a high angle to make various characters seem more intimidating than another. This can also be used to give the audience a sense of how small something is.

Low Angle – A shot that looks up at something, usually a character. This is used to make a character seem more intimidating and strong for an audience, and is usually used in conjunction with high angles to convey different character statuses. This can also be used to give the audience a sense of scale in terms of how large something is.

Bird’s Eye View – A shot that looks down on something from directly above. This is usually used to establish a setting in which a scene takes place, and is sometimes used to make a character seem small in comparison to something else.

Worm’s Eye View – A shot that looks directly up at something. This is usually used to make something seem large, and to create a sense of scale or height.

Canted Angle – This is when the camera is slightly tilted, giving the same effect on the shot. This is usually to give a sense of disorientation for the audience, giving them a feeling that something is odd or not right. This is also commonly referred to as a Dutch Angle.