Understanding of Camera ShotsDanielle Merrikin

Extreme Close Up

An extreme close up is used to show detail of an object. They are mainly used to show eyes, hair, or facial features. In this case (above) is to show the blade and the finger tips. The blade could be a key prop within the film, hence the extreme close up.

Close Up

Close ups are used to show an object in more detail or to see the emotion of the characters face. However in this shot it just shows the book and the pen. In this case the book and that certain part of the page is significant to the film.

Medium Shot

Medium shots are used to show only the upper half of a person's body but also used to show the person’s surrounding. In this shot

Long Shot

Long shots are used to show a person in full but also used to show the person's surrounding. In this shot you can see more of the surroundings than the person themself.

Extreme Long Shot

Extreme long shots also known as an establishing shot is used at the beginning of a scene to set the setting for the following scenes. In this shot it showed the dark and scary setting of a castle from a long distance.

Track

Track is used to follow an object, usually a car, or the actors/actresses movements. This type of shot is used in many films such as Fast and Furious.

Pan

Panning is the rotation of a still or video camera. This type of shot is mainly used in action movies when a car or vehicle is driving past the camera but the camera doesn’t tract the whole thing.

Tilt

Tilt is when the camera is moving up and down, however it does not move itself and stays still. Tilt can be used as a dramatic shot as it can slowly show something like a killer's face.

Zoom

Zooming is used when the camera is focusing onto something that is in the distance. This is quite an effective camera shot and is mainly used in films if a character is looking for a certain person or looking for something that is far from them

Cut

Cut is used when changing from scenes. This is a better way of doing so then always having an effect such as fade to black every time.