Camera angles and shot types

By Maddy Parke

Extreme Close Up
An extreme close up is often used in films to draw attention to one small aspect of a character to capture the audiences attention. A common example of this would be an extreme close up of only a characters eyes as emotions such as fear or panic can be portrayed by showing very little, so the audience know of the atmosphere but are unaware of the surroundings and what is happening, resulting in the audience being put in a situation of vulnerability which trying to build suspense and tension.

Close Up
A close up is often used for a dramatic effect to display facial expressions of a character such as crying or anger. It is also used to build a relationship between a character and its audience as the audience are taking on the view of the camera, and by placing the camera closer it makes the character and audience seem physically and emotionally closer.

Mid Shot
Mid shots are used to only display part of a character, they are used to not only show a characters facial expression, but to give the audience an impression of any body language which is important in the shot as is often used for dialogue scenes.

Long Shot
A long shot is used to establish a relation between a character and its setting, but they are mainly used to show the majority of a character to display their clothing or again their body language.

Extreme Long Shot

An extreme long shot is often used as an opening sequence to establish the scene. It is usually of an iconic landmark or setting so the audience know exactly of the location and what to expect from the film.

Tilt Shot
A tilt shot is a camera angle placed at 45 degrees, often used in films to give the sequence a sense of movement and action, as well as to disorientate the audience so that they feel less aware of what is happening. This is often used in action or thriller films to increase the pace of a scene and build tension.

High Angle Shot

A high angle shot is when the camera is positioned above the subject it is focusing on, putting the audience in a position of power, and therefore the subject, i.e a character, is portrayed as weak or vulnerable and is used to make the audience feel sympathetic towards the characters which again helps build a relationship between a character and its audience.

Low Angle Shot

Low angle shots are used to put their audience in a position of vulnerability, which is often related to a characters position which accentuates and builds a relationship between the character and its audience. These shots are also used to display a character as powerful or mighty to make them appear more threatening or dangerous.

Eye Level Shot

Eye level shots are used usually in a conversation scene, where the camera is placed at eye level. It displays the part of a shot that you would see if really holding a conversation, making the shot feel more realistic and therefore makes the audience feel more involved.

Birds Eye Shot

A birds eye shot is one taken directly above, or a shot taken from an extremely high angle. It is used to often show a characters significance in relationship to its setting, or a particular movement. By distancing the camera from its characters, it also makes the audience feel emotionally detached and makes the audience focus purely on what is happening within the shot.

Worms Eye Shot

A worms eye shot is the opposite to a birds eye shot, it is one take from directly underneath something, or from an extremely low angle. This is a more dramatic version of a low angle shot, but it has the same effect of making something appear large, or powerful.

Over the shoulder shot

Over the shoulder shots are simply when a camera is placed behind a character, with part of the behind person on display, creating the effect that the audience are observing a situation from over someone's shoulder. This is often used in frequent sequences of dialogues where the audience are observing a situation rather than being put in the place of one of the characters. It also means that the audience do not forget about the character to whom the speaker is talking to.