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15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnowTasteofCinema

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TasteOfCinemaMovieReviewsandClassicMovieLists>Lists>OtherLists>15CameraShotsEvery
MovieFanShouldKnow

15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnow
19May2016|Features,OtherLists|byRiccardoBasso

8.Lockeddownshot
Anunusualtechniqueasfarasvisualstorytellinggoes,thelockeddownshotkeepsthecameraonthesame
subjectevenwhensomethingnewstartshappeningoutofframewhatwouldusuallyhappenisacamera
movementoranewshottoincludethenewelementsoftheaction.Thiseffectcreatessuspenseinregardof
whatthespectatorknowsishappeningbutcannotactuallyseeyet.
EXAMPLE:Manhattan(1979)

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15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnowTasteofCinema

WoodyAllenoftenemployslockeddownshots.Forexample,inthemuseumsceneofManhattanhestayson
MarielHemingwaysTracyandonhisowncharacterwhiletheystarttalkingtoacouplewhichremainsoffscreen
forawhile.

9.Overtheshouldershot
Thisshotisaverycommonone,anditistakenfrombehindacharacter(youcanusuallyseehisshoulderorpart
ofhishead)itsmainuseisindialoguescenes,andwhileitcanbealternatedwiththereverseshotoftheother
charactertalking,sometimesitisalsousedtokeepacharacteroutofascenewhilesomeoneistalkingtohim,
thuscreatingsuspenseabouthisreactionsorevenhisidentity.
EXAMPLE:Heat(1995)

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15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnowTasteofCinema

Heatsrestaurantsceneisoneofthemosticonicdialoguesceneseverproduced,mainlybecauseofthetwo
actorsinvolved.Thescenealternatesthetwocharactersbyusingovertheshouldershots.

10.P.O.Vshot
Thepointofviewshotshowsthescenefromtheeyesofacharacter.Itisadevicetomakethescenesubjective
andidentifythespectatorwithacharactersinceitshowseverythingheseesthewayheseesit.Aparticular
versionofp.o.v.shotistheoneusedinfoundfootagemovieswhereweseeeverythingthroughacameraora
deviceheldbyacharacter.
EXAMPLE:LadyintheLake(1943)

LadyintheLakeisoneofthefewmoviescompletelyshotinthepointofviewofacharacter,whointhiscaseis
privatedetectivePhilipMarlowe.Theaimofdirector/protagonistRobertMontgomerywastovisuallyconveythe
firstpersonstyleofRaymondChandlersnovels,butthereceptionforthisexperimentalfilmwerequitemixed.

11.BirdseyeShot
Thebirdseyeshotlooksatascenefromdirectlyaboveit.Itisnottobeconfusedwiththeaerialshot,whichis
moreangledandrequiresmoremovementfromthecamerastill,boththeaerialshotandthebirdseyecanbe
usedasestablishingshots.Thebirdseyeisalsoagoodtechniquetoisolateacharacterormakehimorherlook
smallerorisolated.
EXAMPLE:Zodiac(2007)

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15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnowTasteofCinema

InZodiac,DavidFincherusesaveryhighbirdseyeviewinordertofollowacarthroughthestreetsofthecity.
Thisshotqualifiesasbirdseyesincethecarstaysdirectlybelowthecameraandatthecenteroftheshot.

12.IrisShot
Atrueclassicofvisualstorytelling,anirisshotbeginsorendsascenewiththeexpansionortheclosingofablack
circle.Itwasveryfrequentlyusedinsilentfilms,andmoviesfromthateraareoftenidentifiedorparodiedthrough
thistechnique.Anadditionaladvantagefromusinganirisshotisthechancetoconcentratetheviewersattention
onaparticularelementofthescenebymakingthecircleopenorclosearoundit.
EXAMPLE:TheMagnificentAmbersons(1942)

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15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnowTasteofCinema

InhissecondHollywoodmovieafterCitizenKane,OrsonWellesemploystheIristechniquetoendascenein
whichJosephCottenscharacterrideswayinacarriage,anddoessobyclosingthecircleonthecarriageitself.

13.CraneShot
Acraneshotfilmsascenefromabove(itisusuallytakenfromanelevatedcraneorajib)andmovesvertically,
eitherupwardsordownwards.Itusuallyhasadescriptivepurposesinceitshowsthesettingofthesceneinfullit
canalsobeusedtoexpressisolationifthecameramovesawayfromacharacter.
EXAMPLE:ToLiveandDieinL.A.(1985)

ThespectacularcarchasescenefromToLiveandDieinL.A.wasdirectedbyWilliamFriedkin,whoalreadygave
theworldasimilarlymemorablechasein1971withTheFrenchConnection.ForthesceneFriedkinusedremote
cranestogivethespectatorabetterviewoftheoverallactionandincreasethespectacularityofthemoment.

14.TrackingShot
Atrackingshotfollowsthesubjectofasceneforanextendedtimethetermreferstoboththesmoothertracking
shotsmadewithadollyandthelessregularsequenceswhichuseasteadycamorevenhandheldcameras(like
inthetrackingshotofAlfonsoCuaronsChildrenofMen).
Themaineffectofthistechniqueistoputapersonoranobjectatthecenterofadynamicmoment:itcanbe
describedasstayingonanelementandatthesametimeshowingachangingenvironmentaroundit.Itisnotto
beconfusedwithlongtakes.
EXAMPLE:Atonement(2007)

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15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnowTasteofCinema

This5and1/2minutesshotfollowsJamesMcAvoyscharacterthroughthebeachofDunkirkduringWorldWar
IIsretreatoftheBritishforces.Theshotmovesfromthecharactertoothersoldiers,butitisacontinuoustracking
shotshowingthedesolationandsenseofdespairofboththeprotagonistandtheothersoldiers.

15.LongTake
Alongtakeisaprolongedshotofasinglesceneandhasnocutsifalongtakecoversawholesequence,itis
calledasequenceshot.Longtakesandsequenceshotsareamongthemosttalkedabouttechniquesincinema
sincetheyalwaysrequireanimpressivetechnicalabilitybutalsohaveanalmostbreathtakingeffectonthe
viewer.
Whenemployinglongtakes,directorsoftenaddmanycameramovementsorcoveralengthyspacetounderline
orenhancetheshotseffect.
EXAMPLE:TheRussianArk(2002)

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15CameraShotsEveryMovieFanShouldKnowTasteofCinema

SetintheHermitageMuseumofSt.Petersburg,TheRussianArkwasdirectedbyrenownedmasterAlexander
Sokurovandiscomposedofasingle96minutetakethisimpressivetechnicalachievementgarneredmuch
attentionandreachedapartofthepublicwhichwasntfamiliarwithSokurovsexperimentalandconceptual
works.Fourteenyearsafteritsrelease,thefilmremainsoneofthegreatestachievementsofrecentfilmmaking
history.
AuthorBio:RiccardoBassoisanItaliancinephilespecializinginHumanitiesandPhilosophy.Hehasonlyrecently
startedwritingabouthisfavoriteinterest,cinema,butwishestocontinuedoingit(justdonttellhiscinephile
friendshehasseenevery007movieatleastthreetimes).

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