BMC-GEC-003

Film Studies
Course Instructor: Millo Kado

Unit-1 : Language of Cinema

Shot Angle
The 3rd and final classification of shot types is based on the camera angle that is used to
capture the shot. Like other shot types, these shots have an intrinsic meaning attached to them
that the director/filmmaker would like to communicate to us.
Eye Level Shot
This kind of shot is when the subject is captured in a frame at their eye level.
The magic of movies lies in its illusion, that there is an event taking place right in front of our
eyes. It is an attempt at recreating and reproducing life-like qualities, and imbibing those
qualities into stories so that they look believable. Like the medium shot, the eye level shot,
aims to recreate our perspective of the world. In everyday life, while looking at another
person, we often look at them at an eye level. Similarly, in real life we only look from around
the hip level upwards till above the head. Thus, this neutral quality of both these shots help to
immerse the viewer into the story.
High Angle Shot
The high angle shot is when a subject is captured in a frame by the camera from higher height
and looking down on the camera. This is to showcase that the subject in this point of the film
isn’t in a dominant state. Maybe the subject is in some form of altercation, be it physical or
verbal, and is less powerful than the his/her counterpart.
This angle recreates our real-life perspective when we look down at someone, who is younger
or shorter than us. Our advantage in height makes us seem that we are dominating over the
other. The subject in this kind of shot will occupy lesser space in the frame than an eye level
shot.
Low Angle Shot
The low angle shot is the opposite of the high angle shot. It tries to recreate our real-life
perspective when we are younger, and we look up to figures of authority, like a parent or
teacher. The subject in a low angle shot will look more dominant over his/her counterpart.
Converse to the high angle shot, the subject takes up the majority of the frame.

Figure 1: Jon Snow (character), Game of Thrones

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Film Studies
Course Instructor: Millo Kado

Figure 2: Ramsay Bolton and Rickon Stark, Game of Thrones Figure 3: Jon Snow, Game of Thrones

Figure 4: Ramsay Bolton, Game of Thrones.

The above pictures communicate the context of who is in power, without knowing the story
behind the shots. In this episode of the show, “Game of Thrones”, the protagonist Jon Snow
is involved in a battle against his adversary, Ramsay Bolton. While, Jon was ready to battle
against Ramsay’s army, he was surprised by the fact that his half-brother who he thought to
be dead, is held captive under Ramsay. Figure 1 shows Jon in a high angle shot. At this
moment despite his willingness to fight, Jon knows he has a smaller army and thus holds the
disadvantage. Figure 2 is a mid shot which reveals to Jon that Rickon is under his captivity.
At this moment, Ramsay lets Rickon run towards his brother while he aims arrows at him.
Figure 3 shows Jon in an eye level shot. Jon is forced to make a decision on whether he
should risk the outcome of the whole battle by moving to rescue his brother. As an audience,
we are also placed in this dilemma, by putting the viewer at eye level with Jon. Lastly, figure
4 shows Ramsay getting ready to load another arrow into his bow in a low angle shot. This
shows the domination that he holds over Jon in this scene.
Aerial Shot/Drone Shot
The aerial/drone shot is an extreme version of the high angle. It is usually when a frame is
captured from unusually high angle via a crane, helicopter, drone etc. Due to the high vantage
point, it gives a detailed overview of the magnitude of events unfolding on screen. This is
used in action/battle sequences, to show size of an army, or to show the extent of damage and
destruction. Aerial shots can also be used as an establishing shot.
 BMC-GEC-003
Film Studies
Course Instructor: Millo Kado

Figure 5: World War Z

The above figure from “World War Z”, shows the destruction and devastation caused by a
zombie outbreak.
Dutch Angle
A Dutch angle is when the angle of the frame is skewed. The camera is tilted to one side and
the subject isn’t captured in a straightforward angle. Used to show a shift in situation of the
story, or is a sign for the viewers to change perception about a character. It aims to make the
viewer uneasy.

Figure 6: Inglourious Basterds,2009

Figure 7: Inception, 2010.

 BMC-GEC-003
Film Studies
Course Instructor: Millo Kado

The above 2 images are examples of different uses of the Dutch angle. Figure 6 from Quentin
Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”, shows a Nazi officer in a high angle shot. Not only does
the high angle show his weakness, but the Dutch angle makes us uneasy. This uneasiness is
important as it prepares the viewers for a gruesome scene that immediately follows this shot.
Figure 7, is from Christopher Nolan’s “Inception”, a science fiction movie about invading a
person’s dreams. Even natural phenomena such as time and gravity behave differently in this
world of this movie. Thus, the Dutch angle is employed to immerse us in the uneasiness and
weirdness of this movie’s universe.

Scene
A scene is one of the building blocks of storytelling and filmmaking. Its is composed of a
series of shots, that convey a particular setting. This setting can be in the context of the
situation that one finds characters, the location where the events are taking place etc.
It’s a single setting of the narrative, where one can identify who are the important players in
the narrative, where does the action take place etc. It can be described as a continuous action
in a place and time.
Scene: A shot or multiple shots that together compose a single, complete and unified
dramatic event, action, unit or element of film narration, or block (segment) of
storytelling. The end of a scene is indicated by a purposeful change in time, change in a
character's status, focus of action and/or location.
For example, in a movie about doctors of a hospital, the characters are interacting with each
other in a room trying to diagnose a patient’s sickness. All the shots of them discussing the
possible sicknesses a patient could be going through, could be called together as a diagnosis
scene.
Basically, a group of shots put together that share a thematic setting is known as a scene.

Sequence
The sequence is a series of scenes that form a distinct narrative unit. Which is usually
connected either by a unity of location or unity of time. If 2 scenes are taking place in
different locations but still related to each other, it can be considered part of the same
sequence.
What are the types of sequence in film?
There are a few different types of sequences in the film, and each has its own advantages and
disadvantages.
 The first type is the chronological sequence, which is the traditional type of sequence
where events are presented in the order they occurred. This can be a useful tool for
orienting the audience, but it can also be quite slow and boring.
 The second type is the thematic sequence, which is used to explore a particular topic
or to convey a specific message. This type of sequence can be more visually
 BMC-GEC-003
Film Studies
Course Instructor: Millo Kado

appealing than the chronological sequence, but it can also be less effective in terms of
storytelling.
 The third type is the reverse-chronological sequence, which is used to explore a
particular topic in reverse order. This can be very effective in terms of storytelling
because it allows the audience to see events from a different perspective.
 The fourth type is the flashback sequence, which is used to revisit a past event.
The 3 terminologies Shots, Scenes and Sequences are inter-related.

Shots are made of multiple frames. Scenes are composed out of putting
together many shots and Sequences are made out of putting together
composing different scenes together.