Media Camera Angles

LOW ANGLE SHOTA low shot is a shot from a camera angle positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eye line. It can also be directly from below the subjects feet. It can be used to make the subject look strong and powerful. For example, in Batman, low angle shots are used to make batman look superior to his villains. It can also increase height of an actor or actress, which is useful for shorter actresses/actors. The background of the shot is usually just ceiling or the sky. The lack of detail about the setting will add to the disorientation of the viewer.

EYE LEVEL SHOT An eye-level shot is when the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground. This can also be called a point of view shot so they are watching the action as if they were involved in it. For example, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2, Harry is shown using an eye level shot when confronting the death eaters. This is so the audience feels submersed into the action therefore feeling tense and increasing an already tense atmosphere.

HIGH SHOT A High shot is when the camera is higher than eye level and on a higher camera axis. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture. For example, in James Bond, he is shown in a high angle shot to possible suggest he is being defeated and the person he is fighting is superior to him.

WORMS EYE SHOTA Worm's Eye shot is where the camera is placed on the ground looking up directly at the actor or place. Similarly to the low angle shot it can used to make the character seem more powerful and superior to the others.

CANTED SHOTCanted shots are composed with a camera tilted laterally, so that the horizon is not level and vertical lines run diagonally across the frame. The resulting compositions can create spatial imbalance or disorientation which can convey a sense of dramatic tension, psychological instability, confusion, madness, or drug-induced psychosis. In Inception, a canted shot is used to make the audience confused and disorientated when the room is rotating.

BIRDS EYE SHOTA bird's eye shot is when the camera is positioned looking down directly at the character.