CAMERA SHOTS

Objective:Gain a better

understanding of different camera shots and angles and their uses in

film.

Essential Question:

Why would it be important to

know different camera angles when we are

filming a video or movie?

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH TODAY?

Extreme Wide Shot/ Establishing

Shot• Give us the big picture• Shows location or setting• If people are in the shot, they are

usually very small

Long Shot/ Far Shot

• Establishes characters in their world• Used when we need to see what characters

are doing in their environment

Full Shot

• Full body shot of the character• There is some space above and

below the character. No part of the body is cropped off.

• Shot is used to show the character and what they are

doing… less about the environment.

All of these shots could be

considered “wide shots”

All of these shots are consistently at a wide angle and show much of the environment

Medium Shot

• Usually Shows the characters from the

waist up• Gives a nice view of

the character without being TOO

close• Still plenty of room

for characters to move and gesture

Variations of the Medium Shot cut the characters off

at the knees

Close Up Shot• Usually a full head shot- sometimes part

of the head is cropped off

• Very intimate- tells us how a character is feeling or what they

are thinking• Tells us the

important things we need to know to

understand the story

Variations of this shot also cut off around

the ribs

Extreme CloseUp• Sometimes used

for an extremely dramatic moment

• Can be used to convey really important information

• Usually covers the majority of the frame- not much background

• Can be used to focus on emotion

NAME THAT SHOT!

MOVING ON TO ANGLES!

Straight On

• Camera is level to the ground and parallel to the subject

Up Shot/ Low Angle

• Camera points up at the subject

• Places the viewer below psychologica

lly

Down Shot/ High Angle

• The Camera is angled down towards the

subject• Places the viewer above

psychologically

Bird’s Eye View

• Extreme version of a Down Shot• Camera

points almost completely

down

Worm’s Eye View

• Extreme version of the up shot or low

angle• Camera points

almost entirely up

Over The Shoulder• Most widely used method of

shooting a conversation scene• Shows good facial expression as

characters are conversing, as well as show different character vantage points.

• Can show close-up or far away

1 Shot

• A shot with only

one person!

2 Shot

• Shot with two people

in it

3 Shot• 3 People in it!• (Are you getting the hang of this?)

Group Shot

• Three or more people in the

shot

A NEW ROUND OF NAME THAT

SHOT!

Low Angle

• Usually the camera is

sitting on the ground

Point of View

• Allows the audience to put themselves in the

character’s shoes

Rack Focus

• Shifts the focus from the foreground to the background (or vice versa)

• Helps the audience shift their focus from one subject to another

Shots with layers of subjects and details help create depth in a scene, drawing the audience’s

eye.

Do you think the layers in a shot make things more or less interesting? Why

or why not?

Rule of Thirds• If your subject is

dead center, your shot will look mechanical or overdone

• Think of it like a tic- tac-toe board. Your subject should be in a spot that intersects, rather than in the middle of the square

• Horizon lines will either be above or below the subject• Notice that the plane (which is the subject) is more to

the right rather than being centered.

DO THESE SHOTS FOLLOW THE RULE OF

THIRDS?

The Rule of the Triangle• This technique has

been used for hundreds of years

by artists • The triangle draws

the audience’s eye- keeps the eye

moving.• Really good to use

when trying to put focus on a particular character

• Also great to use when trying to show multiple characters in conversation

When putting together a film, it is important to know that every shot that you create should hold some sort of

purpose.

Why?

Let’s Take a Look at What the

Importance May be in Some of

These Different Screen Shots