Camera Operating Techniques

or

How To Use The Camera

To Tell The Story

Aspect Ratios

Horizontal Camera Placement

Front View Side View Back View

Portrait Shooting

Full Frontal

Three Quarter Front

Side View (Profile)

Three Quarter Back

Full Rear

Full Frontal

Flat image

Close intimacy

Three Quarter Front

Depth & volume

Roundness

More surface

Converging lines

Side View (Profile)

Sense of detachment

coldness

Lost in thought

Three Quarter Rear

Anonymous

Depth

Sense of leaving

Disappointment

Full Rear (Back View)

Completed concealed

No Depth

Mysterious

Vertical Camera Placement

Low Angle Eye Level High Angle

Low Angle

Tilted upwards at subject

Eliminating background

Heightening illusion

Taller & stronger subjects

Eye Level

Normal view

Common in dialogue

POV of observer

High Angle

Subject appears small

Insignificant and unimportant

Audience sense of superiority

Bird’s Eye (Overhead) View

Shot from directly ahead

God-like

Idea of fate

3 Types of Camera Angles

Objective

Subjective

Point of view (POV)

Each camera angle will give the audience:

1. A different viewpoint

2. A different psychological position

Objective Angle

Shots are not seen from

anyone’s eyes

An “outside observer’s”

point of view

The majority of shots

taken in a film are

objective

Subjective Angle

Displays what one of the

characters can see

Brings the audience into the

scene

The entire film “Cloverfield”

is shot from a subjective

POV.

Point Of View (POV)

Actor’s viewpoint

Records what he sees from his

perspective

Camera Movements

Zooming (IN/OUT)

Panning (LEFT/RIGHT)

Tilting (UP/DOWN)

Zooming (IN/OUT)

Effectively magnifying part of

the image

Overuse of zoom = zoomitis

Zooming is not used so often

nowadays, and is often

associated with low-budget

productions

Panning (LEFT/RIGHT)

Follow actions as it moves

Connect two or more points of

interest graphically

Imply a logical connection between

two or more subjects

Tilting (UP/DOWN)

Follow the action up

and/or down

Suggests height, length,

or depth

Important Points For Panning/Tilting

Level panning

Tape roll before

pan/tilt

Steady and smooth

speed of pan/tilt

Fluid tripod head

From uncomfortable position to comfortable

Shot Sizes

Point of reference

Language on set

Storyboarding

Insert / Cutaway

Close up of something

Specific element of

interest

Master / Establishing Shot

Widest shot of the scene

Reference shot containing all the actions in all the other shots

Sometimes shot from the beginning to end of the scene

Dutch Angle / Shot

Achieved by intentionally tilting the camera to the side

Often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or

tension in the subject filmed

Over The Shoulder Shot (OS/OTS)

Shot of someone taken over the shoulder of another person

Commonly used when two characters are having a discussion

Shot Reverse Shot

A film technique wherein one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character

When two over shoulder shots are edited after each other, they become a shot reverse shot

Using Lines In Photography

A line is the basic building block of everything visual in the world.

Squares, triangles, rectangles, stars. All start by creating a line.

Good use of lines can add dynamic impact and mood to your image.

Horizontal Lines

Horizons are the most

common horizontal line

Conveys stability, and

even rest

Unbroken horizons can

be boring so use other

shapes such as a tree

or window to give a

point of interest

Boring Preferred Preferred

Vertical Lines

Conveys a variety of different moods from power and strength (think skyscrapers) to growth (think trees)

Repeated vertical lines in the image can be used to great impact

Boring Preferred Preferred

Diagonal Lines

Draws the eye to a main subject or point of interest

Many diagonal lines from different directions intersections each other can add a sense of direction

Too many can be too chaotic

Boring Preferred Preferred

Rule of Thirds

Point of Focus

More interest, energy,

tension

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Triangular Composition

Adds depth

Illusion of movement

Importance / Hierarchy