Shot sizes angles and camera movement

My shot sizes video

 

 

Shot Sizes

• Close ups- there used to show detail in a person or an object without showing the wider scene. They’re often used as cutaways from wide shots to show activity with a characters hands or emotions on a face.

 Close up example shot from the film The Shining

•  Extreme close ups- its a very dramatic shot, close up to the subject showing allot of detail with no background detail. Usually shows parts of a face like the lips or eyes and is a fairly artificial shot because its generally magnified more than the human eye.

Extreme close up example from the film Avatar

• Medium shot- used when the location of the scene has already been established. The shot size shows a character either from the knees up or the waist up and is used to show some, but limited action detail.

Medium shot example from the film the hunger games.

• Establishing shot- they’re usually extremely wide shots showing the location of the scene and the relation of the surroundings to the characters and sometimes the time era the scenes set in.

Establishing shot example from Harry Potter and the deathly hallows

• Over the shoulder shot- used when two or more characters are having a conversation. Its like a medium shot but with the closest characters back towards the camera, usually with the focus set on the furthest character whilst there speaking. The shot usually changes to a mirrored shot over the shoulder of the other character but sometimes to keep the element of mystery and suspense the nearest characters face can intentional not be shown.

Over the shoulder example shot from the TV programme Mr Robot

• Long shot- the long shot or the full shot shows a character entire body revealing background detail. This shot is used for action shots where the focus needs to be on the character(s) but action needs to be seen in the surrounding space.Long shot example from the tv programme Breaking Bad

Camera Angles

• Birds-Eye-View shot- a birds-eye-view shot is a unique shot angle that is rarely seen by eye. The angle can be used to establish a location or scene and can be use to track a character, for example in a car.

Birds-eye-view angle from the film les miserables

• High angle- a high angle is used to belittle a character and make them seem less scary and blend into there surroundings. Its not as extreme as a birds-eye-view, its usually shot on a crane.

High angle shot from the film The Avengers

• Eye-level angle- a neutral relaxed angle, usually used when a character is having a conversation with another. Camera hight is 5-6 feet from the ground for this angle.

Eye-level angle example shot from the film Forest Gump 

• Low angle- A shot looking up at the subject. The use of perspective with this shot is useful for making the viewer feel powerless and intimidated partly because of the lack of detail in the scene as all they see is either selling or sky and partly due to the fact it makes character and other subjects seem larger than they are. This last fact is useful to cinematographers because they can make short actors like Tom Cruse seem taller and more powerful. The fact that the viewer has a lack of view of the surroundings in the scene also gives the viewer a sense of confusion. The angle can also show speed and action.

Low angle shot example from the film the dark night.

• Canted angle- a canted angle is a shot where the camera is not level. this shot can either be used to portray disorientation or to emphasise a key moment in a dramatic scene.

Canted angle example shot from the film Harry Potter

Camera movement

• Pan shot- a shot where the camera is pivoted horizontally, this shot can be used to follow movement like a character walking. Its used to have a longer shot so several angles don’t have to be used.
• Tilt shot- a shot where the camera is pivoted vertically. This shot is usually to expose a building, object or character usually from the ground up.
• Slider shot- A shot where the camera is placed on a small dolly on a small track that’s used for smaller movement, up to 1.5m long. They can be used for slow incredibly smooth movement and this can be towards or away from a characters face in a close up shot or left and right to expose other things in the scene.
• Rack focus- The change in focus from a near subject to a far subject (or from a far to a near) during a shot. This is to change the focus of the viewers eye during a shot to make them look at a new subject. This can be a very natural and aesthetically pleasing transition as our own eye does the same thing when changing the focus to a different subject.
• Dolly shot- A dolly shot or a tracking shot is like a large slider shot but its where the camera and sometimes the operator are on rails that are moved, this shot type is usually used to follow a subject like a person walking or a car moving.
• Hand held shot- a hand held shot is where the camera isn’t fixed to the ground using any equipment, it can be purely hand held but this gives shaky footage or a stabilisation system (steadycam) can be used. A steadycam is a handheld device that attaches to the camera and allows the operator to stand, walk or even run with the camera and it will cancel out vibrations and jerks giving smooth footage. Handheld shots can give a more gritty realistic view due to the small but constant movement of the camera.
• crane shots- crane shots are where a camera is attached to the end of a large crane arm (or jib) and the operator on the other end can move the camera around allot further than they would with other systems. They are most commonly used to shoot high angle shots with ease or establishing shots of the location from above. Cranes are also used for Shots of objects in the air .
• Zoom- A more uncommon movement used due to its shakiness, jerkiness and just generally hard to make look good on screen the zoom movement is where you change the audiences view dramatically by quickly zooming in to an aria of a frame there the eye needs to be drawn too. Its a very harsh movement which is why is more commonly used in eastern marshal arts films, its where the crash zoom comes from. The crash zoom is an overly dramatic zoom in used to make the audience suddenly very aware of something in the frame like a punch or a kick from a character.