A2 Media - Description of Bird's-Eye View, Worm's-Eye View, Low-Angle, High-Angle, Canted/Oblique Angle and Panorama

1. Bird’s-Eye View from ‘Les Misérables’ 2012
The Birds-Eye View is often incorporated into film to place the
audience in an elevated, god-like position watching the action
unfold below from a new, more empowering perspective. Whilst
this angle is often considered unnatural, it is a unique perspective of
viewing the motions and actions of the film. It can also be use to
reinforce how small, and often insignificant people can seem, which
is highlighted in the Bird’s-Eye View from ‘Les Misérables’. The
shot from this film reinforces a lack of identity to the faceless
figures below and creates a sense of blandness and monotony to the
factory workers’ lives.
Example of Worm’s-Eye View (in photography)
In contrast, this Worm’s-Eye View shot evokes the opposite
effect; it encapsulates the vastness of our surroundings from the
perspective of how we would imagine a worm, or another
minuscule insect would view the world. Whilst this shot isn’t
often used in film as it is often difficult to fit in with a narrative,
it is continually used in photography and documentaries based on
wildlife and nature. In this context, it allows us to feel more
connected to the smaller beings in our universe and see things
from an entirely new, unique perspective.

2. High-Angle from ‘Harry Potter and The Order of the
Phoenix’ (2007)
High-Angle shots are often used to reinforce the sense of anxiety
from the character and to make them seem small and more
vulnerable. They are often also used in action scenes to highlight the
build up in tension and to suggest the power one character may yield
over another. This evokes a sense of powerlessness from the
audience and establishes a sense of connection and sympathy
towards the weaker character in the scene. In this example, Harry is
positioned on the floor with his hand placed on the ground and his
wand out in defence. His positioning in the frame incorporated with
the use of a high-angle underpins his sense of fear and establishes
himself as the weaker less dominant character of the scene.
In comparison, Low-Angle shots are used to highlight the powerful
dominance of the characters displayed on-screen and make them
seem superior and intimidating to the audience. It creates an unusual
effect as the audience is viewing the action from below making them
feel powerless to the characters and feel sympathy towards the on-
screen recipient of their stares. In this low-angle shot from
‘Inglourious Basterds’ the two characters are positioned crouched
above either an object or person, it is unclear. However this angle,
incorporated with the confident looking faces and sharp object the
protagonist on the left is holding, reveals the dominant nature of
these characters. Low-Angle from ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009)

3. Canted/Oblique angle from ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Panoramic View from ‘The Maze Runner’ (2014)
The Canted/Oblique angle may be used for a variety of different reasons, but
primarily provides a unique, yet often slightly obscure angle, providing a new
perspective on something very ordinary and adding an artistic edge to the shot.
They are often also used in disaster movies to reflect a sense of instability and
destruction often occurring in the changes in the weather or, if used in a horror
scene, created to change the mood of the scene in a fast, dramatic and powerful
way. Oblique angles can also be incorporated with Point-Of-View shots such as a
character falling to the ground and their eyesight and surroundings becoming
blurry, unstable and unfocused. However, the use of a Canted angle in this frame
from ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008) which is used to add a sense of distortion and
chaos to the scene and to reinforce the Joker’s sinister stance.
A panoramic shot is used by taking a series of landscape shot
that have been placed together in the editing phase, yet taken
individually in the filming process. They are often used in film
to establish a vast landscape and are incorporated with the pan
technique to accentuate the expansive surroundings. This
technique is used in ‘The Maze Runner’ to highlight their sense
of entrapment on this side of the wall and add to a sense of
mystery to the land beyond it. It acts as an overview of the
scene providing either a sense of finality or used to begin a
scene.