This document describes various camera shot types and their purposes:
- Low angle shots make characters appear dominant, while high angle shots make them seem submissive. Eye level shots help audiences relate to characters.
- Overhead and long shots provide establishing context, while close ups focus on reactions. Two shots show interactions, and over the shoulder shots convey conversations.
- Tracking shots follow moving subjects, while tilts, pedestals, pans, and arcs draw attention in different ways through camera movement. Medium close ups provide both facial and body context.
1. Shot Size
Low Angle
This type of shot is used to make the main character on screen to
appear more dominant and Imposing to the audience. This is often
used for characters in positions of power or characters who are
antagonists within the story
High Angle
2. This shot angle is used mainly to make characters seem submissive
or small to the audience. Looking down on someone often gives a
feeling of sympathy in an audience so often when this shot is used
something negative is happening to the character on screen
Eye Level Angle
An Eye Level shot is often used to make the audience feel like they
are on the same level as the character on screen often this shot is
utilised to introduce characters that are new to the story/audience
or for the audience to relate to the character on screen
Overhead Angle
3. An Overhead shot or a birds-eye view is used for the audience to an
almost omnipotent perspective of what’s unfolding on screen or to
diminish the characters on screen
Close Up
A Close up is used to show a character's reaction to a situation. This
shot doesn’t have to be of a person however as there can be closes
ups for objects for instance to show that they are important to the
story.
Two Shot
4. A Two shot shows two characters in the scene. There are equivalent
shots where there are more than two characters in a shot called a
three-shot, four-shot, and so on. The two characters in this shot
don’t have to be next to each other or even really interacting for it to
be considered a two shot.
Over The Shoulder Shot
Over The Shoulder shots are often used to convey a conversation
between two or more characters or to show what a character is
looking at. This shot is often paired with a shallow focus with the
foreground being out of focus while the background is in focus.
5. Medium Close Up
A Medium Close Up differs from a regular close up as not only can
you see the character's facial expressions but also the character's
body language as well as leaving some room to see a part of the
background
Long Shot
Long shots showcase a large landscape often with a character in the
middle of the frame. This is often used to establish where the
6. character is and where the story is taking place or to make the
character appear small and insignificant
Tracking Shot
A tracking shot is when a character is moving from one location to
another and the camera follows them. This type of shot is normally
used with a ‘dolly’ but can be used handheld for effect.
Tilt Up and Down
7. Tilt Up and Tilt Down is meant to implement the feeling of looking up
or down this often is used with hand held cameras and the transition
from angle to angle is less smooth
Pedestal Up And Down
This shot is very similar to Tilt up/down but this instead is used
mainly to show something that couldn’t have been shown if the
camera stayed in place, for instance someone hiding underneath a
table. The transition from up to down is a lot smoother than Tilt
because its often used with proper equipment.
8. Panning
Panning shots are often used to show off the environment of the
scene. They are taken from a singular point and follow a moving
character or object, this is different from a tracking shot as a tracking
shot would along with the subject
Arc
An Arc shot moves in an arc pattern around a subject often while the
subject is still. The equipment used for this type of shot is either a
steady cam or a curved dolly.
