1. Will Hallowell
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Shot types
Establishing shot – Usually at the beginning of a film/television show to tell the
audience where we are, normally of a landscape. It tells us where and when the story
takes place.
Wide shot – This is shot where the camera zooms out wide to give us more specific
details, showing parts of the set. It is used to emphasise size and scale.
Crane shot – ‘Dolly shots in the air’. A crane is always a useful way of moving a camera.
Aerial shot/Birds eye view – An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a
helicopter. It is often used at the beginning of the film, in order to establish setting and
movement.
Long shot – It is called a long shot as the camera is placed far away to capture a large
area of view. It is usually the opening establishing shot of a movie.
Medium shot – This is filmed from someone’s waist upwards. It is generally used to
contain all the action of the scene and it should be well matched with the flow of a long
shot.
Close-up – This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face or an
important object in the scene.
Extreme close-up – Generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience
in reality.
Point of view – This is shot where we see what the actor sees through their own eyes, ‘in
the shoes’ of the character.
Over the shoulder – This a shot where we see what the actor sees, but not through their
own eyes, usually used during a conversation. This puts the viewer in the scene, but an
accomplice to the action.
Two shot – This shows a conversation/link or reaction between characters, a hero, and a
villain etc. – a connection, relationship or a conflict.
Shot/Reverse shot – This is where one character is shown looking at another character
and then the other character is shown looking “back” at the first character.
2. Will Hallowell
Angles/Movement
Pan – A movement which scans the scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a
tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to
follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.
Tilt – A movement which scans a scene vertically, the opposite of a pan angle.
High angle – This shot looks shown on the action from a superior position. The
observer dominates, has power and higher status.
Low angle – This shot looks up at the action from below, an inferior position – the
observer is vulnerable, weak and lower status.
Dolly shot – This is sometimes called a tracking shot as the camera moves around a
track. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action.
Hand-held shots – The hand-held camera gives a jerky, ragged effect, opposed to
the organised smoothness of a dolly shot and used commonly to create realism and
involve the audience with the action.
Zoom/Reverse zoom – This is when the camera gets closer in or moves away from
the action in a very quick movement. Zooming in/out with the camera lens means the
actual camera doesn’t need to be moved, like a dolly shot.
