Camera Terminology: Camera Shots and Angles (AS Media Studies) by Sabrina Bourhaba

2. EXTREME CLOSE-UP
• EXTREME CLOSE-UP (ECU) IS A DETAILED SHOT USED TO
SHOW JUST THE EYES, MOUTH, FEET OR HANDS OF A
CHARACTER. IT CAN ALSO INCLUDE ANIMALS AND
INANIMATE OBJECTS. IT IS AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF
EXPRESSING A CHARACTER’S EMOTIONS TO
SUCCESSFULLY BUILD TENSION IN A SCENE.
• BY USING AN EXTREME CLOSE UP ON THE HANDS OR FEET
CHARACTER FROM A POINT OF VIEW SHOT, THIS CAN
EMULATE EMPATHY FROM THE AUDIENCE FOR THE
CHARACTER

3. BIG CLOSE-UP
• BIG CLOSE-UP (BCU) IS A FULL HEAD HEIGHT SHOT TAKING
UP THE ENTIRE SCREEN WITH LITTLE BACKGROUND TO SHOW
THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF A CHARACTER.
• BIG CLOSE-UP SHOTS IS A VERY INTIMATE SHOT USED TO
CONVEY THE EMOTIONS OF A CHARACTER AS ALL FACIAL
FEATURES ARE PRESENT. LITTLE BACKGROUND PUTS THE
FACE AS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE SCENE. IT CAN BE USED TO
EITHER MAKE THE AUDIENCE FEEL COMFORT FROM THE
CHARACTER OR DISCOMFORT, THUS BUILDING TENTION.
• WHEN MAGNIFYING AN OBJECT THIS SHOT IS USED TO
CONVEYS IT’S IMPORTANCE/SIGNIFICANCE.

4. CLOSE-UP
• A CLOSE-UP (CU) IS A CAMERA SHOT INCLUDING THE HEAD
AND SHOULDERS. WJILST IT CAN INCLUDE A LITTLE MORE
BACKGROUND THAN A BIG CLOSE-UP, IT IS STILL NOT A
FOCAL POINT OF THE SHOT. USED TO FILM AN OBJECT AT
CLOSE RANGE.
• CLOSE-UPS ARE USED TO FOCUS ON THE EMOTIONAL STATE
OF THE CHARACTER BY EXAGGERATING THE FOCUS ON FACIAL
EXPRESSION. THIS CAN SUCCESSFULLY HEIGHTEN TENSION
IN A SCENE.
• THIS CAMERA SHOT CAN ALSO BE USED TO EMPAHTISE WITH
THE CHARACTER MUCH LIKE ALLOWING SOMEONE PERSONAL
THAT CLOSE TO OUR FACE.

5. MEDIUM CLOSE-UP
• MEDIUM CLOSE-UP (MCU) SHOWS THE UPPER HALF
OF THE BODY AND IS TAKEN FROM HEAD TO CHEST.
• THIS SHOT IS NORMALLY USED TO SHOW DIALOGUE
OR ACTION SCENES. EXAMPLES OF MEDIUM CLOSE-
UP INCLUDE TWO SHOT AND THREE SHOT SCENES
WITH SAID AMOUNT OF CHARACTERS.
• BACKGROUND IS OFTEN MORE IN FOCUS HOWEVER,
SETTING FOR THE SCENE HAS ALREADY BEEN
ESTABLISHED.

6. MEDIUM CLOSE UP VARIATIONS
TWO SHOT THREE SHOT

7. MEDIUM SHOT
• MEDIUM SHOTS (MS) DEPICT HALF OF THE BODY
IN THE SHOT,TAKEN FROM ABOVE THE HEAD TO
JUST BELOW THE WAIST.
• THIS SHOWS ALLOWS FURTHER ANALYSIS OF
THE CHARACTER'S EMOTIONS BY PARTNERING
BODY LANGUAGE WITH FACIAL EXPRESSION.
• THIS CAN ALSO BE REFERRED TO AS A SOCIAL
SHOT.

8. MEDIUM LONG SHOT
• MEDIUM LONG SHOT (MLS) SHOWS ALMOST THE
WHOLE BODY OF THE CHARACTER AS WELL AS
FOCUS UPON THE BACKGROUND AND THEIR
SETTING.
• THIS SHOT IS USED TO PLACE A CHARACTER IN
CONTEXT TO THEIR SURROUNDINGS AND RELATE
THE TWO ASPECTS OF THE SHOT TOGETHER.

9. LONG SHOT
• LONG SHOTS (LS) IS A DISTANCE SHOT WHERE
THE CAMERA IS FAIRLY FAR FROM THE SUBJECT.
• OFTEN USED AS AN ESTABLISHING SHOT SETTING
SCENE FOR THE ACTION AND CHARACTER ROLES
FOR THE VIEWER.

10. VERY LONG SHOT
• VERY LONG SHOTS (VLS) DEPICT A CHARACTER
IN FULL SIZE AGAINST THEIR
BACKGROUND/SETTING.
• VERY LONG SHOTS ARE USED TO PLACE A
CHARACTER OR OBJECT IN A SETTING TO SHOW
HOW THEY MIGHT/MIGHT NOT RELATE TO THEIR
ENVIRONMENT.

11. EXTREME LONG SHOT
• EXTREME LONG SHOT (ELS), MUCH LIKE THE VERY
LONG SHOT IS USED TO PLACE A CHARACTER INTO
THEIR SURROUNDINGS, BUT IN THIS CASE A
LARGER SETTING THAN THE CHARACTER.
• THIS SHOT IS USED TO SET THE SCENE FOR THE
FILM WHERE THE ACTION WILL TAKE PLACE AND IS
USED TO SET THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE FILM.
• IT MAY ALSO BE USED AN AS ESTABLISHING SHOT
FOR THE OPENING OF A FILM.

12. WALKING ROOM
• WALKING ROOM IS A CAMERA SHOT WHICH
DEPICTS A CHARACTER MOVING INTO SPACE.
• THIS CAN BE USED DURING A PURSUIT OF A
SUBJECT TO BUILD TENSION WITHIN THE SCENE.
• WALKING ROOM SHOTS CORRELATE CLOSELY
WITH TRACKING SHOTS SYNONYMOUS TO A
DOLLY TO FOLLOW THE SUBJECT AS THEY MOVE
IN THE SHOT.

13. HIGH ANGLE SHOT
• HIGH ANGLE SHOTS (ALSO KNOWN AS BIRD’S EYE)
ARE A CAMERA SHOT LOOKING DOWN UPON A
SUBJECT FROM A HIGH ANGLE.
• THIS CAMERA SHOT IS USED TO ISOLATE THE
SUBJECT AND DEPICT THEM AS VULNERABLE OR
POWERLESS.
• THE CRANE SHOT MAY SOMETIMES BE COMBINED
WITH THIS SHOT FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THE
SUBJECT.

14. LOW ANGLE SHOT
• LOW ANGLE SHOTS (ALSO KNOWN AS WORM’S EYE
SHOTS) ARE A SHOT TAKEN FROM BELOW HEIGHT
LEVEL LOOKING UP AT THE SUBJECT.
• THESE SHOTS CAN BE USED TO PLACE US IN THE
PERSPECTIVE OF THE SUBJECT NOT VISIBLE FOR A
POINT OF VIEW SHOT.
• THIS SHOT CAN ALSO BE USED TO EMPOWER THE
SUBJECTS SEEN ABOVE AND MAKE THE SUBJECT WE
ARE LOOKING IN PERSPECTIVE FROM, WEAK.

15. TILTED FRAME
• TILTED FRAME (ALSO KNOWN AS CANTED OR
DUTCH ANGLE SHOTS) ARE TILTED AT A
DIAGONAL ANGLE.
• THIS CAMERA ANGLE IS USED TO CREATED A
FEELING OF DISORIENTATION.

16. PAN
• PAN CAMERA MOVEMENT IS ACHEIVED BY PLACING
A CAMERA ON TRIPOD WHICH OPERATES AS A NON
MOVING POINT AXIS POINT OF THE CAMERA. THIS
CAN THEN BE TURNED LEFT OR RIGHT.
• THIS MOVEMENT IS USED TO SCAN A SCENE
HORIZONTALLY OR FOLLOW A SUBJECT IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE FRAME.
• PAN CAN BE USED TO MIMICK THE MOVEMENT OF A
PERSON SHAKING THEIR HEAD IN A POINT OF VIEW
SHOT.

17. TILT
• MUCH SIMILIAR TO THE PAN CAMERA
MOVEMENT. TILT IS USED TO FILM VERTICALLY
E.G. TO FILM THE FULL SCALE OF A BUILDING OR
PERSON.
• TILT CAN ALSO BE USED FROM A POINT OF VIEW
SHOT TO MIMICK THE NODDING OF A PERSON'S
HEAD.

18. HAND-HELD SHOTS
• A HAND HELD SHOT IS A LARGE CAMERA RESTED
UPON A CAMERAMAN'S SHOULDER CREATED FOR
MOVEMENTS IN AND OUT OF SCENES.
• HAND HELD SHOTS ARE OFTEN SHAKY SHOTS
USED FOR POINT OF VIEW SHOTS IN THE
PERSPECTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. THIS CREATES
MORE REALISM FOR FILMING.

19. TRACKING SHOTS
• TRACKING SHOTS (TRUCKING OR DOLLY SHOTS)
ARE ACHIEVED BY PLACING A CAMERA ON A
MOVING VEHIICLE TO FOLLOW ALONGSIDE ACTION
SCENES (OFTEN A MOVING SUBJECT).
• MOVE COMPLEX FILMING SCENES MAY INVOLVE THE
USE OF A CAMERA PLACED UPON A PLANE OR CAR.
• A TRACKING SHOT IS USED TO PORTAY MOVEMENT,
JOURNEY OF A CHARACTER OR MOVING
PROGRESSIVELY CLOSER TO A SUBJECT TO FOCUS
IN.

20. CRANE SHOTS
• CRANE SHOTS ARE TRACKING SHOTS THAT TAKE
PLACE ON A CRANE IN THE AIR WITH THE ABILITY
TO TILT AND PAN.
• CRANE SHOTS ARE USED TO CAPTURE FOOTAGE
OF HIGH VOLUME ACTION SCENES WITH A WIDE
FRAME OF SUBJECTS.

21. ZOOM LENSES
• ZOOM LENSES ARE USED TO FOCUS IN CLOSER ON A
SPECIFIC POINT OF THE FRAME WITHOUT HAVING
TO MOVE THE CAMERA.
• IN ORDER TO ZOOM USING A DOLLY THE CAMERA
MUST BE HELD VERY STEADY WAS WHEN FOCUSED
EVEN SLIGHT TREMORS CAN BE VISIBLE.
• ZOOM IS USED BY DIRECTORS TO MAKE AN EERIE
AND UNNERVING TENSION TO SCARY SCENES WHEN
DONE SLOWLY AND STEADILY.

22. AERIAL SHOT
• AERIAL SHOTS ARE FOOTAGE TAKEN FROM A
CAMERA FILMING FROM A HELICOPTER.
• THIS IS OFTEN USED AT THE BEGINNING OF FILMS
TO ESTABLISH SETTING FOR THE FILM.

23. THE 180 DEGREE RULE
• THE 180 DEGREE RULE WORKS UPON ON A LINE OF ACTION
(A THEORETICAL LINE JOINING TWO OR MORE SUBJECTS).
THESE SUBJECTS ARE FILMED FROM A 1800 DEGREE
ANGLE IN A SEMI CIRCLE SEEN LEFT.
• CROSSING LINE BY FILMING IN THE OTHER SEMI CIRCLE
180 DEGREE ANGLE CAN CAUSE DISORIENTATION OR
CONFUSION FOR THE AUDIENCE.
• THE 180 DEGREE ANGLE RULE IS USED TO REGARD
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHARACTERS WITHIN A
SHARED SCENE.

24. MATCH ON ACTION
• MATCH ON ACTION (ALSO KNOWN AS CUTTING
ON ACTION) REFERS TO A SHOT AS SEEN RIGHT
IN WHICH THE SECOND SHOT REFLECTS THE
ACTIONS SEEN IN THE FIRST SHOT.
• THIS IS AN EDITING TECHNIQUE USED FOR
CONTINUITY EDITING CREATING A VICUAL
MEDIUM FOR CONTINUITY AND TO RETAIN THE
VIEWER'S ATTENTION THROUGHOUT.

25. SHOT REVERSE SHOT
• ANOTHER CONTINUITY EDITING TECHNIQUE WHICH IS
USED TO FILM INTERACTION BETWEEN TWO SUBJECTS.
• THIS SHOT IS ACHEIEVE BY FILMING ONE SUBJECT FROM
AN OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT AND THEN REVERSING THE
SHOT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE SECOND SUBJECT,
BEFORE BEING CHANGED BACK TO THE FIRST SUBJECT.
• THIS SHOT RELATES CLOSELY TO THE 180 DEGREE RULE AS
IT DOES NOT CROSS THE LINE AND PREVENTS CONFUSION
AS CHARACTERS AND LOCATION ARE SEEN FROM THE
SAME ANGLE.