This presentation illustrates basic shot scales and camera angles.

1. A BASIC GRAMMAR OF FILM

2. SEQUENCE
Forms a distinct narrative unit
Unity of action / Unity of purpose

3. SCENE
Describes an action that takes place in
a single location and continuous time
Screen time = diegetic time

4. SHOT
A single continuous recording made by the camera

5. FRAME
A single still image

6. TYPES OF SHOTS

7. 1. Shot scale (or camera distance)

8. Extreme Long shot (XLS)
Gone With the Wind, Victor Fleming, MGM, 1939 .

9. Long shot (LS)
From Roman Holidays, William Wyler, Paramount Pictures, 1953.

10. Medium long shot (MLS) / three-quarter shot

11. Medium shot (MS)
The Social Network, David Fincher, Sony Pictures, 2010

12. Medium close-up (MCU)
Casablanca, Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros, 1942

13. Two-shot
One subject in MCU in the foreground
+
One subject in MS in the background

14. Close-up (CU)
The Long Goodbye, Robert Altman, Lion’s Gate Films, 1973

15. Extreme close-up (XCU)
Citizen Kane, Orson Welles, 1941, RKO Pictures

16. Insert / Cut-in
Covers action already covered in the master shot but emhasizes
a different aspect of that action

17. 2. Depth of field, camera angle, and camera movements

18. DEPTH OF FIELD
Distance between the nearest and farthest objects
that appear sharp in a shot
Long depth of field
Citizen Kane

19. Short depth of field
From The Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme, Orion Pictures Corporation, 1991

20. CAMERA ANGLES
Guide the audience’s judgement
about the objects and characters
in a shot

21. Bird’s eye view
The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock, Universal, 1963.

22. High-angle shot
The Shadow of a Doubt, Alfred Hitchcock, 1943.

23. Eye-level shot
Cleopatra, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1963, Twentieth Century Fox

24. Low-angle shot
Citizen Kane

25. Canted /oblique / Dutch angle
Pickup on South Street, Samuel Fuller, 20th Century Fox,1953.

26. CAMERA MOVEMENTS
Give their specificity to cinematic images

27. DOLLY SHOTS/TRACKING SHOTS
Camera moves forward = tracking in
Camera moves backward = tracking out
Camera moves sideways

28. PANNING/PAN SHOT
Scans a scene horizontally
When scans a scene vertically:
called « tilt »

29. HAND-HELD SHOTS
Since 1970’s : smooth thanks to the Steadicam
Denote a certain kind of realism
Audience feeling part of the scene

30. 3. Editing
The art of combining shots into a coherent whole

31. LONG TAKE/SINGLE SHOT/SEQUENCE SHOT
Describes a whole scene (even a whole sequence)
without any cut
The Rope, Alfred Hitchcock, 1948, Warner Bros.

33. CUT
Abrupt change of shot from one viewpoint
or location to another
Changes scene, compresses time, varies point of view

34. MATCHED CUT
Establishes logical relationship between shots
JUMP CUT
(When two shots don’t match)

35. FADE AND DISSOLVE
Gradual transition between shots
Fade-in / Fade-out
Dissolve = one shot merging into another

36. MATCH ON ACTION

37. EYE-LINE MATCH

38. SHOT / REVERSE SHOT
Deemphasizes transitions beween shots
Very commonly used in dialogues

40. CROSS-CUTTING
Describes actions occurring at the same time
in two different locations
Expresses simultaneity / Creates suspense / Suggests
parallels, contrasts, dichotomies…

41. 3 TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SHOTS
1. Time relationships
2. Spatial relationships
3. Thematic relationships
2 BASIC FUNCTIONS
1. Ensures continuity
2. Organizes seperate units into discourse
3. Creates rhythm

42. THE KULESHOV EXPERIMENT
Editing changes the viewer’s interpretation of the whole scene