Camera shots and angle movements

1. Camera shots
Establishing shot: Could be Wide angle shot/extreme long shot. It describes where you are,
gives audience key information.
Wide shot: gives audience information, emphasises size and scale.
Crane shot: It gives good aerial shots, it’s a useful way of moving the camera. It can be
moved in any direction.
Birds’ eye view/Aerial shot: Variation of a crane shot, usually used at the beginning of a film
to establish setting and movement. Usually taken from a helicopter, it can go
anywhere/keep up with anything/ move in and out of a scene.
Close-up: Very little background, forces the audience to look in a particular place. It
magnifies the object and shows the importance of things, certain object or highlight
emotion on someone’s face.
Extreme close-up: it’s an extreme version of a close-up, generally magnifies beyond what
the human eye would experience in reality.
Point of view: Audience becomes the character through the camera position. Usually used
to show what a character could be looking at.
Subjective point of view/Over the shoulder: this is where we see what the actor sees but
not through their own eyes. This puts the viewer in the scene but as an accomplice to the
action.
Two shot: This shows conversations/link or reaction between characters- a connection,
relationship or conflict.
Shot/reverse shot: Is where one character is shown looking at another character, and then
the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since characters are shown
facing in opposite directions, the viewer unconsciously assumes that they are looking at
each other.
Angles/Movement
Pans: A movement which scans a scene horizontally. Camera is usually on a tripod, which
operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often used to follow a moving
object which is kept in the middle of the frame.
Tilts: A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to pan.
High angle: Gives you information on the character that they are weak or small. The shot
looks down on the action from a superior position. The observer dominates.
Low angle: This shot looks up at the action from below, an inferior position. The observer is
vulnerable, weak and lower in status.

2. Dolly shot/tracking shot: The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside
the action, generally following moving figure or object.
Hand held shots: This gives a jerky, ragged effect, totally at odds with the organised
smoothness of a dolly shot, and is favoured by filmmakers looking for a gritty realism, which
involves the viewer very closely with a scene.
Zoom/reverse zoom: this is when the camera gets closer to or moves away from the action
in a very quick movement. The zoom lenses means that the camera does not need to be
moved. This can suggest surveillance and intense observation.