This document provides descriptions of various camera shots, angles, motions, and compositional techniques used in filmmaking. It defines shots like establishing, wide, long, close-up, and over the shoulder shots. It also explains camera angles like high, low, and canted angles. Common camera motions like tilt, pan, track, dolly, zoom, and reverse zoom are outlined. Principles of composition such as balance, symmetry, asymmetry, depth of field, and the rule of thirds are also summarized.

1. Camera shots, angles, motion
and composition.
By Marisha Inoke.

2. Camera shots
• Establishing
• Wide shot
• Long shot
• Close-up shot
• Extreme close-up shot
• Over the shoulder shot
• Overhead shot
• Two shot
• Mid/medium shot
• Point of View (POV).

3. Establishing shot
• This establishes the setting which often gives
the viewer information about where the scene
is set.
• E.g. Eastenders.

4. Wide shot
• With ‘wide shots’ you can show a large variety
of information similarly to a panoramic photo.
Furthermore, Wide shot’s are mainly used as
establishing shots.

5. Long shot
• This is the framing of a characters body.
• This shot is normally used in action movies as
it shows the characters running.

6. Close-up shot
• ‘Close-up shot’ of a body part or an object.
Top of head to shoulder.

7. Extreme close-up shot
• This shot shows the extreme detail.
• An extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would
experience in reality. An extreme close up of a face showing the eyes or mouth.

8. Over the shoulder shot
• The camera is placed behind the characters
shoulder enough to frame the two character’s.
• The character facing the other person takes up
1/3 of the frame, whereas the other character
takes up 2/3 showing that their inferior as
opposed to the person with its back turned.

9. Overhead shot
• The camera directed downwards.

10. Two shot
• It is basically two people in a shot which
shows the relationship between the two
characters.

11. Mid/medium shot
• This is from the torso and upwards to show
the body language, gesture and facial
expression.

12. Camera Angles
• High
• Low
• Canted/oblique

13. High
• In a high angle shot the camera is positioned
above the eye level, with the camera shooting
down on the subject.

14. Low
• Image shot from a low angle directed
upwards.

15. Canted/oblique
• In a canted angle the camera is tilted on its
horizontal plane to produce a slightly unstable
picture.

16. Camera movement
• Tilt
• Pan
• Track
• Dolly
• Zoom
• Reverse zoom

17. Tilt
• A ‘tilt’ is a vertical camera movement in which
the camera points up and down from the
stationary location (similar to ‘Pan’).

18. Pan
• A pan is a horizontal camera movement in
which the camera moves left and right about a
central axis.

19. Track
• Tracking shot is widely considered as a camera
mounted on a cart which travels along tracks.

20. Zoom
• A ‘Zoom’ is technically not a camera move as
it does not require the camera itself to move
at all. Zooming means altering the focal length
of the lens to give the illusion of moving closer
to an action.

21. Reverse Zoom
• This is the opposite of ‘Zoom’ which moves
further away from an action.

22. Camera composition
• Balance
• Symmetry (linked to balance).
• Asymmetry (linked to balance).
• Shallow focus
• Deep focus
• Depth of field
• Rules of Third
• Focus pulls

23. Balance
• Balance, this can refer to balance in colour,
shapes and sizes.

24. Symmetry
• ‘Symmetry’ is when the shot is equally
balanced on both sides, opposite of
Asymmetrical.
• This is linked to Balance.

25. Asymmetry
• ‘Asymmetry’
• This also is linked to balance because of the
imbalance.

26. Shallow focus
• ‘Shallow focus’ is Incorporating a small depth
of field (Out of focus and focus).
• This was achieved by using ‘auto-macro’ on
my bridge camera.

27. Deep focus
• This is when everything in the shot is in focus
(foreground, middle ground and background
as a whole).

28. Depth of Field
• Depth of field refers to the range of distances
from the camera at which acceptably sharp
focus can be obtained.

29. Rule of Thirds
• Create 3x3 grid on your shot, and align the
main subject along the intersection of the
lines. (2 horizontal lines, 2 vertical lines).
• Images below is 2/3 of sky and 1/3 of ground.

30. Focus pulls.
• ‘Focus pulls’ happens when adjusting the
camera lenses the shot goes from out of focus
into deep focus.