This document defines various camera angles, shots, and techniques used in filmmaking. It provides examples and purposes for different high and low camera angles. Additional terms explained include pan, tilt, track/dolly, crane/mechanical, steadicam, zoom/reverse zoom, hand held, deep focus, shallow focus, rule of thirds, eye line match, long shot, close up, pull focus, aerial shot, medium close up, medium shot, establishing shot, point of view, extreme close up, over the shoulder shot, two shot, and canted frame. Each entry describes how the technique is used and the effect it aims to achieve.

1. Glossary
Name Example Purpose
High Angle
With this
type of
angle, the
camera
looks down
at the
subject.
Low Angle
Helps give a
sense of
confusion to
the viewer,
the added
height
makes it
inspire fear
to the
viewer
Birds Eye View
This shows
a scene
from
directly
overhead, a
very
unnatural
and strange
angle.
Pan
A
movement,
which scans
a scene
horizontally
.
Tilt
A vertically
moving shot
and used to
show the
vertically
significance
of a scene.

2. Track/Dolly
It can create
suspense.
They can
also be used
to capture
the action of
a fast
moving
object.
Crane/Mechanica
l
The most
obvious
uses are to
view the
actors from
above or to
move up
and away
from them,
a common
way of
ending a
movie.
Steadi Cam
It allows for
a smooth
shot, even
when
moving
quickly over
an uneven
surface.
Zoom/Reverse
Zoom
The camera
creates a
difference
in
perspective
—
background
objects
appear to
change in
relation to
foreground
objects.

3. Hand Held
Hand-held
cameras are
used
because
they are
convenientl
y sized for
travel and
because
they allow
greater
freedom of
motion
during
filming.
Deep Focus
Everything
in the
frame, from
front to
back, is in
focus.
Allows the
view to
focus on a
person in
the
background.
Shallow Focus
Shallow
focus is
typically
used to
emphasize
one part of
the image
over
another.
Rule Of Thirds
With this
grid in mind
the ‘rule of
thirds’ now
identifies
four
important
parts of the
image that
you should
consider
placing
points of

4. interest in
as you
frame your
image.
Eye Line Match
Audience
will want to
see what
the
character
on-screen is
seeing.
Long Shot
Used to
signify
feeling of a
situation in
distance
Close Up
A close-up
of a person
emphasizes
their
emotional
state.
Pull Focus The focal
point is
drawn
towards the
viewer.
Aerial Shot
Aerial
photograph
y is the
taking of
photograph
s of the
ground
from an
elevated

5. position.
Usually the
camera is
not
supported
by a
ground-based
structure.
Medium Close up
A character
shows
emotion
more than
in just the
face. They
have body
language
too and the
CU can’t
pick it all
up. The
MCU is good
because it
allows the
actors to act
more.
Medium Shot
Medium
shots are
used for
dialogue
sequences,
and they
allow the
viewer to
pick up on
the
character's
movements
and
gestures.
Establishing Shot
An
establishing
shot in
filmmaking
and
television
production
sets up, or

6. establishes
the context
for a scene
by showing
the
relationship
between its
important
figures and
objects.
Point Of View
In a POV, we
appear to
look
through the
eyes of a
character,
we see what
they see.
Extreme Close Up
Generally
used to
convey
inescapable
emotion. It
is often
satirized for
its
melodramat
ic qualities.
Over the
Shoulder Shot
This shot
helps to
establish
the position
of each
person, and
get the feel
of looking at
one person
from the
other's
point of
view.

7. Two shot
Two-shots
are good for
establishing
a
relationship
between
subjects.
Canted Frame
This is a
device or
process
whereby
the camera
is angled so
that the
horizontal
frame line is
not parallel
to the
horizon.