Camerawork plays an important role in creating convincing and atmospheric thriller pieces. Several camera techniques are discussed, including bird's eye/high angle shots to make characters appear vulnerable, handheld shots to create a sense of realism, over the shoulder shots to build tension as a character turns a corner, close ups to establish sympathy or fear for characters, and tilted angles to add dramatic tension and signify something unusual occurring. These camera techniques are used strategically to manipulate audience perspective and build suspense.

1. Camerawork is an incredibly
important component in creating
convincing and atmospheric thriller
pieces.
Camerawork

2. Bird Eye/High Angle
The Bird Eye or High Angle shot is one often saved purely for the victims. It makes the
figure or object being looked down on appear vulnerable and powerless. It is often used to
display that the villain has accomplished an authority position. It can also be used to show
the innocence of a character, and in particularly advanced pieces it can feign the
innocence of a character that is actually guilty or villainous.

3. Hand Held Camera Shot
Most famous examples of movies that use this type of shot are ones such as 'V/H/S' and
'The Blair Witch Project'. This is used to create a sense of reality and make the audience
feel as though they are there. It is very similar to a point of view shot in that you get to see
almost exactly what the character see’s. The shaky effect of the camera can often create
tension and add to the action. Sometimes a camera will catch something that the
character themselves doesn’t see, adding to the suspense and building horror.

4. Over the Shoulder Shot
This is another tactic to used to build a relationship between the victim and the audience.
The victim is often in the shot, but we see almost exactly what they see. As they open a
door or turn a corner, we turn with them, whatever gets them gets us too! This shot is used
a lot in scenes where there are mirrors and reflections, it can also be used to show a figure
stood behind a victim.

5. Close Up or Extreme Close Up
Close ups are a great way for the audience to establish what kind of relationship they
want to have with a character. Close up’s of a victim, crying or begging, promote
sympathy. Close ups of the villain, often pulling a crazed or psychotic expression promote
fear and hate. They can also be used to capture important details in a scene or give clues
to the audience.

6. Tilted Angle
The tilted angle is one of those shots that needs to be expertly executed for it to be effective.
It is rarely ever present outside of the thriller genre and is great for creating dramatic
tension and adds significance to important scenes or characters. It is also a good way to
get a different view of an incident across to the audience, it suggest that something out of
the ordinary is going on. The tilted shot is also often combined with a ‘Point of View’ Shot
to represent a victim lying on the floor.