Camera Shots, Angles and Movement

The camera is considered the eye of the film director, but unlike the true eye, the camera can be applied for many functions.

Camera Shots
A camera shot is the space seen within one shot or frame of filming. These shots can be applied to demonstrate setting, characters and themes of the plot. The creation of a film relies heavily on how the camera shots are applied, which means three aspects of shots should be taken into account;

• The Framing or the Length of the shot in question


• The Angle of the shot


• If there is to be any Movement

Framing is created through a combination of camera shots and angles, and is often used for emphasis on a particular characters' point of view. An element of suspense can be created by using this method to disclose information from the viewer, which later plays impotence to the intended plot.

Depth of Field
The distance through which elements in an image are in sharp focus. A shallow depth of field is often used as a technique to focus audience attention on the most significant element of a scene. Depth of field (DOF) is directly connected to, but should not be confused with, focus. focus is the quality or 'sharpness' of an object as it is registered in the image, and DOF refers to the extent to which the space represented is in focus. Close-up shooting and shooting in low-light conditions often results in images with very shallow depth of field. An image with shallow DOF has some elements in focus, but others are not.

Shallow Focus
A cinematographic technique incorporating a restricted depth of field. One plane is kept in sharp focus whilst the rest is out of focus. Shallow focus is typically used to emphasize and direct the viewers eye to a certain element of a scene, and is commonly used in conjunction with a close- up shot. Shallow focus can suggest psychological introspection, since a character appears oblivious to the world around him/her. It is therefore frequently applied in genres such as the melodrama, where the actions and thoughts of an individual prevail over everything else.

Deep Focus
Deep focus is a cinematographic technique using a large depth of field, requiring the different depths be in focus. All of the different planes of the image are given equal importance through deep focus, not only to the characters but also the spaces.

Shot Lengths

• Extreme Long Shot

Extreme is a comparative term, with the true distance being dependent upon subject matter. This type of shot is generally used as a scene- setting or 'establishing' shot. In generalised terms, it shows an exterior i.e. office blocks or landscape, it has been know to be used in disaster filming, showing destruction and providing the audience with an element of thrill.

• Long & Wide Shots

These shots show the whole person or the feature object as part of the landscape. The establishing shot in film production is usually a shot showing the audience the actor/s in their environment. This ascertains the context of the shots to follow, and gives a useful overall perspective. A long or wide shot can also be used as the first or 'master' shot for the next scene.

• Mid or Medium Shot

This type of shot generally shows a character from the knees/ waist up. This allows the viewer to clearly see the characters' expressions and movement without dominating the screen. This type of shot usually cuts out much of the background, allowing concentration to be on body language & dialogue, as reaction shots can draw the audience in.

• Close-up Shot

A close- up shot shows very little background, and focuses mainly on either a face or a specific detail of Mise-en-scene- everything in the background becomes blurred. This type of shot magnifies the object and directs the audience to the significance of the action/ reaction of that time.

• Extreme Close-up Shot

As its name suggests, the effect of an extreme close up magnifies beyond what a human eye would experience. These shots are used for dramatic emphasis- by framing only an eye or mouth, the director can add drama, suspense or tension to the moment in the narrative.

Camera Angles

• The 'Bird's-Eye' view
  

This type of view shows a scene from directly overhead; and is considered an unnatural angle. to the human eye. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.

• High Angle

The camera is elevated above the character/ object, but not as extreme as a
birds- eye shot. It can be used to achieve a wider shot of a scene. High angle cameras can be used to achieve a 'point- of- view' (POV) shot, where the character is looking down on a subject, creating an impression of weakness, or fright.

• Eye- Level

Considered a fairly simple shot; the camera is positioned as the person/ subject would observe a scene, with the subject's head on level with the frame of the camera focus.

• Low Angle

This placement of the camer increases height and can give a sense of speeded motion. Low angles help give an impression of superiority/ authority or menece within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. Low angles are often used to convey a POV shot from a child's perspective.

• Canted

This shot obviously deviates from the 'normal' horizontal/ vertical axis position of the camera. The tilt of the camera suggests imbalance in comparison to other objects within the frame. Often used in horror films, canted shots give the impression of chaos, instability and mental imbalance in a character.

Camera Movement
A director may choose to move the pace of action along by telling the narrative via a series of cuts, changing from one shot to another, or the camera may be moved with the action. The camera movement can draw the viewers attention to or away from something, or switch from one subject to another that appears in the same frame. E.g a tracking shot where the camera physically moves closer or further away from the subject is most commonly used to increase the drama of what is being said or done.

• Zooming- zoom lenses are a mechanical assembly designed with elements to vary its focal length, with he ability to magnify within the frame, as opposed to a fixed focal length. The magnification process can be reversed by zooming out, creating an opening for a long/ wide shot.

• Panning- panning involves a movement of scanning a scene/landscape from left to right (or vice versa). The tripod provides a stable axis point, allowing the sweeping motion to be free. This movement is often used to follow a character, as the camera can move, keeping the subject within the main focus of the frame, without minimising setting.

• Tilting-where the tripod remains stationary and the camera tilts up or down. Similar to panning but with alteration in direction, this movement can be applied to create a sense of unease in the character, creating suspense or mystery.

• Crane Shots- the crane (or jib) is a piece of equipment, size dependent on purpose. The camera is suspended and raised up according to the scene content- this effect allows horizontal and vertical movement, the location to be seen from a high angle, which can then be swept down out of the action.

• Tracking/Dollying- both the camera and tripod are mounted on a moving vehicle or platform (complicated shots involve rails), allowing smooth movements following the action, generally following a character or object. This type of shot is often a good way of the journey of a character, or for moving from a long shot to a close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.

• Handheld/ Steadicam-these cameras produce a jerky, ragged effect, in strong contrast to that of the tracking/ dolly shots. The Steadicam (a heavy contraption which is attached a camera to an operator by a harness. The camera is stabilized so it moves independently) brings smoothness to hand held camera movement. In modern filming, no "walk and talk" sequence would be complete without the use. Hand held cameras signify a kind of gritty realism, and they can draw the audience in, with the impression they are in the scene themselves, rather than viewing it in a still, set position.