Camera Shots + angles

I am going to look at some of the camera shots and angles that are commonly used in film, and what they are used for. I will also look at what they might connote, so i can use this research when I'm analysing previous openings, and also when i want to add connotations to my piece.

ELS - extreme long shot - like a shot of a city or countryside, people and detail rarely visible. These are used to establish the setting, they also might set the mood and tone of the scene, such as a woods setting would me quite mysterious, a city setting would be busy and exciting. An extreme long shot of these settings would show the audience what to expect from the scene. They are usually used at the start or end of scenes.

LS - long shot -subject fits the whole frame, but none of them is cut off, so a whole figure will be in the shot. These show the audiences things about the character such as height, stature. often used with groups of people, and when there is large scale action.

MS - mid shot - most of the subject is in the frame, such as his head down to his middle, often used for small groups. The medium shot can be used to focus attention on an interaction between two actors, such as a struggle, debate, or embrace.

CU - close up - focuses on a certain feature , such as a face. good for focusing on facial expressions, so often used for reactions and important facial gestures that need to be seen. can also be used to give significance to a certain object, or to direct the audience to some other important element of the film.

ECU - extreme close up - much closer such as eyes or mouth. these are less common but can be used for minute details that are important to the plot. They are often quite mysterious and surreal.




Angles


eye-level - day to day angle, this is how we see in real - life, so it sets a laid back realistic angle to the shot, it is best used for point of view, as it really establishes the audience as part of the scene. This is often filmed just below eye level for males and just above for females, as it looks unnatural otherwise.

high angle - camera is positioned above the subject looking down on it, can connote insignificance as the subject looks belittled.

low angle - this is filmed from below, looking up at the subject, can connote importance as they look empowered.

birds eye - shot from on top, looking down. it is a very unnatural view of the world, and is quite a dramatic way of filming, often used in action thrillers.

I found out the most common angles, and which were most natural, so this will help our opening flow as best as possible. I also found out that high and low angle shots can connote certain things to a shot, so i could use these if i wanted to give meaning to a scene. I will use my understanding of shots and angles when i look at analysing the camera in previous openings.