camera angles and shots Flashcards
Eye level
Shot taken with the camera approximately at human eye level, resulting in a neutral effect on the audience.
High angle
Subject is photographed from above eye level. This can have the effect of making the subject seem vulnerable, weak, or frightened.
Low angle
Subject is photographed from below eye level. This can have the effect of making the subject look powerful, heroic, or dangerous.
Dutch angle/Tilt
Shot in which the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so that the horizon line is not level. It is often used to show a disoriented or uneasy psychological state.
Over-The-Shoulder Shot
A popular shot where a subject is shot from behind the shoulder of another, tending to emphasize the relationship between two speakers.
Bird’s-eye View
A high-angle shot that’s taken from directly overhead and from a distance, giving the audience a wider view.
Long shot
A view of a scene that is shot from a considerable distance, so that people appear as indistinct shapes.
Extremely long shot
A view from an even greater distance, in which people appear as small dots in the landscape if at all.
Full shot
A camera shot in film that lets your subject fill the frame, head to toe, while still allowing some features of the scenery.
Cowboy shot
A shot that frames a character from the head to the hip or mid-thigh.
Close-up
A camera shot in which most—if not all—of the frame is filled with an and actor’s face or an important feature, detail, or object.
Extreme close-up
An extreme close-up (ECU) shot is a more intense version of a close-up shot, sometimes showing only the subject’s eyes.
Choker
A typical choker shot shows the subject’s face from just above the eyebrows to just below the mouth and is between a close-up and an extreme close-up.
Establishing shot
A shot in film making or television that sets up the context for the scene ahead, designed to inform the audience where the action will be taking place.
Point-of-view shot
A film scene—usually a short one—that is shot as if through the eyes of a character (the subject). The camera shows what the subject’s eyes would see.
