Lesson 8.3 Flashcards
captures a very wide area to show the scale of subjects in relation to their environment, like tiny birds in a forest. It is typically used as an establishing shot when changing from one big area or city to another.
Extreme Long Shot
Like the extreme long shot, the bird’s eye shot shows massive scale but from a much higher angle, to the point where land starts to show abstract shapes and lines out of roads, buildings, and trees. It is also typically used as an establishing shot for introductions and scene transitions.
Bird’s eye shot
The long, full, or wide shot is a significantly closer shot of an area where viewers can have a better look of what’s going on, but still not close enough to actually be emotionally involved in the scene. Subjects are also closer to the camera but far enough to have their whole bodies in view. It can be used to make your viewers feel like a casual bystander, such as when your leading actors are shown walking hand in hand while crossing the street.
Long shot
The medium shot allows viewers to move in a lot closer, but in a more informative way than emotional. The frame typically features a person from the waist up, and are used for general group scenes with dialogues and interviews.
Medium Shot
features just the entire head up to the chin or neck to allow viewers to feel more engaged and affected by the character’s emotions. By framing less of the background and more of just the face, you are able to create impact with the character’s facial expressions.
Close up shot
used sparingly and saved for moments when you need to increase the emotional intensity of a scene. You can do this by really zooming in on the character’s face, sometimes just on the eyes, or even the hands. It works just as well for objects, like the ticking hands of a clock or brush strokes. While these shots greatly lack context, it’s great for setting the mood or adding drama and intimacy.
Extreme Close Up Shot
you simply need to rotate the camera to either side until verticals (like people and buildings) are tilted and the horizon is no longer parallel with the bottom of the frame. It’s another shot that’s used sparingly in narrative filmmaking, usually to portray uneasiness and disorientation. You can use this to show a character’s unstable emotional or mental state. Or, it can add an unsettling feeling to a particular scene.
Dutch Angle Shot
as easy as it sounds, but the best way to turn this simple technique into an elegant shot is to carefully coordinate the careful upward or downward camera movement with some action within the scene. It can be used as an establishing shot of a wide-angle view or for slowly revealing something at the end.
Tilt Shot
shows an out-of-focus shoulder and head in the foreground. Meanwhile, there is another person, object, or the background in focus. It’s one of the most essential cinematography techniques for use in narrative filmmaking. It not only adds that much-needed depth to a shot but also aids in making conversational scenes look as natural to the viewer as possible.
Over the shoulder shot
Your camera can either be steady or moving along its axis, as long as it shows how and where viewers should look at or scan the scene and make them feel like they’re in the movie. You can also accomplish this by fitting your subject with a camera mount.
Point of view shot
They can be used simply to show the surroundings. However, you can achieve truly professional results with it by keeping the panning smooth and accurate, especially when there’s action and a carefully composed final frame involved. Remember, such movements should be well-executed to look very natural and almost unnoticeable so as not to distract the viewers from the story.
Panning shot
has evolved over time — from being jerky, fast, and cheesy to being a lot slower and smoother to create a more natural zoom effect that doesn’t distract viewers. Needless to say, it increases the focus on a scene, an object, or a character.
Zoom Shot
captures vertical translational motion by moving the camera up or down by a couple of feet. It used to be achieved with huge and expensive cranes, but it can now be replicated with drone cameras. Fortunately, it’s a shot that doesn’t always have to be in every film. However, it adds production value to your work
Crane Shot
An important tool for this type of shot is a dolly, or a wheeled cart that moves along a rail track. This look can also be achieved with a Steadicam and other innovative motion control gear. You may even use a drone—specifically one with a tracking flight mode that allows you to choose a subject for the aircraft to follow.
Tracking Shot
