Media and Language - Camera Work

Question 1

extreme long-shot

Answer 1

• can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away.
• used as scene setting.
• shows an exterior.

Question 2

Long shot

Answer 2

• shows the image as approximately “life” size
  focus is on characters, plenty of background detail

Question 3

medium shot

Answer 3

• contains a figure from the knees/waist up
• normally used for dialogue scenes/ show some detail of action.

Question 4

Close Up

Answer 4

• shows very little background.
• concentrates on either a face or a specific detail of mise en scene.
• magnifies the object, shows the importance of things.
• takes us into the min of the character

Question 5

Extreme Close Up

Answer 5

• magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality.
• an artificial shot, can be used for dramatic effect
• tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot.

Question 6

The Bird’s Eye View/Establishing Shot

Answer 6

• shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural angle.
• puts the audience in a godlike position
• can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things.

Question 7

High Angle

Answer 7

• not so extreme as an establishing shot.
• camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview.
• make the object seem smaller, and less significant
• character/object often gets swallowed up by their setting they become part of a wider picture.

Question 8

Eye Level

Answer 8

• fairly neutral shot
• camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene.
• camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.

Question 9

Low Angle

Answer 9

• increase height and give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene.
• background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky/ceiling
• lack of detail adds to the disorientation of the viewer.
• added height of object may make it inspire fear and insecurity.

Question 10

Oblique/Canted/Dutch Angle

Answer 10

• camera is tilted
• suggests imbalance, transition and instability

Question 11

Point of View

Answer 11

• when the camera becomes the ‘eyes’ of one particular character
• sees what they see
• hand held camera is usually used

Question 12

Pans

Answer 12

• movement which scans a scene horizontally
• camera is placed on a tripod, operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned
• follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

Question 13

Tilts

Answer 13

• a movement which scans a scene vertically

Question 14

Dolly Shots

Answer 14

• AKA trucking/tracking
• camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action
• follows a moving figure/object

Question 15

Handheld Shots

Answer 15

• handheld movie camera first saw widespread use during World War II.
• gives a jerky, ragged effect
• at odds with the organised smoothness of a dolly shot.

Question 16

Crane Shot

Answer 16

• dolly shot up in the air.
• a crane can move the camera up and down, left and right and in a swooping motion

Question 17

Zoom Lenses

Answer 17

• cameras contain a mechanism that can change the magnification of the image

Question 18

The Aerial Shot

Answer 18

• variation of a crane shot
• often taken from a helicopter
• used at beginning of a film to establish setting and movement