Sunday, 30 September 2012

Film Studies: Camera shots/movements

Medium shot – A shot in which you only see the upper part of the subject, rather than all of it. It shows facial expression and some body language.



Long shot – A shot in which you can see usually all of the subject at a slight distance.



Establishing shot – Usually at the beginning of scenes, this shot covers a wide amount of space so the audience can see the location or scale of the location. 



Canted angle – A shot used to distort what’s on the screen (often used in fight scenes to disorientate the audience); the camera is slanted.



Medium long shot – A shot that shows most of the subject but not all (if it’s a person, head to knees).



Aerial shot – A shot that looks down on the scene from somewhere high up (like a building or a helicopter). It usually covers a wide amount of subject and can be used to make the subject look insignificant or show the scale of a location.




Tilt up – When the camera is moved upwards slightly to follow a subject or show more of it without actually moving the positioning of the tripod (can be used with a handheld as well).  Tilting up usually makes the subject look taller or more powerful.

Tilt down – When the camera is moved down slightly to follow a subject or show more of it without actually moving the positioning of the tripod (can be used with a handheld as well). Tilting down usually makes the subject look smaller or more vulnerable.





Dolly – When the camera is set on tracks and moves forwards and backwards to follow a subject smoothly.

Zoom – The lens of the camera is adjusted to either show the subject in more or less detail.





Tracking – When the camera is set on tracks and moves left and right to follow a subject smoothly.




Handheld – The camera is used without a tripod etc, held in position by your hands. It usually gives shaky footage so it is often used in horror films to give a sense of reality to the scene and sometimes to disorientate the audience.


Crane – Usually taken by a camera on a literal crane. It is used to see the subject from above or to follow the subject and often makes the subject look smaller.






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