Camera Shots

What are we trying to accomplish today? Objective: Gain a better understanding of different camera shots and angles and their uses in film. Essential Question: Why would it be important to know different camera angles when we are filming a video or movie?

Extreme Wide Shot/ Establishing Shot Give us the big picture Shows location or setting If people are in the shot, they are usually very small

Establishes characters in their world Long Shot/ Far Shot Establishes characters in their world Used when we need to see what characters are doing in their environment

Full body shot of the character There is some space above and below the character. No part of the body is cropped off. Shot is used to show the character and what they are doing… less about the environment. Full Shot

All of these shots could be considered “wide shots” All of these shots are consistently at a wide angle and show much of the environment

Medium Shot Usually Shows the characters from the waist up Gives a nice view of the character without being TOO close Still plenty of room for characters to move and gesture Medium Shot

Variations of the Medium Shot cut the characters off at the knees

Close Up Shot Usually a full head shot- sometimes part of the head is cropped off Very intimate- tells us how a character is feeling or what they are thinking Tells us the important things we need to know to understand the story

Variations of this shot also cut off around the ribs

Extreme CloseUp Sometimes used for an extremely dramatic moment Can be used to convey really important information Usually covers the majority of the frame- not much background Can be used to focus on emotion

NAME THAT SHOT!

Moving on to angles!

Camera is level to the ground and parallel to the subject Straight On Camera is level to the ground and parallel to the subject

Camera points up at the subject Up Shot/ Low Angle Camera points up at the subject Places the viewer below psychologically

Down Shot/ High Angle The Camera is angled down towards the subject Places the viewer above psychologically

Extreme version of a Down Shot Camera points almost completely down Bird’s Eye View Extreme version of a Down Shot Camera points almost completely down

Worm’s Eye View Extreme version of the up shot or low angle Camera points almost entirely up

Over The Shoulder Most widely used method of shooting a conversation scene Shows good facial expression as characters are conversing, as well as show different character vantage points. Can show close-up or far away

A shot with only one person!

Shot with two people in it

(Are you getting the hang of this?) 3 Shot 3 People in it! (Are you getting the hang of this?)

Three or more people in the shot Group Shot Three or more people in the shot

A NEW ROUND OF NAME THAT SHOT!

Usually the camera is sitting on the ground Low Angle Usually the camera is sitting on the ground

Allows the audience to put themselves in the character’s shoes Point of View Allows the audience to put themselves in the character’s shoes

Rack Focus Shifts the focus from the foreground to the background (or vice versa) Helps the audience shift their focus from one subject to another

Shots with layers of subjects and details help create depth in a scene, drawing the audience’s eye. Do you think the layers in a shot make things more or less interesting? Why or why not?

Horizon lines will either be above or below the subject Rule of Thirds If your subject is dead center, your shot will look mechanical or overdone Think of it like a tic- tac-toe board. Your subject should be in a spot that intersects, rather than in the middle of the square Horizon lines will either be above or below the subject Notice that the plane (which is the subject) is more to the right rather than being centered.

DO THESE SHOTS FOLLOW THE RULE OF THIRDS?

The Rule of the Triangle This technique has been used for hundreds of years by artists The triangle draws the audience’s eye- keeps the eye moving. Really good to use when trying to put focus on a particular character Also great to use when trying to show multiple characters in conversation

When putting together a film, it is important to know that every shot that you create should hold some sort of purpose. Why?

Let’s Take a Look at What the Importance May be in Some of These Different Screen Shots