1. Camera shots
Just as in writing, film uses techniques to produce different responses in their audience.
Short sentences are used for impact in writing, but certain camera shots are chosen for exactly that effect as well.
Each camera shot is picked with the intention of delivering a very specific effect on the audience.

2. Camera shots
There are 7 main camera shots which are each picked for a particular effect.
Point of view shot
High-angle shot
Over the shoulder shot
Close-up shot
Low angle shot
Medium Shot
Long shot
These are occasionally played around with to make new versions, depending on what suits the director – for example, you could have a medium long shot, which would half the distance of a long shot, but still wouldn’t be a medium shot, etc.

3. Match the camera angle to the shot
Point of view shot
High-angle shot
Over the shoulder shot
Close-up shot
Low angle shot
Medium Shot
Long shot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

4. Match the camera angle to the shot
High-angle shot
Point of view shot 1 2 3
Medium Shot
Long shot
Close-up shot
Over the shoulder shot 4 5 6
High-angle shot
Medium long shot
Low angle shot
Extreme close up 7 8 9 10

5. Camera shots
As we’ve discussed, each camera angle is picked specifically with an effect in mind.
Write the type of camera shot and your explanation of its function in your books.
For example: ‘High angle shot – used to make the audience think/produce the effect of…’

6. Concentrates attention.
Point of view shot
The audience sees the situation from the character’s position
High-angle shot
Suggests character’s smallness, weakness or isolation.
The audience is in a powerful position.
Over the shoulder shot
Focuses the audience’s attention on one character
Close-up shot
Concentrates attention.
Shows character’s emotion
Puts audience in a privileged position.
Extreme close up shot
Audience in intimate relationship.
Shows a character’s intimate feelings.
Low angle shot
Suggests character’s bigness, strength or dominance.
Audience in weak position.
Medium Shot
Situates character in immediate environment, yet still shows emotion.
Long shot
Shows the context of the shot.
Medium long shot
Important in action scenes, where emotion is still important.

7. Camera Movement
Not only is the shot an important tool in telling the film’s story, but the movement contributes a lot to our understanding too.
Camera movement is used to:
Follow the action
Reveal information – moving plot forward
Change the emotional mood of the scene (e.g. making someone appear more or less powerful, frightened etc.)

8. Camera Movement
There are several established camera movements the director uses for certain effects.
Panning
Tilting
Dollying in and out
Handheld
Tracking/crabbing alongside

9. Camera Movement
Function
Panning
Describes/reveals the location or follows the action, gets a much wider shot into the shot (short for panorama)
Tilting
Describes a person in relation to the place they’re in. Can be used to reveal a location in stages to build surprise or shock
Travelling (hand held)
Can create a first person perspective, puts the audience in the eyes of the character (who may or may not have been seen) – can give you the thrill of being that character.
Dollying in and out
Depends on speed - dollying in to a still object can be quite unnerving if at speed emphasises the importance of the object (like rushing in to something in real life), dollying in builds tension, can make a place feel claustrophobic, can make the audience feel pulled
Dollying out – can pull back and reveal.
Dollying/Tracking/
Crabbing along side
Builds anticipation if you are dollying along with a moving object, describes the place but makes you feel like you are on a journey – to arrive to the next scene.

10. GCSE Watch the opening 5 minutes of Mission Impossible 2.
Identify the different camera movements and shots- say why the director (John Woo) has used them.
How do they reflect the action adventure genre?

11. AS
Watch some clips from past exams and analyse how angles and movement have contributed to representation.

12. A2 Q1a- how did your use of the camera develop in different phases?
Q1b-how did you use the camera to reflect any of the five things you need to talk about?
Q2- how was the camera used in film, and in print images, to influence the representation of youth?