CAMERA SHOTS AND ANGLES

180O RULE When two people are in a

conversation, you must draw a line between the two actors and NEVER move the camera across this line

Keeps perspective If you cross the line the actors flip

position exception – when the camera is

filming as you move across the line so that the audience sees you cross the line

Example 1 Example2

RULE OF THIRDS Divides picture into

9 parts place points of

interest in the intersections or along the lines.

The image becomes more balanced

viewer interacts with it more naturally

BEFORE STORYBOARDNG A SHOT Think about three important factors The FRAMING or the LENGTH The ANGLE If there is any MOVEMENT involved

When describing camera positions (or shots), different terms are used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained

within a frame, how far away the camera is from the

subject the perspective of the viewer.

A change between two different shots is called a CUT.

ESTABLISHING SHOT An Extra Long (ELS)

or Extra Wide (EWS) shot that shows all of something: a building, a cityscape, countryside, house etc...

Answers the question of Where are we? Shows the world the story is in.

LONG SHOT (LS) WIDE SHOT (WS) Long shots help viewers

get a sense of place. Small establishing shot. shows the image as

approximately "life" size

Just about every TV scene starts with a long shot to establish the context of the scene

After the long shot, you mostly see close-ups.

MEDIUM SHOT (MS)

The medium shot, is generally defined as a waist-up shot of a person.

Help place a subject in context

necessary for people who gesture a lot.

2 problems they don't show as much

facial detail as a close-up introduce more of the

background which can be distracting to the.

MEDIUM SHOT CONT’D Variations

TWO SHOT (containing two figures from the waist up)

THREE SHOT (contains 3 figures...).

OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT

positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.

Used during interviews and conversation

CLOSE-UP (CU) When you shoot people,

you want to capture their emotional state.

only way to do that is to get a shot of the person's face filling up a significant portion of the screen

a close-up leaves a little bit of room above the person's head and includes the entire face and shoulders down to the armpit.

Avoid profile shots if possible. - you need to see both eyes.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP (ECU) includes just a

person's facial features (eyes, nose, mouth and chin); the top of the head and shoulders are excluded.

Also used to emphasize items within a scene

HIGH ANGLE SHOT High Angle Shots Named because

the camera is high. Shooting down on

people gives the impression that they are submissive.

not appropriate for general shooting.

LOW ANGLE SHOT Shooting up at

someone makes them seem powerful and dominant.

Makes objects seem larger than they are.

POINT OF VIEW SHOT (POV) Intended to

show the audience what one of the characters is seeing, i.e. from the character's point of view

DUTCH ANGLE Is achieved by tilting

the camera off to the side so that the shot is composed with the horizon at an angle to the bottom of the frame

often used to portray the psychological uneasiness or tension in the subject being filmed

HEAD ROOM & LOOKING ROOM Headroom is the term given to the space

above the subject's head. Too much headroom makes your shot look

off-balance - and too little cuts of the subjects head.

Looking room is the space on the side the subject is looking toward.

The looking room rule is this: There should always be a little more room

on the side the subject is looking toward.

Eliminating looking room makes the subject seems crowded in the frame.

LEAD ROOM Adjust the shot

to offer a bit more room in the direction of the anticipated movement; and a bit less behind.

CAMERA MOVEMENT Panning

Camera stays in 1 location though it revolves on 1 axis, side to side

Follows action as it rotates on horizontal plane

Tilting Camera stays in 1 location

though it revolves on 1 axis, up and down

Follows action as it rotates on vertical plain

example

CAMERA MOVEMENT CONT’D Zoom

Changes focal length - stationary camera appears to move

Use sparingly

Vertigo Zoom is synchronized

with movement of subject

Subject stays same size

Background zooms

Example 1

Example 2

CAMERA MOVEMENT CONT’D Dolly Shot

(uses a wheeled vehicle)

Action is parallel to the camera

Is a move toward or away from action

Tracking Shot Action is

perpendicular to camera

Camera moves with action

Example 1

Example 2

CAMERA MOVEMENT CONT’D Crane & Boom

This is when the camera moves up or down, as if it were on a physical crane.

The same considerations for panning and tilting apply for crane shots.

Crane shot Crane and boom

shots

A VIDEO REVIEW OF SHOTS Part 1

Part 2