EXTREME CLOSE UP (ECU)Extreme close ups are used in film to give the audience a close up view of the character’s facial expressions

It can also add suspense and mystery and so on to the scene.It is often used when characters show important facial expressions and body language.

Big Close up (BCU)This camera shot is very useful to contain and savour suspense and if used at the right times help create an eerie atmosphere as if the character is standing right in front of your face, close enough to see every detail in his face and feel as though you could even smell the characters breath.

CLOSE UP (CU)

This close up shot is useful in this particular scene the character Travis Bickle’s emotions are hard to examine therefore the close up helps bring the characters facial expressions closer for examination

Medium close up (MCU)This is a medium close up but it can also be referred as a Head and Shoulders close up. This is a frame from the movie Raging Bull (1980) It is effective as in this particular scene there is a lot of tension and grim suspense as the two characters Jake Lamotta and Joey Lamotta are having a conflict in a living room, Jake suspects that his brother is having an affair with his wife.

This shot is useful in this scene as it captures all of Robert De Niro’s facial expressions during this particular scene.

MEDIUM SHOT (MS)

Medium shot is a camera angle used in film when the camera is placed at a medium distance away from the subject. This is useful because it allows the audience to get an idea of the whole setting not just a certain detail in the scene.

Establishing shot

An establishing shot is used to give the audience an idea of where the scene is taking place. An establishing shot is often used at the start of a film or new scene. An extreme wide shot is often used for this because it allows you to see a large area in one shot.

High Angle shot

A high angle shot is when the camera is above eye level. High angle shots are often used to show status. This is because when the camera is high up looking down on a subject it can make it appear smaller and powerless.

Low angle shot This camera shot is often used when the camera is focusing on a character of power or who is intimidating, it is used to make the audience feel as though they are powerless under the weight of the particular character.

Over the shoulder shotThis shot is often used to leave the audience feeling as though they are standing right next to a charcter on screen, it is useful as it allows the person opposite;s faciacl expressions to be seen while the back of the other person can be seen during the scene.

Point of view shot

A camera shot taken from the position of the subjects, used to enhance a sense of realism and audience involvement in the scene.

Rule Of Thirds

Describes a technique used to make a shot look interesting. Rather than placing a person or object in the middle of the frame, they are placed at the sides, or where the lines cross on this imaginary grid.

Shallow Focus

Shallow focus is a photographic and cinematographic technique incorporating a small depth of field. In shallow focus one plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus. Shallow focus is typically used to emphasize one part of the image over another.

Pan

Camera action involving gently moving the camera 180 degrees across the subject matter in a horizontal plane.

Hand Held Shot

A shot filmed with the camera not on a tripod but instead held by the camera man, often whilst walking. This makes the shots seem quite shaky. This can make the audience feel the scene is more realistic, or can make us feel like we are part of the action.

Deep focus

A camera technique that allows objects both near and far from the camera to be in focus at the same time.