Camera Shots | asmediablog

Variation of Camera Shots:

When thinking about different films and genres, we had to look at a variation of camera shots and what effects they had on the audience. We looked at the basic shots like close-up and long shot as well as some slightly more advanced shots such as the low-angle and POV shots too; all of which have different effects on the audience. There are obviously a plethora of different camera shots but here are the ones we looked at specifically:

Close Up

Close Up shots are exactly that: very zoomed in images, usually of faces. They are commonly used throughout every type of film to show either reactions of people or to demonstrate general emotions. These are very good for creating suspense and drawing focus to a character or an action or object. Sometimes they are used, for example, to offer exposition like if a newspaper reveals a headline or image to show something has happened off-screen. A great example would be how 'The Shining' uses a close up of Jack's head through the door to demonstrate his mental state and create heavy tension/fear.

Extreme Close Up

Extreme Close Up shots are used slighlty less frequently but are used for mostly the same reasons as the standard Close Up. Extreme Close Ups serve to create tension or draw particular detail to a single feature of something whether it be a person's eyes or an important symbol on a page. A lot of hero films, such as 'X-Men', use these shots to portray an evil look in the antagonist's eyes. It's an attempt to create an understanding between character and audience through expressions if used for facial features.

Mid Shot

Mid Shots (a.k.a Medium Shots) are used to capture the focus of a portion of the subject being filmed. So, for example, to show only the top half of a person. This creates an overview of the subject without revealing too much detail. Sometimes Mid Shots are used as lead ups to Close Ups; for example if a phone rings, you might show a Mid Shot of someone's reaction to it before then shooting a Close Up of them answering the phone. These are also commonly used when two characters are talking so both can be shown at the same time.

Wide Shot

Wide Shots are sometimes hard to differentiate from Long Shots as they are mostly the same thing. The exception being that Wide Shots are used primarily to show a character or characters as well as their immediate surroundings. It tends to not be used too often as it takes away focus from any form of detail in the film. With that said, however, it includes further detail not seen in any Long Shots or Extreme Long Shots.

Long Shot

Standard Long Shots are used to show things as life-sized or to place emphasis on the current setting. For example, the 'Avengers' film uses a long shot to show Captain America and Thor working together to fight in a real life-style setting. It shows them both representative of what the audience would see them as. It also shows where they are relative to the setting and shows the setting in mostly it's entirety.

Extreme Long Shot

Extreme Long Shots are different to Long Shots in that they are primarily used as establishing shots to set a scene or, more rarely, to show a huge action piece. The film '2012' uses a lot of Extreme Long Shots to show different natural disasters and what damage they cause which adds a dramatic effect to the film. In contrast to that, many films use these purely to denote a precise location with very little detail otherwise besides perhaps the placement of a key subject to the film (but that will still be in relation to the setting anyway).

POV (Point of View) Shot

The POV Shot is a rare find but was used most notoriously by film maker Alfred Hitchcock; he even created a film entirely of POV Shots called 'Rear Window'. These particular shots are used to show action from the character's perspective and it gives a sense of connection between the audience and character. They are used most commonly between shots of a character looking at something and a shot of their reaction.

Over the Shoulder Shot

Over the Shoulder Shots are almost exclusively used for dialogue sequences; the only exception being in perhaps an action or adventure film as a character stumbles upon something they've been looking for. The main use of these shots, though, is to establish character positioning during conversations and to show different reactions of characters in speech. It gives the audience a feel of actually being involved in the action too.

Bird's Eye Shot

The Bird's Eye Shot is used for mostly the same reasons as an Extreme Long Shot; it sets a scene. However, this shot also offers an unnatural viewpoint which can often be used for either dramatic effect or to show things from an entirely different spatial perspective. It can also be used to make a large group of character seem inferior or unimportant by placing the audience in a God-like position.

High Angle Shot

High Angle Shots are often achieved through the use of cranes and create a feeling of inferiority. These shots are frequently used to diminish a character, to make them seem unimportant, take away their power/fear factor or to even make them appear as submissive. High Angle Shots can also be used for objects too although this is less commonly found. The idea is to make the subject (inanimate or otherwise) look as though it is being swallowed by it's surroundings.

Low Angle Shot

Low Angle Shots are used in the exact opposite way to High Angle Shots; they are used commonly to show characters in a superior way. These are frequently used when the character is in a power position. It can often be seen as disorientating to the audience and makes it seem as though they are fearful of the character in the shot.

Eye Level Shot

Eye Level Shots are used most commonly to offer a real World perspective to the audience. It is the most common way to show any subject as the audience would expect to see it in real life. On rare occasions it is even used to make short actors like Tom Cruise seem taller!

Other

There are also other camera shots such as the tracking shot and crane shots but these are commonly moving shots used to keep up with action sequences. There usually isn't too much meaning behind these types of shots unless they are being used to build tension. Hand-Held shots are also a creative way of showing movement through a realistic means with a real World perspective being given to the audience. Arc-shots (similar to tracking shots) move around the subject; it essentially exists to keep up with the action.