Long shot - a camera shot taken at a relatively great distance from the subject and permitting a broad view of a scene
Full shot - a shot where the camera is or appears to be distant from the object to be photographed
Mid shot - contains
the characters or a character from the waist up. From this shot, viewers can
see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with other
characters. This is also known as a social shot
Close
up -
contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the
actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This
is also known as a personal shot.
Extreme
close up -
contains one
part of a character's face or other object. This technique is
quite common in horror films, particularly the example above. This type of shot
creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the audience and the
viewer.
Bird’s eye - is an
angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an
establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot, to establish setting.
High
angle -
is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject. A character shot with a high
angle will look vulnerable or small. These angles are often used to demonstrate
to the audience a perspective of a particular character. The example above
demonstrates to us the perspective or point of view of a vampire. As a viewer
we can understand that the vampire feels powerful.
Low angle - is a
camera angle that looks up at a character. This is the opposite of a high angle
and makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel
vulnerable and small by looking up at the character. This can help the
responder feel empathy if they are viewing the frame from another character's
point of view.
Eye level - puts the
audience on an equal footing with the character/s. This is the most commonly
used angle in most films as it allows the viewers to feel comfortable with the
characters.
