Camera Angles

During this lesson we learnt about the different camera angles. We learnt about:

Big Close Up shot highlight emotion and the detail on the face.

A Mid shot is used to provide information on the body language and clothes of the character.

Wide shot is used to set a scene, make clear the physical geography of the space and sets up the atmosphere.

A Point Of View shot provides a perspective from a particular characters point of view; the director is manipulating whose eyes the audience experiences the story from.

A Close Up shot reveals a characters personality, it is useful for dramatic scenes or if a character is revealing moments of truth or crisis.

An Over The Shoulder shot helps to create a dynamic between the character and what they are seeing. It can also be used to suggest that someone is being followed or watched by an unseen person.

A High Angle shot can indicate low status or vulnerability.

 Low Angle shot indicates high status – someone powerful or intimidating.

A Long shot can be used to distance the audience from events or suggest loneliness or isolation.

After learning about the different camera angles we watched the opening scene of the film ‘Pleasantville’ about 5 times and analysed the different camera angles that were used. An establishing shot (Wide shot) was used at the start to present a day – school campus to highlight that the school could be anywhere such as California. Then there is a Medium Close Up of David which shows him isolated against a blurred background, which could tell the audience that he is an outsider. There was a high angle shot to show isolation and loneliness. We then get a close up of the girl and it looks like he is talking to her and she is laughing with him. But in fact as we get a long shot we see that she is talking to a friend and David is imagining this conversation.