Transcript Camera shots and angles

Digital Video Production
Camera Shots
Camera Shots

There are three basic camera shots:
Long Shot
 Medium Shot
 Close Up Shot

Long Shot - LS
Long Shot - LS



Also known as the Establishing
Shot or Wide Shot
Shows the whole scene
Frequently productions begin with a
LS
Long Shot - LS



It sets the stage/scene - the viewer
knows where she or he is
LS works well if there's a lot of
action
LS shows a person from head to
toe.
Medium Shot - MS
Medium Shot - MS



MS shows less of the scene then LS
The camera seems closer to the
subject (although it may not be if
you use your zoom lens)
MS shows them from about the
waist up in a medium shot
Medium Shot - MS



Use MS when you want a closer
look at your subject
Use MS to transition between long
shots and close up shots
It is difficult for the viewer to follow
what you are doing if you go
straight from a LS to a CU shot
Close Up Shot - CU
Close Up Shot - CU



This shot shows just the head
CU is used to reveal details and
focus the viewer attention
Extra consideration is needed for
the framing of a CU because any
camera movement is exaggerated
Other Camera Shots

Other camera shots include:
Extreme Close Up Shot
 Extreme Long Shot
 Over the Shoulder Shot
 Cut Away Shot
 Two/Three Shot

Extreme Close Up Shot - ECU
Extreme Close Up Shot - ECU



ECS is sometimes referred to as
XCU
Closer than to the subject than CU
ECU is just of the person's eyes
Extreme Long Shot - ELS
Extreme Long Shot - ELS



ELS is sometimes referred to as
XLS
ELS shows a large view that
includes that subject from a
distance
ELS is relative to what is considered
a LS
Over the Shoulder Shot - OS



OS is commonly used in ENG –
Electric News Gathering
Videographer is literally shooting
over the shoulder of the person
being interviewed
Usually a shot of the interviewer
listening, nodding, or responding to
the interviewee
Cut Away Shot - CA


CA is usually a CU or XCU that
reveals some detail – as the
telephone rings during a MS scene
the shot changes to a CA of the
telephone
A very useful shot that provides a
natural transition in the editing
process
Two/Three Shot - TS


TS a two shot has two people or
three people in the frame
Usually a MS or LS because you
need some distance from the people
to get them all in the frame
Shot Angles

There are three basic shot angles:
Eye Level
 Low Angle
 High Angle

Shot Angles


Your shot angle is the level from
which you look at your subject.
Your shot angle can change the way
the viewer responds to the scene –
consider the response to someone
speaking to you at eye level to that
of speaking to you from above.
Eye Level Angle - EL
Eye Level Angle - EL



The most common used shots is the
eye level shot
It's the most familiar perspective we usually see things from our own
eye level
Make sure you shoot at their eyelevel, not yours
Low Angle - LA
Low Angle - LA


In this shot the camera looks up at
the subject
Making it seem important, powerful,
or perhaps larger than it is to the
viewer
High Angle - HA
High Angle - HA



Camera looks down on the subject,
decreasing its importance
The subject looks smaller
It often gives the audience a sense
of power, or the subject a sense of
helplessness
Other Shot Angles

Other shot angles include:
Birds Eye Angle
 Reverse Angle
 Point of View Angle

Bird’s Eye Angle - BE



Camera is mounted on a crane or
ladder
This is an extreme angle the point
of view from above
This angle is often used in car
chases and in the “happy ever
after” fade out
Reverse Angle - RA


A reverse angel is determined by
the framing of the previous shot
A reverse is used to shoot two
people facing each other cutting
from one person to another
Point of View - POV


This camera angle shows a specific
POV so the audience has the
perspective of seeing through
someone else’s eyes
This shot has become very popular
in recent years and often shows
unique POVs – security cameras,
animals, aliens etc…
Shot Movements

There are six
moves:
 Pan
 Tilt
 Zoom
 Dolly
 Truck
 Arc
Pan Shot



A pan shot taken by moving the
camera on across a horizontal plane
Used in action and sports shots
This shot emphasizes action and
physical movement
Tilt Shot



The camera moves up or down a
vertical plane
A tilt can be used to shot something
that is too big to fit within frame
This shot emphasizes size and
proportion
Pan and Tilt Shot


The pan and tilt
are most
effective when
combined with
the tripod
These shots can
be successfully
achieve hand
held with
practice
Zoom Shot




This shot moves the audience closer
into the subject
The camera remains stationary and
the focal length of the lens is pulled
A reverse zoom moves out from
the subject
The zoom shot focuses the viewers
attention, while the reverse is used
to transition out
Zoom Shot


Zoom shots work
successfully when
the movement is
smooth and steady
Most cameras have
external toggles for
zoom controls
Dolly Shot




A Dolly shot shot moves towards or
away from the subject
The camera is physically moved not
changing of the focal length of the
lens
Dolly in moves towards the subject
Dolly out moves away from the
subject
Dolly Shot



A Dolly also refers
to a camera mount
with wheels
Some dollies move
along tracks
Storyboarding is
necessary to
achieve this shot
Dolly in
Dolly Out
Truck Shot



The camera physically follows the
subject matter left to right or
right to left
Used in walking shots to follow
the subject
The camera is usually on a dolly
and in large budget productions
has tracks
Truck Shot

This movement is called trucking
Arc Shot



The subject stays stationary in the
centre while the camera moves
around in an arc left or right
A continuous arc makes a
complete circle around the subject.
This shot is often used in music
videos and romantic scenes
Arc Shot
Shot Movements



Rapid pans, tilts, repeated zooms
can make your audience feel
motion sick
The standard shot rule is
stationary – motion – stationary
If you edit or cut away in the
middle of movement, you may
make your viewer disoriented
Shot Movements

There are five basic ways to
achieve shot and camera
movement:
 Hand held
 Camera Lens
 Tripod
 Dolly
 Steadicam
Shot Lengths




The length each shot depends on
the scene and what you want to
accomplish
An action shot may last 20 sec
A still shot may only last 3 sec
Your goal is to gain and hold the
audience's attention and
understanding
Review




Camera
Camera
Camera
Camera
Shots
Angles
Movements
Supports
Camera Shots

There are three basic camera shots:
Long Shot
 Medium Shot
 Close Up Shot

Other Camera Shots

Other camera shots include:
Extreme Close Up Shot
 Extreme Long Shot
 Over the Shoulder Shot
 Cut Away Shot
 Two/Three Shot

Shot Angles

There are three basic shot angles:
Eye Level
 Low Angle
 High Angle

Other Shot Angles

Other shot angles include:
Birds Eye Angle
 Reverse Angle
 Point of View Angle

Shot Movements

There are six shot movement:






Pan
Tilt
Zoom
Dolly
Truck
Arc
Shot Movements

There are five ways to achieve
shot or camera movement:





Tripod
Hand held
Camera Lens
Dolly
Steadicam