Shot Distances and Angles

When in the process of making a film, it is important that a variety of different shots length and angles are used. By using different shots it helps the audience to engage with the characters more and also keeps them interested in what is happening. Furthermore by using different shots it allows for the audience see a variety of different views.

Long Shot:  A shot where the camera is at its furthest distance from the subject. This shot show all or most of the subject which is being shot for example a person.

Establishing Shot:  Establishes the location where the film is being filmed in and is used to set the scene.

Close Up:  Here the size of the person within the frame is large allowing for the head and the start of the neck to be seen filling up most of the frame. This shows a fairly small part of the scene for example the character face as explained above.

Medium Shot or Mid Shot: The subject or actor and its setting have equal areas within the frame.  For example if an actor was standing up, you would see up until the waist of the person. Hand gestures can be seen.

Medium Close-up: In this shot the setting can still be seen. However, here the frame line passes through the chest of the actor. For example the head and shoulders of an actor.

Two-Shot: A shot of two people, which is framed similarly to a mid shot where the frame line passes through the lower part of the waist.

Point of View shot (POV): This shot is made from the position of the camera to the sight line of the actor. This allows the audience to see what this character is seeing or watching.


Shot-Reverse-Shot: A number of shots which alternate between the characters. This type of shot is usually used between some dialogue. This allows the audience to see for example the reaction of a character to what has been said.

 Shot Angles:

The angle of shot is the direction and the height at which the camera takes the scene. In a high angle the camera will look down upon a character, making the viewer feel and seem more powerful than the character themselves. A low angle shot, places the camera below the character which emphasise the importance of this character.

View-Point: The distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject.

Selective Focus: This shot renders only a specific part of the action in a sharp focus through the use of a shallow depth. For example the shift of focus from the foreground to the background.

Titled Shot: This is when the camera is titled making the vertical lines appear slanted to the left or the right. This shot can create a sense of unease in the viewer.

Bird's Eye View: This shows a scene from directly overhead an unnatural angle. The shot puts the audience in a position of powerfulness as they are looking down upon the characters making the characters look insignificant.

Camera Movement:

Zoom: In this camera movement the camera itself does not move. The lens is focused from a long-shot to a close-up whilst the image is still being shown. This works by the subjects being magnified, and the attention is concentrated on details previously invisible as the shot tightens. When zooming out, more of the zoom or location is revealed which widens the shot.

Tracking: This involves the camera itself being moved smoothly either towards or away from the subject. When tracking in, it draws the viewer into a closer and more intense relationship between the subject. When tracking back it diverts the attention to the edge of the screen.

Panning: When panning the camera scans the scene horizontally which is typically used to give a panoramic effect or to follow a subject.

Hand Held Camera: This can produce a jerky, bouncy and unsteady image. This could create a sense of chaos. However if not done right it can produce a bad image.

From referring back to the different types of shots it has helped me to realise that when filming the opening we need to use a variety of shot distances. By using a variety of shot distances, it will hopefully keep the audience interested in what is happening. Furthermore by using these in our opening it will create variety. I have also learnt that we need to use a variety of camera movements and also camera angles.