√ The Glossary of Camera Angles in Studying Film Explained with Examples
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Camera techniques come in three basic styles: distance, angles and movement. Distance refers literally to the distance between the camera and subjects. Angles refer to where the camera is positioned. Movement refers to the way in which the camera follows the action.
Long shot: Shows everything on screen. The extreme long shot focuses more on the setting than the characters.
Medium shot: Generally goes from the waist up.
Close-up: Focus from shoulders to head.
Extreme close-up focuses on an even smaller feature, like eyes.
High Angle: Looks down on someone.
Eye-Level: Normal level, straight at eye-line.
Point-of-View: The camera becomes ‘the eyes’ of a character, so we see what they see.
Low Angle: The camera looks up at the subject.
Pan: Camera moves left to right or vice-versa.
Tilt: Camera moves up or down.
Hand-held: The camera is held by the cameraman, usually on the shoulder.
Tracking/Dolly: The camera moves on a railway.
Boom/Crane: Camera attached to a crane or helicopter.
Zoom: Camera moves in, from long shot to close shot. Cameras take a long time to set up. In a film, it often takes 30 mins to an hour to set up each shot. Each minute and a half of filming takes about a day. Cameras are usually set up with a purpose in mind – to create shots that best suit the meaning of a scene. The director often works closely with the Director of Photography (DOP) to make sure each shot is exactly right. The camera is our window into the world of a film.
What it chooses to show and not show is a story within itself. For that reason, camera angles and techniques contribute greatly to the overall value and meaning of the film.