HOMEWORK 2 – CAMERA FRAMING, ANGLES AND MOVEMENT - THE DESIRED EFFECTS

CAMERA SHOTS

EXTREME LONG SHOT

Allows the audience to see the setting (there may be some sort of drama/action happening in the background) as well as still being able to see and gain an impression on a character.

If a character is standing alone it also implies a sense of isolation from the world, or from other characters.

LONG SHOT Audience can gain an impression on character/s through their styling but also gain an insight into their surrounding environment which may signify the time period or society that the character lives in. Also a TWO SHOT – two characters interacting with each other,

the desired effect on the audience is the meaning of their positioning/body language, here the Doctor has only just met his accomplice for this episode, so his restricted placing of the arms show him as defensive and perhaps wary of her, whereas her body language, of her hands placed on her hips implies her to be confident and up for an adventure. Establishes their relationship as new, and carrying a lot of tension.

MEDIUM SHOT

The framing of a character from the waist up, allows the audience to still see the character’s facial expression and feelings, whilst still being able to see their clothing and style.

MEDIUM CLOSE-UP A medium close-up

allows the audience to see the expression on the character’s face but it also allows for the shoulders and the top half of the body to be seen, so style is still captured, and to show the character’s expression as not so dramatic for a close-up.

CLOSE UP

A close-up shows the emotion that a character is feeling, close-ups are fairly intense, and also very dramatic, they allow an audience to clearly view how a character is feeling, whether angry, upset etc.

EXTREME CLOSE UP

An extreme close-up is used to focus on one particular feature of the face, or could be of an object. Extreme close-ups are used usually to capture a dramatic moment, for example a reaction, which can be seen through the shock in the eyes or by parted lips.

ESTABLISHING/WIDE SHOT

An establishing or wide shot allows the audience to see the scenery and setting of where the action will take place, it is the conventional way of establishing a scene and emphasises the contents of the background.

POINT OF VIEW

A point of view shot allows the audience to step in to the character’s shoes, the audience can become more involved with the emotion and depth of the action that is happening or that the character can see.

OVER THE SHOULDER

An over the shoulder shot shows two characters interacting with one another, a two shot would be the most conventional way of shooting a conversation, but an over the shoulder gives the audience the instant reaction of what one person has heard from the other. If the character not facing the audience takes up most of the screen, then it implies they have a sense of authority and are superior to the character that is facing us. In this case, the character who is facing us could be implied to be more superior as she takes up most of the screen and is at a point of interest.

CAMERA ANGLES

HIGH ANGLE

A high angle is a camera angle that is taken from above, and looks down on a subject or character, the desired effect for this angle is to make the subject appear vulnerable, small and not superior.

In this case, the Doctor is seen as small and vulnerable as the Daleks are superior to him.

LOW ANGLE

A low angle is a camera angle that looks up at a character or subject, often used to show a character as dominant, powerful and as if holding a sense of authority.

NEUTRAL ANGLE

A neutral angle allows the audience to be on level, and almost eye to eye with a character. Neutral angles are very common across TV dramas.

DUTCH ANGLE

Presents a slightly shifted picture, it represents an essence of change, shifting, and implies/foreshadows that some disturbance is on its way, or it could imply conflict between two or more characters.

BIRDS EYE VIEW WORM’S EYE VIEW

A bird’s eye view means the camera is looking completely down on a setting, and character or subject, and looks down on the action from above. The desired effect of a bird’s eye view is that it makes a character/s seem distant from the drama or from the world or other characters. A bird’s eye view may best be used in a TV drama which separates the classes, with an above bird’s eye view on the lower class.

A worm’s eye view means the camera is below the subject/character and is looking up at characters or objects. The desired effect for this angle is to imply the subject as having a sense of power and authority.

CAMERA MOVEMENT

TILT

A tilt movement means when a camera vertically moves up or down focusing on the character. If the tilt movement is upwards, it heightens a character, implying they have authority. In this tilt captured by screen shots, the tilt is downwards as the characters are lying on the floor, it prepares the audience for what they’re about to see.

PANNING

Panning means when the camera moves horizontally either left to right, or right to left. A pan movement allows the audience to see the setting of a TV drama and can sometimes be used to establish a scene.

ZOOM

A zoom either involves the movement into (zoom in) a character or away from a character (zoom out), the desired effect of a zoom is to capture a dramatic moment or expression/reaction from a character or establish the significance of an object by zooming in.

TRACKING

Tracking is a camera movement that follows a character or subject. Tracking can be movement forwards or backwards, and captures the character’s progression, and makes the audience feel as if they are on the same journey as the character.