CAMERA ANGLES

POINT OF VIEW SHOT

• “A point of view shot (also known as POV shot or a subjective camera) is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at (represented through the camera).”

A point of view shot can represent different things depending on which character the point of view is taking place from. On idea for our title sequence is to use a POV from the antagonist viewpoint. This would allow us to portray the stalking of the young girl and establish the malicious intentions of the male. Another idea for using a POV shot it from the view of the young girl. In our draft she is going to be in a park, on a swing. A POV could be used along with match on action to show her swinging back and fourth on the swing. This would provide us the opportunity to develop our editing skills and emphasise how innocent the character is. The shot would also look disjointed as the camera would blur as it swings back and fourth, this can represent the innocent view of the character and foreshadow the abnormal danger she is about to be in.

HIGH ANGLE SHOT • “A high-angle shot is a cinematic technique where the camera looks down onto the

subject from a high angle.”This type of shot is used in a wide variety of film genres however it holds the same meaning. In thrillers specifically to make an object or character look vulnerable or powerless in comparison to their surroundings. As our title sequence is based around suggested abduction/stalking this camera angle will portray classic themes of a thriller. Our finalised plan shows the movement of a young girl, including her walking across a train track. This would be a ideal situation to use the existing infrastructure of the footbridge to include a high angle shot in our title sequence.

LOW- ANGLE SHOT

• A low-angle shot is a shot taken where the camera is placed significantly below the subject. The camera then angles to the subject, looking up at it.

Low-angle shots show a physical different of height within a scene, if it is shot with flair it can represent the hierarchy of power within the film. As shown in the example the person or object the camera is looking up to has emphasis placed upon it. This shot represents the opposite of the previous angle, the high angle shot. This type of shot is used in film and photography to show power and intimidation as the audience is looking up to the subject.In our title sequence the identity of the male antagonist is hidden. A low-angle shot would allow us to portray the dominance and intimidation of the male without ruining the effect of masking his identity.

AN ESTABLISHING SHOT

• “An establishing shot is usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place. It is usually a very wide shot or extreme wide shot.”

Unlike the other camera angles, this type is not distinguished by its size but by its function. In thrillers this type of shot is typically used to display the surrounding location of the subject, the subject/person doesn’t necessarily need to be in the shot or shown prior to the shot being used as this camera angle is used to give context to the location. Despite this shot mainly being used to open a title sequence it can also be used in a change of location. We may use it to introduce the train track to our title sequence. This would fit in perfectly before the high angle shot of the young girl. It would also keep to title sequence conventions with minimising the action shown.

WIDE SHOT

• A wide shot is where the subject takes up most of the height in the shot. A small gap should be left above and below the person/object as it wouldn't give a professional tone if the person took up the entire height of the screen. This spare space is known as the ‘safety room’.

A wide shot also shows the immediate surroundings to the object. In thrillers is can be used to show how inferior the protagonist/victim looks in comparison to what they’re surrounded by or it can be used as an intimidating effect. In our title sequence the wide shot may be used to highlights how differently the young victim and antagonist looks in the exact same shot shown at different times. The aim is for the antagonist to blend with the This will also allow the storyline to flow without showing too much action.

BEHIND THE SHOULDER SHOT• A behind the shoulder shot is where the camera is positioned directly behind the shoulder of a

character in the scene.This type of shot fits well with the sequence of shot reverse shot. Using an example with a behind the shoulder shot the camera would be in the position of the example at the bottom of the page, it would then flip to film behind the other character’s shoulder to view the face of the original and then it camera would return to the original position. This camera angle is used to either show the emotion/reaction of a character the camera is looking onto or hide the identity of the person that is being filmed. The latter will be used in our title sequence. It will be used to show the antagonist watching the young girl, while keeping the identity hidden. It can also be used to highlight the height difference between the young, small in stature female and the broad shouldered male antagonist.