Camera angles and shot size introduction for Film Studies. Also great for revision and looking at film language associated with cinematography

camera angles and shot sizes

THE IMPORTANCE OF CAMERA ANGLES• When we watch a film, we are being shown what the Director wants us to

see. We do not see everything in that world or the scene in which the

characters exist.

• In these examples, the Director choses to focus in on two people having

coffee. It doesn’t show the people behind, people selling flowers down

the street or even someone buying a drink inside. This shows us that

these two are who we should pay attention to; they are our main

characters.

• We know this because they are broadly central in the frame and they are

in focus; in contrast, some people are blurred and out of focus.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CAMERA ANGLES

THE IMPORTANCE OF CAMERA ANGLES• The Director now has some decisions to make; what to show

and how?

• The story will mean that certain things need to be shown on

screen but the Director can choose how to show this.

• This is why we have a variety of camera angles and shots

sizes.

SAME SCENE: DIFFERENT ANGLES

WHY DOES THE ANGLE CHANGE?

WHAT DOES THE DIRECTOR WANT YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO?

CHANGE OF SHOT HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON

CHANGE OF SHOT HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON

THE SECOND SHOT SHOWS US WHO IS DRAWING

THIS SHOT SHOWS US WHO ISN’T DRAWING

WHAT DOES IT ALSO TELL US?

WHAT HAS THE DIRECTOR DONE WITH THE CAMERA?

SEE HOW THE BACKGROUND & HER CLOTHES TELL US THAT THIS IS THE SAME SCENE

SEE HOW THE BACKGROUND & HER CLOTHES TELL US THAT THIS IS THE SAME SCENE

WHAT HAS THE DIRECTOR DONE HERE WITH THE CAMERA?

WHY DO YOU THINK THE DIRECTOR HAS DONE THIS?

WHAT IS THE DIRECTOR TRYING TO SHOW OR TELL US?

HERE’S HOW IT LOOKS ALL TOGETHER:

Movie clip

• If the Director wants the audience to see where the scene is now

set or taking place, which shot would be better:

Extreme long shot Close-upor…


• If the Director wants the audience to see where the scene is now

set or taking place, which shot would be better:

Extreme long shot Close-upor…


Why?

copy down these next slide:

FRAMING INVOLVES TWO ELEMENTS• The shot size: how far away the person or object

is that the director wants us to focus on.

• The camera angle: where the camera is in

relation to the person or object that the director

wants us to focus on.

SHOT SIZES:

•The shot size: how far away the

person or object is that the director

wants us to focus on.

SHOT SIZES:XLS LS

MLSMS

MCUCU

BCU XCU

SHOT SIZES:Extreme long shot Long shotMedium Long ShotMid/Medium ShotMid/Medium Close Up Close Up Big Close Up Extreme Close Up

XLS LS

MLSMS

MCUCU

BCU XCU

Shot Shot name Effect How could be used in a film !!!!!

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TASK: COMPLETE THE WORKSHEET


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TASK: COMPLETE THE WORKSHEET!

Extreme'Close,Up!–!When!the!screen!is!taken!up!by!an!image!made!of!nothing!but!the!image.!This!is!often!done!to!subject’s!faces!when!showing!reactions!or!when!highlighting!detail.!!!Medium'Long'Shot','In!the!case!of!a!standing!actor,!the!lower!frame!line!cuts!off!his!feet!and!ankles.!Some!documentaries!with!social!themes!favour!keeping!people!in!the!longer!shots,!keeping!social!circumstances!rather!than!the!individual!as!the!focus!of!attention.!

Close,up','A!shot!that!shows!a!fairly!small!part!of!the!scene,!such!as!a!character's!face,!in!great!detail!so!that!it!fills!the!screen.!It!abstracts!the!subject!from!a!context.!!!Extreme'Long'Shot'!D!In!this!type!of!shot!the!camera!is!at!its!furthest!distance!from!the!subject,!emphasising!the!background.!!

Medium'Shot'or'Mid,Shot''D!In!such!a!shot!the!subject!or!actor!and!its!setting!occupy!roughly!equal!areas!in!the!frame.!In!the!case!of!the!standing!actor,!the!lower!frame!passes!through!the!waist.!There!is!space!for!hand!gestures!to!be!seen.!!

Medium'Close'Shot!D!The!setting!can!still!be!seen.!The!lower!frame!line!passes!through!the!chest!of!the!actor;!usually!just!the!head!and!shoulders!can!be!seen.'

Big'Close,Up!D!Forehead!to!chin.!CloseDups!focus!attention!on!a!person's!feelings!or!reactions,!and!are!sometimes!used!in!interviews!to!show!people!in!a!state!of!emotional!excitement,!grief!or!joy.!In!interviews,!the!use!of!BCUs!may!emphasise!the!interviewee's!tension!and!suggest!lying!or!guilt.!!!Long'shot','Shot!which!shows!all!or!most!of!a!fairly!large!subject!(for!example,!a!person)!and!usually!much!of!the!surroundings.!


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What does using this shot size do for the audience? What does it tell them? How does it help them to understand?

EFFECT: HELP

•What does this long shot help us to see?

•What do we learn?

•What is the effect of using a long shot?

EFFECT: HELP

•What does this medium shot help us to see?

•What do we learn? What does it tell us about the character?


EFFECT: HELP

•What does this close-up help us to see?

•What do we learn? What does it tell us about the character?



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If you were going to make a film and had to use that type of shot, what would it show? Why? What kind of thing could you see?

CAMERA ANGLES•The camera angle: where the

camera is in relation to the person

or object that the director wants us

to focus on.

CAMERA ANGLESLow Eye Level High Worm’s Eye Bird’s Eye Canted Over the shoulder (OTS)

CAMERA ANGLESLow Eye Level High Worm’s Eye Bird’s Eye Canted Over the shoulder (OTS)

Where is the camera in relation to the main character for each of these?


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Draw what an OTS shot looks like.

DO NOW PLEASE

• Cut out the screenshots.

• Glue into your exercise book. • Add what the dramatic effect is for each.

• Label each with the correct angle & size.

TASK: SORT THE SHOTS

TASK: SORT THE SHOTS • Go to quizlet.com

• https://quizlet.com/_2fabtx

• Create an account. Make sure that you can

remember your details.

• Play the camera angle/shot size Scatter

game.

• Aim for first prize.

http://quizlet.com

Using detailed stick figures, draw a picture that suits the description of the camera angles.

TASK: CREATE PICTURES OF THE CAMERA ANGLES/SHOT SIZES

CAMERA ANGLES

HIGH LOW CANTED EYE LEVEL BIRD’S EYEWORM’S EYE

over the shoulder

Camera is above the subject

Camera is below the subject

Subject appears tilted

Level with the subject’s eyes

Camera is high in the air, looking directly down on

the subject

Camera is low on the ground, looking up at

subject

camera looks over the shoulder of one character, usually

at another

shot size

extra long shot

Long shotMedium

long shotmedium/mid

shotmedium close-up

close-upbig close-

upextreme close-up

Subject is far away

Whole of subject can be

seen

top of head to thighs

Top of head to waist

top of head to chest

top of head to shoulders

whole headpart of face takes up the whole screen

what do these screenshots all have in

common?

to begin:

for each one, what can we see?

what do we learn?

what is the director trying to tell us?

Long shot?

Extreme long shot?

Why this shot size? What is the dramatic effect?

Medium close-up?

Close-up?


Close-up?

Extreme long shot?


Big close-up?

Medium close-up?


Medium shot?

High angle?


Medium shot?

Long shot?


Medium close-up?

Close-up?


Who would like to share their ideas?

SPOTTING A CAMERA ANGLE• This isn’t easy.

• You need to pay attention to a scene and watch

carefully.

• Many films move quickly and often a camera will

move too.

• This means that sometimes, to find a camera

angle you need to ‘pause’ the film in your mind.

SPOTTING A CAMERA ANGLE• Or, you can pay particular attention to the

beginning of a scene, or when the action stops for

a moment.

• Watch this clip and see if you can spot ANY

camera angle or shot size. Aim to find 3.

• Make a note of these on your note paper.

EXPLAINING USE OF CAMERA ANGLES

• Watching the clips back, take screenshots of the

3 camera angles and use the NOTES app to

annotate over the top of the image.

• What is the camera angle or shot size?

• What does it tell us or show the audience?

clip 1

Movie clip: Ex Machina

clip 2- advanced:

Movie clip: Edge of Tomorrow

Watch again, this time make notes on at least 3 different shots

[ camera angles or shot sizes ] that you think are important or relevant in some way.

Finally, in your book, try to write a 3 sentence explanation of how a shot communicates that this scene tells us that

Marty is small, quick and bright but Biff tall, large and dumb.

(Point) “In this clip we see…(something shot size or angle) of

the character who is” (Evidence) “We see this shot when … and is used to show…” (Explanation) “This shot helps the audience to feel/understand … because…”

begin: What shot size/angles are these?

now: What is the dramatic effect?

less: “it shows”

more: “it suggests” / “it implies”

v e r b s t o e m b e d e v i d e n c e

p o r t r a y s

s u g g e s t s

a l l u d e s t o

i l l u s t r a t e s

i m p l i e s

i n d i c a t e s

s i g n i f i e s r e p r e s e n t s

d e v e l o p s

r e v e a l s

d e m o n s t r a t e s

a s c e r t a i n s

c o n s t r u c t s

e s t a b l i s h e s

e p i t o m i s e s

Watch this clip. In your book, write down 2 PEE answers that explain how camera angles help to tell us something.

clip 1:

Movie clip: A Million Ways to Die in the West

(Point) “In this clip we see a…(something shot size or angle)

of the character who is” (Evidence) “We see this shot when … and is used to show…” (Explanation) “This shot helps the audience to feel/understand … because…”

(shot size or angle) “In this clip we see a…(something shot size or angle) of the character who is” (What it shows) “We see this shot when … and is used to show…” (Dramatic explanation) “This shot helps the audience to feel/understand … because…”

(Point) “In this clip we see a…(something shot size or angle)

of the character who is” (Evidence) “We see this shot when … and is used to show…” (Explanation) “This shot helps the audience to feel/understand … because…”

TO HELP, HERE ARE SOME STILLS TAKEN FROM THE CLIP:

clip 2- advanced:

Watch this clip. In your book, write down 2 PEE answers that explain how camera angles help to tell us something.

remember: start by considering what the point of the clip is: what do we learn or

how do we feel? then, find examples of shots that help to create this knowledge or feeling.

th is scene:por t r a y s

s u g g e s t s

a l l u d e s

i l l u s t r a t e s

i m p l i e s

i n d i c a t e s

s i g n i f i e sr e p r e s e n t s

d e v e l o p s

r e v e a l s

d e m o n s t r a t e s

a s c e r t a i n s

c o n s t r u c t s

e s t a b l i s h e s

e p i t o m i s e s

Movie clip: Back to the Future 2

i nclude:

ma k e u p

b o d y l a n g u a g e

s e t t i n g

p r op s

f a c i a l e x p r e s s i o n s

c l o t h i n g p o s i t i o n i n t h e f r am e

l i g h t i n g

h a i r

c o l o ur

Education

Camera angles and shot size introduction for Film Studies. Also great for revision and looking at film language associated with cinematography