FILM AND VIDEO STUDIES SHOTS AND ANGLES EXTREME

FILM AND VIDEO STUDIES SHOTS AND ANGLES

EXTREME LONG SHOT (ELS) / WIDE SHOT (WS) TAKEN FROM A GREAT DISTANCE – ALMOST ALWAYS AN EXTERIOR SHOT SHOWING A LOCATION – SUBJECT, IF IN PICTURE, ALWAYS VERY SMALL

THE LONG SHOT (LS) CORRESPONDS ROUGHLY TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE AUDIENCE AND THE STAGE IN LIVE THEATRE

THE FULL SHOT (FS) JUST BARELY CONTAINS THE HUMAN BODY IN FULL, WITH THE HEAD NEAR THE TOP AND THE FEET NEAR THE BOTTOM

THE MEDIUM SHOT (MS) CONTAINS A FIGURE FROM THE KNEES OR WAIST UP

THE CLOSE-UP (CU) CONCENTRATES ON A SMALLER OBJECT, MAGNIFYING IT TO ELEVATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SOMETHING, OFTEN FOR SYMBOLIC REASONS

EXTREME CLOSE-UP (ECU) MAGNIFIES TO ELEVATE THE IMPORTANCE OF SOMETHING, OFTEN SYMBOLIC – SHOWS ONLY A PERSON’S MOUTH OR EYES

THE TWO SHOT CONTAINS TWO FIGURES FROM THE WAIST UP

THE THREE SHOT CONTAINS THREE FIGURES, ANY MORE PEOPLE AND THE SHOT BECOMES A FULL SHOT

OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT ONE FIGURE FACES AWAY FROM CAMERA, THE 0 THER TOWARD IT

DEEP-FOCUS SHOT ALL SUBJECTS IN VIEW

THE BIRD’S-EYE VIEW INVOLVES PHOTOGRAPHING A SCENE FROM DIRECTLY OVERHEAD

THE HIGH ANGLE GIVE VIEWERS A GENERAL OVERVIEW, HEIGHTENING THE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING AND REDUCING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT

THE EYE-LEVEL SHOT MOST SCENES FILMED THIS WAY – VIEWING THE WAY ONE WOULD NORMALLY SEE SOMETHING

THE LOW ANGLE HEIGHTEN THE IMPORTANCE OF A SUBJECT AND MOTION IS SPED UP

THE OBLIQUE ANGLE INVOLVES A LATERAL TILT OF THE CAMERA – DISORIENTS THE VIEWER AND SUGGEST TENSION, TRANSITION OR IMPENDING MOVEMENT