Technical Elements- Shot Types

To show some of the many shot variations used when filming and composing a shot, I took screenshots from the film 'American Beauty'; each of the camera angles displayed have different uses to create a certain effect on the viewer.

 

 

Extreme Wide Shot



 

This shot is usually used to show the viewer the location where the characters in the plot of the film are going to be set, there is typically no one in the shot; if there does happen to be people in an 'Extreme Wide Shot' nobody can be seen very clearly in the shot as it is mainly used to establish location.

Wide Shot

 

A 'Wide Shot' shows the entire person from head to toe. It is used to establish the character, a bit of the location around the character will also be seen, and it will show their outfit and movement to give the viewer a sense of who the character is and what they're doing in the shot.


Medium Shot

 

 

This shot shows the character starting at their waist and up until the top of their head, it is used to give the viewer an equal view of the person's body language and expression on their face as well as show the location they are in.

 

Medium Close Up

 

 

This shot is closer than the previous one, which means we only see the character from shoulder height, and this gives the viewer a slightly closer look at the expression on the person's face without it being too intense. It still shows a small bit of body language and the location, too.

 

 

Close Up

 

A 'Close Up' is even closer to the character and only shows their face, which means it creates a more intense look at the character's expression and allows the viewer to really focus on the character individually and the dialogue they may be saying.

 

 

Extreme Close Up

 

An 'Extreme Close Up' can focus closely on just about anything and is generally used to emphasize on certain parts of the body or an object to convey a certain emotion or meaning to the viewer.

 

 

Two Shot

 

 

This shot has two people in the frame and is often used to establish characters in the same location or see the relationship the two characters share- the viewer will be able to tell how close the character's are emotionally depending on the distance of the two people on the screen.

 

 

Over The Shoulder Shot

 

 

As you can tell by the title, an 'Over The Shoulder Shot' places the camera behind one of the characters in the scene to give the viewer the effect that they are standing behind one of the characters watching them converse with another person. The foreground is usually blurred because the focus is not the back of one of the characters but the expression of the person opposite that they are having the conversation with, because this tells the viewer more about the theme and tone of the scene.

 

 

POV Shot

 

 

This shot shows the audience what the character off screen is seeing, it's often used to convey a specific character's perspective on a situation.

 

 

High Angle Shot

This shot is called a 'High Angle Shot' because the camera is placed above the characters in the scene and points downwards onto them. It is often used to show weakness, insignificance and lack of status.


Low Angle Shot

 

A 'Low Angle Shot' is the opposite to the previous shot, instead of placing the camera above the character, it gets placed below and points upwards towards the person. It is typically used to show importance, power and strength of a character.

 

 

Canted Angle

 

 

This shot places the camera at an angle and is most often used to convey either; instability, imbalance or transition.

 

 

Pan Shot

 

 

This shot allows the camera to pivot left and right in one continuous movement, from a fixed point. It is often confused with a tracking shot.

 

Tilt Shot

 

Like the shot above, a 'Tilt Shot' allows the camera to pivot in one continuous movement, from a fixed point; however with this shot the camera moves up and down instead. This can also be used to show full length costumes, the full length of an object or an entire action that the character is performing.

 

 

Handheld

 

 

Instead of using a tripod or a dolly, for a 'Handheld Shot' the camera operator would simply hold the camera in their hand which then results in the camera jerking- usually to give a gritty or realistic effect to the shot.  

 

Tracking Shot

 
 Very similar to a 'Pan or Tilt Shot', as it allows the camera to follow a movement within the shot; although with a 'Tracking Shot' it is not restricted to one fixed point. Usually a very steady shot so a track or dolly would be needed.


180 Degree Rule

 

 

When filming two actors engaging with each other, the '180 Degree Rule' is an imaginary line that connects the characters (or objects) and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene, the first character will always be on the right of the second character, who is then always on the left of the first. The only exception where the rule can be broken is if the camera films crossing over the line and includes it in the final cut.

 

 

Eye Line Matching

 

 The 'Eye Line Matching' technique uses a shot/reverse shot to reinforce the logic of a look or gaze, it is typically used in close-up dialogue scenes. The shots should keep the level at which their eyes are relatively the same or have their gaze's meet in the same direction. It can sometimes be used to show that two characters are equal in authority. 

 

 

Foreground/Background

 

The 'Foreground' is the closest section to the camera and because it's the closest, viewer's tend to look at this first, which is why it usually shows the main area of focus- which could be anything.

 

 

 

The 'Background' is the furthest section from the camera and it typically shows the setting/location of where the shot will be set. It is usually blurred (like in the previous picture) to keep the focus on the 'Foreground', however in this picture, the person making the film wants to ensure that the viewer sees the person in the 'Background' because it adds to the tone or plot of the film.

 

 

Framing (Rule of Thirds)

 

 

The 'Rule of Thirds' is used when framing and composing a shot. A 3x3 grid appears on the screen of the camera and is put over the entire image to make it easier to see each individual section of what the viewer sees. The points over the top of the actress in the picture above are where the viewer is naturally more inclined to look at; which shows you that the person filming has deliberately done this to guarantee that the viewer focuses on the actions and expressions of the actress on screen.



My Short Film Pitch

Here is a presentation I created for my chosen brief; I did this to convey my ideas and early designs to my class and lecturer to get some feedback on my plans.

 

Introduction To My Chosen Media Brief

Out of the three available briefs I decided to choose Brief 3, which is: 

The first four pages from an original regional magazine, together with both of the following ancillary tasks; Two hyperlinked pages from the magazine's website and a billboard advertisement for the magazine. 

My magazine will be 

Target audience

My product is going to be aimed at 16-25 year olds, anyone above this age can still enjoy my film but I’m going to give it a youthful look and colour scheme to keep it new and up to date; I will also encorporate social networking too, mentioning ‘hashtagging’ as they do on twitter, so again it will stand out to the younger audience. 

Some reasons for my decision

•I have experience in filming as my other A Levels are Film Studies and Photography, so I know I’m able to handle a camera and compose a good shot.

•I’m most passionate about this question- which means I will be able to get plenty of research and I won't get bored of doing my work. 

•I regularly read film reviews, along with posters too; so I could use some ideas I’ve picked up in past experience.