Camera Angles

Camera Shots•ES: Establishing Shot - long shots that

establish the background or setting of the film. Very common in the opening scenes of a film.

•LS: Long Shot - characters may be seen from head to doe.

•MS: Medium Shot - characters are shown from the waist up - if there are two characters its called a two shot , three characters a three shot ... and so on.

Camera Shots

•CU: Close Up - a camera may zoom in to highlight or emphasise a character’s facial expression. Often used in moments of tension, suspense or conflict.

•BCU: Big close up - shows only one part of an object or perhaps only one section of a character’s face.

Camera Angles•HIGH ANGLE: When the

camera looks down at a character - this is called a high angle shot. - May suggest the character is in a weak, dangerous or vulnerable position in the scene.

•LOW ANGLE: If the camera looks up at a character may suggest the character is in a position of authority or is respected or feared.

Camera Angles•NEUTRAL ANGLE: The camera is at

eye level, neither looking down at nor up to the characters.