All images are from thriller films

Framing a Shot Properly

• The use of a close up allows the audience to feel both immersed in the scene and also the fear that the character is experiencing. It also demonstrates how trapped the character feels as the shot doesn’t show anywhere for him to go except towards the person he is hiding from.• If the director had used a long shot instead and showed more of

the set, the shot would have not have built tension as efficiently because it wouldn’t have shown the emotions of the protagonist properly.

• Also, by having the character positioned at the side of the shot, the audience is able to see both the antagonist and the protagonist which increases the tension as

although we are more

omniscient than the protagonist, we are unable to help him.

• The wide angle allows the audience to see exactly what is going on around the main character so we understand the scene.• If, instead, it was a close up, the audience wouldn’t be able to

see what was going on around her, and it would make the shot pointless. Likewise, if the shot showed the entire room, it would lose its effect as it would show all the other people running towards the main fight and the audience would know how many people the protagonist is going to have to battle before they’ve attacked.

• The low angle shows the authority and power of the characters as it gives the impression of them being bigger and taller, and the audience having to look ‘up’ to see them.• A high angle would show them to be weaker and less

authoritative which would cause them to be less important or to be taken less seriously by the audience.

• The wide shot also shows all the people in the scene and allows the audience to see everything that is going on so they don’t miss anything.

• The close up conveys intimacy and shows the emotion of the characters.

• Also, by using a close up, the audience have no distractions from the surroundings and therefore are more likely to listen to any dialogue.• If the scene had been shot from further away, the

emotions would have been lost and the audience would have felt less involved and paid less attention to the it.