Types of Camera Shots

Types of Shots:

Panorama/Extreme Long Shot*

(Dirty Dancing)

In the shot, the camera captures mainly the landscape/location on where the characters are. This shot allows the audience to picture what it would be like in that scene, and almost in a way feels a part of it. In the scene, I've captured above is the scene where Johnny (Patrick Swayze) and Baby (Jennifer Grey) practices the lifts in the dance routine, they do it in a vast lake, where the camera captures the beautiful isolated location.

Close Up

(Teen Wolf)

Close-ups show more detail on a subject. By doing this in films and television shows, it creates tension in the scene or builds a sense of mystery. An example of this is in the Teen Wolf scene I've put above, Scott the Alpha, he is battling a beast, and to intimidate the beast, he roars, the camera then gets closer and closer to his face to build impact and tension.

Extreme Close Up

(Hairspray)

Extreme Close Ups can vary considerably, usually, the shot focuses on a particular part of a person, this could be the face, mouth, eyes, hands, etc. It could also be an extreme Close Up of an object or animal. These shots are usually quite intense as it's mainly used in horror or action films to show the building tension in the scenes. An example of an Extreme Close Up is the shot I got from Hairspray, after this scene, the audience is then introduced to whom the main character is, this shot also creates mysteriousness as that is all you can see of the character at the moment. My chosen frame choice from Hairspray is not from an action or horror genre film, and so you can see how this shot can be used in a variety of genres and all have different effects.

Wide Shot/Mid Angle

(Remember the Titans)

Mid/Wide Shots are used to allow the audience to differentiate the distances between two characters or more. This can create tension between the characters, for example, if one were to threaten the other, the audience will then be able to recognize which character is the 'enemy'. The shot also allows the audience to see the facial expressions of both of the characters. In my example of this type of scene is from Remember the Titans. In this scene, Fred Bosley (Tim Ware) sits on the 'black table', this is because he believes that he does not feel a part of either the black or white group, Julius Campbell (Wood Harris) is seen as the leader of the black people and the questions Fred for his actions, in this scene, due to the wide shot, you can sense that tension is building between the two races.

Medium Shot

(Les Miserable)

In this shot, it shows some part of the subject in more detail, while also still giving an impression of the whole subject. For example, in the shot above from Les Miserable, shows Fantine's (Anne Hathaway) expressions in the film, capture her body language in a dark background, showing how sad and depressed she is.

Long Range Shot *

(Remember the Titans)

The Long Shot provides the audience an extended view of the scene around the characters. Making the location and group of the characters important to specifically acknowledge in the scene. The example above is from Remember the Titans, the characters are seen dancing on the football pitch, this draws the audience's attention to the characters and location as American Football players are typically seen as tough guys, but to see them dance to distract the other team brings in a comedic feature.

Birds Eye View

(Arrow)

Bird's Eye View can add many reactions from the audience, it can add suspense, comedy, and all sorts depending on the genre. In the example I have above, it is from Arrow, the two characters are battling for power, by having the camera positioning above the fight, it draws in emotions such as suspense as the audience is looking down upon the fight, making them feel a bit like God looking down on humanity. 

Over the Shoulder *

(Arrow)

This shot allows the audience to have an insight into what the main character sees from their point of view. In this chase, in my example above, the audience is aware the other character, Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) is confronting the main character, Oliver Queen (Stephan Amell), why he does not think their relationship will work. By also having the camera at this angle, it also adds realism to the shot as the audience has adopted the same view of the other character the main character is looking at.

Establishing Shot *

(Gotham)

An Establishing shot is usually done at the beginning or end of a film, this is the set the scene or end it. It informs the audience where the characters are, where the story will begin and end. It also allows the audience to take in the layout of the scene as well as emphasize the size of the location the characters are. The example above is from Gotham, this is from the beginning of the episode, where Selina Kyle (Cameron Bicondova) looks up at her home city as she returns, this creates mystery as to what she is doing back.

Jib/Crane Shot *

(13 Going on 30)

In this shot, the camera is placed on a crane or jib and moved up or down. This shot is used mainly in musicals to exaggerate emotions and the typical happy ending scene. The shot is often used to highlight a character's loneliness or at the end of a movie, the camera moving away as if saying goodbye. For example, in the scene above from 13 going on 30, to show that the couple will live 'happily ever after' the camera zooms away from their nice quaint home.

Dolly Zoom *

(Ratatouille)

This is a shot that has the camera zoom in dramatically forward toward a subject, while simultaneously zooming out creating a woozy, vertiginous effect. This is used to create a dramatic effect. In the example shot above from Ratatouille, the food critic is in shock and so to make that expression more dramatic, they used a dolly shot to do it.

Low Angle Shot *

(Arrow)

In this type of shot, it is used so that the audience is aware of the character's positioning in the scene, as the characters are higher to what they are looking at. The audience is also aware of the location the character. By having the camera positioned so that it is looking up to the character, shows authority in the scenario. The example I chose above is from Arrow, this is where Green Arrow/Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) battles Ra's al Ghul (MattNable) and when Green Arrow/Oliver Queen weakens Ra's al Ghul in their fight, the camera positioning changes as it now shows that GreenArrow/Oliver Queen is now dominant and in charge.

High Angle Shot

(Les Miserable)

High Angle Shots enables the audience to be aware that the characters are doing a certain action such as lifting something or even crouching. The positioning of the camera above the characters give the audience an idea of their vulnerability in the situation. Having the Haigh Angle Shot can also show the audience who is in charge, for example, in the scene I have chosen above, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is pulling something as a punishment for his crime of theft, he is on the lower end of the angle because at the moment, his character is a prisoner and is being controlled by the police.

Dutch Tilt *

(The Amazing Spiderman)

This shot is achieved by having the camera tilted on its side to create a kooky angle. This is often used to suggest disorientation in a film to create a dynamic effect. An example of this is the shot above from The Amazing Spiderman. When Spiderman (Andrew Garfield) saves a young boy from a burning car that is hanging off a bridge by Spiderman's web.

Aerial *

(Hairspray)

This shot introduces the audience where the story will begin. This is usually at the beginning, as it calmly introduces the scenic views of the location. In the example above, introduces the Hairspray story by over-looking the city, and then slowly winding down the main character's house. Usually, an aerial shot is used to establish the location of the character, whether it is an exotic area or a busy city, this creates an atmosphere for the particular scene.

P.O.V.

(Grey's Anatomy)

This shot, like the over the shoulder shot, allows the audience to see what the main character sees from their point of view. This again creates realism in the shot. For example, in the above shot, Preston (Isaiah Washington) wakes up during surgery to Cristina (Sandra Oh), this scene quickly gets emotional and Cristina freezes whilst her lover Preston is in shock and struggles in his bed as he is confused as to what is happening.

Worms Eye View

(Bug's Life)

Like the Over the Shoulder and P.O.V. shot, this shot allows the audience to have an insight into what the character's sees from their point of view. But in this perspective, they are looking upwards, it is not always looking up at an object, the camera may be facing up from the ground, and it may get shots of people walking over it, etc, it all really depends on the scene and what the story is about. In my example above, is a scene from Bug's Life, where an ant and ladybug get stuck in a hole which the Bird pecks in to eat them. The positioning of the camera is quite quirky and dynamic, making it interesting as an audience, interesting to watch.

Hand Held *

(Split)

Hand-held shots are used to make scenes more fast pace and also make it more realistic due to the hand-held movement. these shots are usually used in action, horror and thriller films as these are were more fast pace shots are needed. For example, to exaggerate the tension building in the scene above from split, to create that effect of the character running out time, the hand-held camera looks at the girl, to almost say "hurry up!" to her.

Analysing Shots in a Scene:
(Dirty Dancing - Final Scene)

In this scene, it shows a variety of shots which enhance the chemistry in the scene between the Johnny and Baby, it also shows how slowly the working force of the holiday resort unite with guests, symbolizing the respect between the two different social classes. In this scene, it first starts with a long/wide shot, this shows the audience that due to the presence of Johnny, something big is going to happen. Then it goes onto medium shots, showing Johnny preparing himself for his big performance, thus building up atmosphere in the scene. Then, as Johnny finishes preparing for the dance, the shot changes to close-ups, as the two characters look deeply at each other. The camera shot then goes back to a long shot as Johnny walks over to Baby slowly and calmly, having that long shot really enhances that, as it captures Johnny's every movement. Next, the shot comes back to medium, once the characters touched, when the music comes on, Johnny dips Baby and as she comes back up, the camera shot becomes a close-up, showing the intense love between Johnny and Baby. Throughout this scene, they use medium, close-ups, long/wide and crane/jib shots. The reason for the medium and close-up shots, even when the camera is pointed to Baby's parents, it shows the tension is building as Baby's father does not like Johnny. The medium and long/wide shots then are used to show slowly, how the two different social classes come together and dance. The crane/jib shots were mainly used when Johnny and Baby were dancing at the beginning of the scene, this was to make their dance almost come alive, off the screen as the camera is getting all angles.