Types of angles - Film making

CAMERA ANGLE TYPES

These are the basic camera angle types. We’re not focusing on the camera movement in this article, but simply how the direction of the camera can influence a shot’s mood. We’ll also look at how the camera angle can affect the viewer’s perception of the on-screen subject matter.

OVER THE SHOULDER (OTS)

What is an Over The Shoulder (OTS) Shot?
The camera is placed high up behind one of the subjects’ shoulders, so their face is unseen but we can see the back of the head, and usually the shoulders. Can be used with or without other visible people in the shot.

Why would I use an Over The Shoulder (OTS) Shot?
When used with a solitary subject we are viewing the scene from their perspective which makes it a great technique for witnessing something (perhaps with for the first time) together with the subject. When used with multiple subjects it’s good for reaction shots, such as a conversation, as it allows the viewer to feel closer to the interaction.

POINT OF VIEW (POV)

What is a Point Of View (POV) Shot?
The camera is ‘looking’ at a scene through the subjects line of sight, as if through their eyes.

Why would I use a Point Of View (POV) Shot?
Point Of View gives us the illusion that we’ve stepped inside the body of a subject and are seeing the world through their eyes. There’s an emotional attachment we get with this technique as we no longer have the peripheral vision of the scene. This can be claustrophobic so it’s a perfect technique for anxiety and horror themes. We’ll also see the POV when looking through spyglasses or binoculars, or when the subject’s vision is obscured somehow, such as when they’re intoxicated or falling asleep.

LOW ANGLE SHOT

What is a Low Angle Shot?
The Low Angle Shot has the camera close to the floor, looking up at the subject and making it look abnormally big. Sometimes called a Worm’s Eye Shot!

Why would I use a Low Angle Shot?
Shooting from a low angle can make the subject look powerful and overbearing, often emphasizing menace if your subject is the antagonist. If your subject is the good guy this angle can give them hero, protector status.

HIGH ANGLE SHOT

What is a High Angle Shot?
A High Angle Shot has the camera higher than the subject, looking down at it – making the subject look small. This can have the camera just above head height, or several feet higher.

Why would I use a High Angle Shot?
A High Angle Shot makes the subject look and feel vulnerable and inferior to the viewer. This is perfect to visually represent feelings of fear, or the attempt to plead with a stronger adversary.

AERIAL SHOT

What is an Aerial Shot?
These are extremely high perspectives taken from tall buildings, trees, cranes or drones with the camera pointed towards a subject on the ground. Usually taken with a wide lens so we can still see the horizon.

Why would I use an Aerial Shot?
A great shot for capturing the wider environment of a scene, without being obscured by elements on the ground. Perfect for shooting a couple dancing in the center of a room full of other people or, conversely, a single, isolated subject lost within a vast desert.

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OR TOP SHOT

What is a Bird’s-Eye View / Top Shot?
A high, aerial shot looking directly down on top of the scene with no visible horizon. Typically the camera is angled perpendicular to the ground. This used to involve an expensive helicopter shoot, but the recent profusion of affordable camera drone technology has made aerial techniques much more accessible to the video enthusiast!

Why would I use a Bird’s-Eye View / Top Shot?
Can often create an abstract view of the world, making cities seem like giant, complex mazes and mountain ranges look like alien landscapes. These unusual points of view offer feelings of spirituality and are often used as cinematic openers containing title credits.

DUTCH TILT OR DUTCH ANGLE

What is a Dutch Tilt / Dutch Angle Shot?
The camera is tilted, or canted, to the side slightly so that the horizon is at an obtuse angle.

Why would I use a Dutch Tilt / Dutch Angle Shot?
As opposed to still photography where an off-kilter angle often looks very stylish, tilting the film camera produces a nauseating effect, giving the viewer a sense of disorientation. It’s often used when the subject is in an unusual state of mind, unsettling our normal visual expectations, adding tension and anxiety.



OTHER CAMERA SHOT TYPES
There are many others, but we’ll finish up with a few of the more popular shot terms commonly used in television and film.

CUTAWAY (CA)

What is a Cutaway (CA)?
A Cutaway is a shot, usually without camera motion, of something away from the main subject but often (directly or indirectly) related to the events of the current scene.

Why would I use a Cutaway (CA)?
Cutaways can be used to show something the subject is secretly thinking of, perhaps a past event or a hidden gun. A quick way of providing external information to the viewer whilst minimizing interruption to the flow of the scene. They can also be used in the editing process to fix bad joins between cuts of the same sequence, or hiding on-camera mistakes, by briefly switching to a separate image.

Cutaways can successfully break temporal space by showing things that have happened before the main scene, or even brief glimpses of events that have yet to take place.

CUT-IN OR INSERT

What is a Cut-in / Insert Shot?
Cut-ins are different camera angles or framings of the same scene, interjected into a sequence, to draw attention to a particular aspect of the subject. They’re usually depictions of events happening at the exact same moment in time as the main scene, from a different perspective.

Why would I use a Cut-in / Insert Shot?
If you’re capturing a Medium Shot of a suspected criminal being interrogated you may want to briefly show the viewer a Close-Up of their nervous fingers underneath the table. Or, you may wish to focus briefly on a ring being placed on someone’s finger at a wedding ceremony. As with Cutaways, Cut-Ins can also be helpful in the edit room to cover up any flaws in your footage.

REACTION SHOT OR NODDIE

What is a Reaction Shot / Noddie?
Reaction Shots show the facial expressions of a person off-screen to something which has happened, or has been said, in the previous shot.

Why would I use a Reaction Shot / Noddie?
You might use a Reaction Shot to visually emphasize what the viewer should be thinking about a certain event. Perhaps we’ve just seen a man fall off a ladder, or a woman has just announced her engagement. Reaction Shots can help nudge the viewer to laugh or cry.

Used in television interviews, Noddies are silent clips used to break up the monotony of lengthy interviewee dialogue by allowing the viewer to see the interviewer’s reactions. Shot during interview breaks, whilst camera and lighting are set up, they are cut into the sequence at the edit stage. Usually Noddies are simply shots of the interviewer ‘nodding’ their head!

MASTER SHOT (MS)

What is a Master Shot (MS)?

The Master Shot is a full, unedited version of an entire scene filmed using a single camera – usually with all scene members in frame at all times. This is the kind of visual aspect we’d expect when going to see a live stage production, though Master Shots can also involve a moving camera, if the screen is well choreographed.

Why would I use a Master Shot (MS)?
The lack of cuts in a Master Shot helps the viewer stay engaged with the scene though, in reality, a Master Shot is used for the base sequence and then interspersed with Close-Ups and Mid-Shots. Long-take scenes are now rare in cinema and, therefore, capture our attention when performed successfully.

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