Camera Shots & Angles

 The camera is also known as ‘the all Seeing Eye; it shows viewers parts of a scene that they wouldn’t be able to see in real life.

Camera angles and movements combine to create a sequence of images, just as words, word order, punctuation and grammar combine to make the meaning of a sentence.

When describing different cinematic shots, different terms are used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained within a frame, how far away the camera is from the subject, and the perspective of the viewer. Each different shot has a different purpose and effect. A change between two different shots is called a ‘cut’.

Types of camera angles include:

ECU (extreme close up) - As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. 

CU (close up) - This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character.

MCU (medium close up) – a shot taken with the camera at a short distance from the subject. Medium close up usually refers to a shot of the head, neck and shoulders.

MS (medium shot) - Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the ‘TWO SHOT’ (containing two figures from the waist up) and the ‘THREE SHOT’ (contains three figures...). Background detail is minimal, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already knows where they are and now wants to focus on dialogue and character interaction.

MLS (medium long shot) - A shot taken with the camera at a distance from the subject, but closer than a long shot. A medium long shot usually shows the fully body, but not to life size.

LS (long shot) - This shows the image as approximately "life" size i.e. corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the full shot showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges.

ELS/ES (extreme long shot/establishing shot) – This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an exterior, e.g. the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action, for example, a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.

HAS (high angle shot aka aerial shot) – Not as extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant. The object or character often become part of a wider picture.

LAS (low angle shot) – Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the disorientation of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.

SRS (shot reverse shot) – A shot of one subject, then another, then back to the first. It is often used for conversation or reaction shots.

OSS (over the shoulder shot) – shot reverse shot positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.

PVS (point of view shot) – The camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, for example, actors' heads are on a level with the focus.