WORKING WITH CAMERA: THE BRAHMASTRA OF A FILMMAKER’S ARTILLERY
By: Somnath Dutta
Tags: Film, Filmmaking, Cameras, Cinematography, Filmmaking Tips

WORKING WITH CAMERA: THE BRAHMASTRA OF A FILMMAKER’S ARTILLERY

Though I’m not professional, but, yeah, I do keep interest in such things involving cinematographic ideas and techniques. That’s why, I have always tried to learn about these inevitable parts of filmmaking on my own. Don’t know, how much I’ve become successful in learning the theoretical aspects, but I’ll try my level best to deliver my sort of limited knowledge about 'Camera Angles' and 'Camera Movements’ through this article.

CAMERA ANGLES AND SHOTS!

Do you people know how Cinematography flourishes the storytelling from various aspects? The cinematic storytelling reveals more and more perspectives just in a single scene. It's the angles of Camera that play a key role to make this happen.

There are different views and different opinions regarding the various types of camera angles. Different Film experts call the camera angles in different names.

But here, I'll discuss about 12 camera angles, which in my opinion, will cover almost all the varities, we watch in the feature films on a regular manner.

1.Wide Shot or Wide Angle:

Wide shot is generally captured by wide angle lens, so as to see more of your surroundings.

Used more when you are wanting to establish a location, so that, viewer can understand where the scene is taking place.

Can also be used to portray emotions like loneliness, insignificance or feelings of being removed.

2.Long Shot:

Also used to establish location but with a bigger emphasis on your subject, filling the entire frame, usually showing their entire body.

The look is best created using a tighter focal length and shooting from a distance.

3. Medium Shot:

Usually from the waist up and used to help the viewer focus in on what your subject is doing or saying.

Also good to help the viewer feel as if they are close to subject. Because, a medium shot most closely represents the distance you view people from as you're having conversation with them.

4. Cowboy Shot:

In between the long and medium shot frame, from the mid thigh up.

Called so because of its popular use in West American Films.

Used instead of a medium shot, if you need to show detail around the waist like a freaking gun.

5. Tight Shot or Close up Shot:

Often just the head and shoulders of the subject is captured.

Used mainly for dialogue to show the detailed expression of your subject

Tighter shots are usually used for importance or intense or intimate pieces of dialogue or action to help the viewer know that they should really pay attention to what's being said.

Tighter shots are typically best shots on tighter focal lengths around 50–100 mm.

6. Detail or Extreme Closeup Shot:

To put emphasis or importance on a specific detail in your image.

Detail shots are great way to create mystery or depth in a story to help drawing the viewers' attention to the common theme and again best shots on tighter focal lengths like around 50–100 mm (Macro lenses) are used.

7. Low Camera Angle:

Used to make your subject appear larger than life and to portray power and dominance.

Can also be made to portray wonder and majesty as long as your subject is smaller than what surrounds that in your image.

8. High Camera Angle:

Just opposite to the previous one.

By portraying your subject as weak or inferior or smaller and vulnerable.

9. Dutch Angle:

Basically anytime you tilt the Horizon of your frame and is usually used to convey an uneasy motion like something quite right —— basically giving the feeling like the world is on its side.

Dutch angle can be artificially utilised to tell us that something is wrong.

10. Over the Shoulder Shot:

Exactly how it sounds.

When you have 2 subjects talking to each other, you put the camera behind the shoulder of one of the 2 giving the perspective as if you are the person talked with. For counter conversation, use right shoulder of one subject and left shoulder of the other.

11. POV or Point of View Shot:

Depict an angle that shows what a character is looking at.

This shot allows the viewer to take the perspective of character and begin to understand their state of mind on a more personal level.

Commonly used in action or sports scenes to help the audience having the thrill of being in the driver's seat and is usually shot on a wide angle lens so that you can see more of your surroundings.

12. Cut Away Shot:

https://youtu.be/4JsmXrrOwus

(A cut away shot from the GODFELLAS)

An interruption of a continuously filmed scene by inserting a view of something completely different.

Cutaways are great to help transition to new scenes or to show side stories happening at the same time as you are a main story.

That's all I know about Camera Angles And Shots!

NOW! LET'S TALK ABOUT—

CAMERA MOVEMENTS!

Here I'm going to provide little bit description over 9 different types of Camera Movements.

The PAN:

Camera horizontally swivels from a fixed position, Right to Left or Left to Right.

A pan can be used to reveal new information.

Information or details can be hidden initially. A pan can reveal information later in scene.

These are also used to link people via eyelines or to show what people are looking at.

A quick pan is often referred to as a 'Whip Pan'.

2. TILT:

Camera vertically moves from a fixed position, up to down or down to up.

This movement can also reveal what a character is looking at.

A tilt can also reveal new information or to tell audience what to focus on.

Tilt is also great for revealing the size. (eg. Revealing the size of big waves- to show how big it is)

3. PED or PEDESTRIAL:

Camera moves physically up and down, whilst still looking forward.

Like other movements it can also help to reveal more information

By slowly revealing someone or something, it creates a menace or threat.

It can also be used to appear people taller.

4. DOLLY:

Camera smoothly moves forwards and backwards.

Moving forwards, it makes people or objects larger. It suggests the audience should focus on something.

Moving backwards, it reveals new information, showing a wider area or more visual information.

It can also suggest audience should emotionally move away from someone or something.

It can also be used as stylistic choice. Stanley Kubrick uses it across many of his films.

5. ZOOM:

Camera stays still, but the lens moves closer or further from the subject.

Makes the object take up more or less of the screen.

A fast/rapid zooming can exhibit a comic sense of the scene.

Tells us who and what to pay attention to.

Can also help to reveal more information.

6. CRANE OR BOOM:

Camera is fixed to a crane and moves around the air.

By moving camera into air, it creates a sense of scale.

It can also suggest isolation and can link, metaphorically one person or place with another, further away.

7. STEADICAM:

Camera will move around in a smooth, steady and stable way.

The ability to move the camera everywhere means that these are often used to follow characters.

This movement allows the audience to experience a natural feeling of an environment.

8. HANDHELD:

Gives real time experience.

Audience feels the reality with respect to any character.

9. RACK FOCUS:

Rack focus is keeping the focus on a particular object and make audience to look at the object.

To understand the things more precisely, you people can watch this video:

https://youtu.be/GbnYBmqBbKA

A heartfelt thanks for going through the full article :)

Image source: Google

Videos courtesy: YouTube.