CAMERA ANGLES, SHOT SIZES AND CAM MOVEMENT EVERY DOP AND DIRECTOR SHOULD KNOW
Camera Angles Eye level – camera points straight ahead. Intention is to be objective. Low angle – camera points up from a lower angle. It makes the subject dominating. High angle – camera points down from a higher angle. It makes the subject diminutive. A variation: Top angle or bird’s eye view – special case when you want to show the topography of a location. Aerial shots fall under this. Dutch – tilted angle. It draws attention to the fact it’s not a balanced frame. Something is literally off kilter. Over the shoulder (OTS) – not strictly an angle, but it’s a specialized shot that deserves its own place. Confrontational by nature. Shot Sizes Close up – facial features and expression is more important than anything else. Variation: Extreme close up – you probably want to chop something off for an even closer look. Long shot – When you want to add action and location along with the subject. Variation: Extreme long shot – when the location is more important than the chara...