Why are camera angles so important?

Everything in media is very well thought through, everything you see is placed and designed like it is for a reason. Camera angles allow the reasoning for certain choices to become clear while showcasing relationships between things. 

Everything is done for a reason.

I found myself taking a handful of establishing shots during this project, with this likely being a link to me being a writer. As a writer, naturally the first thing you do is set the scene and tone of your piece, which is the same for most forms of media. Due to the photos being taken within my first week at the college, I felt that I had to establish in my mind where I was planning to be for the next two years.

How can I apply this to my work?

I can apply this to my work as when recording I can make things more engaging with different angles and perspectives on what is happening within the project.

Cheat Sheet

A long shot, also known as a wide shot, is a shot taken from a long distance - which sounds a little obvious. The shot shows the entire subject along with their relation to the setting. The shot is often taken using a wide angle lens however can be taken on any.

A Long Shot - Featuring Talia Johnson.

Reasons to use a long shot when filming are:

• make subject pop out
• showcase scenery
• show relation between subject and setting
• create a sense of surrealism

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose of this photo is to show both the subject and their location, conveying the importance of the location to the audience. 

An establishing shot is typically a shot of the location in which the following scene takes place. This type of shot is typically used to: transition location, clarify location or to convey a sense of time. 

An Establishing Shot of Bracknell and Woking College.

Reasons to use an establishing shot when filming are:

• Set the scene
• Emphasise a change in location

What is the purpose behind this photo?

I took this shot to emphasise a change in location within my life. For the next two years of my education, I'm going to be studying at Bracknell and Wokingham College, so I thought it important to emphasise this change.

A dutch angle shot is a shot with a 30° tilt. The shot is used to create a sense of unease with the audience, typically within the horror genre. 

A Dutch Angle of a bin.

Reasons to use a dutch angle when filming are:

• Create a sense of unease
• Convey the idea that it's a horror

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose behind this photo is to prompt a feeling of unease and suspense within the audience. The photo is of an inanimate object, but the suspense makes it feel as if something may pop out of it at any moment.

A medium shot, also known as a waist shot, is a shot take from a medium distance of the waist upwards. The shot is commonly used for scenes which include dialogue due to the fact that you can fit multiple people in the frame while still being able to see a portion of the background. The shot is good for depicting character's actions and body language. 

A Medium Shot - Featuring Josh Baldwin.

Reasons to use a medium shot when filming are:

• present important actions
• present important costume and details
• convey an informal, comedic, or disarming dialogue
• glue together separate shots through constant action

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose behind this photo is to convey the characters body language - he's looking upwards while dropping his arms/hands. This helps to convey the feeling of shock or awe that the character is experiencing.

A medium long shot goes by many names: medium full shot, cowboy shot, 3/4 shot - but they all mean the same thing. This type of shot frames the subject from the knees upwards, taken from a slightly further distance than the medium shot but not quite as far as the full shot.

A Medium Long Shot - Featuring Josh Baldwin.

Reasons to use a medium long shot when filming are:

• capture emotion
• showcase character and setting
• frame multiple subjects
• capture body language

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose behind this photo is for the audience to see the majority of the character - you can see the character playing with his finger, this conveys signs of either anxiety or boredom. This is a detail you wouldn't have picked up on when using a different shot.

A full shot is a shot that frames the character fully, head to toe. It typically takes up the whole frame. A full shot simply helps the audience to better understand a character's relationships with people and places through their actions along with their personality through their clothing choices.  

A Full Shot - Featuring Alfie Cook and Amelia Duffy.

Reasons to use a full shot when filming are:

• to establish location
• to showcase an outfit
• present the character's actions
• to convey the relationship between characters through the way they act

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose behind this shot is for the characters to show off their outfits. A full shot was used to do this as you can see the characters from head to toe, revealing their entire outfits.

A close up shot is a shot of a subject taken from close up - which I feel is quite obvious. This type of shot allows the subject's emotions to be emphasised and clear to the audience, which often allows the audience to share this emotion with the subject. A close up an also be signalling something important - either a prop or reaction.

A Close Up - Featuring Alice Sandlin.

Reasons to use a close up shot when filming are:

• Present a subject's emotions to the audience
• Allows the audience to see the subject's facial expressions
• Gestures to something important

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose of this photo is to show the subject's feelings through her facial expressions but also to convey the weather through the wind and body language.

A medium close up is a shot that frames the subject from the chest upwards. This type of shot is typical when a character is having a conversation with another as it is a fairly basic and ordinary shot.

A Medium Close Up - Featuring Alice Sandlin.

Reasons to use a medium close up shot when filming are:

• Convey who is speaking in dialogue

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose of this photo if for you to see the subject's top half and yet not the bottom - this is done to show the focus.

An extreme close up is a shot which frames the subject extremely closely. An extreme close up doesn't just have to be of the face, or though that is how they are most commonly used. This type of shot can be of any body part, simply from a close distance.  

An Extreme Close Up - Featuring Alice Sandlin.

Reasons to use an extreme close up when filming are:

• To emphasise a particular part of the face
• To communicate tiny details that you may not be able to pick up on otherwise

What is the purpose behind this photo?

The purpose of this photo is for the audience to be able to feel the emotion in the subject's eyes. The way that she is looking very intensely and the bags under her eyes - she's tired both literally and figuratively.