Camera Angle - Angles and Their Effects

Angles and Their Effects

Where the camera is placed in relation to the subject greatly affects the way the viewer perceives that subject. A Viewpoint is the apparent distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject. There are many different types of camera angles such as the high-angle shot, the low-angle shot, the bird's-eye view and the worm's-eye view.

They also include the eye level shot and the point of view shot. A high-angle shot (HA) is a shot in which the camera is physically higher than the subject and is looking down upon the subject. The high angle shot can make the subject look small or weak or vulnerable while a low-angle shot (LA) is taken from below the subject and has the power to make the subject look powerful or threatening. A neutral shot or eye Level (EL) shot has little to no psychological effect on the viewer. This shot is when the camera is level or looking straight on with the subject.

A point of view (POV) shot shows the audience the image through the subject's eye. Some POV shots use hand-held cameras to create the illusion that the audience is seeing through the subject's eyes. Bird's eye shot or bird's-eye view shots are taken directly above the scene to establish the landscape and the actors relationship to it. Worm's-eye view is a shot that is looking up from the ground, and is meant to give the viewer the feeling that they are looking up at the character from way below and it is meant to show the view that a child or a pet would have. When considering the camera angle one must remember that each shot is its own individual shot and the camera angle should be taken in context of the scene and film.

There are many different types of shots that can be used from these angles. There are extreme long shots which are extremely far away from the subject and might not even show a person at all. Extreme long shots are usually done in a high angle so the audience can look down upon a setting or scene. Extreme longs shots are used mainly to open the scene or narrative and show the audience the setting. The rest of the shots are most typically done in an eye level or point of view shot although it is possible to do any shot with any angle. There is the long shot which shows the subject even though the setting still dominates the picture frame.

Then. there is the medium long shot which makes the subject and the setting have equal importance and has the two about 50/50 in the frame. Then is the medium shot which emphasizes the character and is about a knees to waist up type shot. Then the medium close up is a shot that has the waist to the chest and up. The next closest shot is the close up which has the shoulders and up or maybe a little tighter on the head.

Finally, there is the extreme close up shot which has one body part usually. This can be an eye, a hand or anything else. These shots can be used with any of the aforementioned camera angles.

A dutch angle, which can also be called a canted angle or even simply the tilted angle, is an angle in which the camera itself is tilted to the left or the right. The unnatural angle gives the viewer a feeling that world is out of balance or psychological unrest.