camera angles

Camera Angles

level shot

shot at eye level. create empathy with characters. neutral shot.

high angle shot

shot looking down on the subject. makes subjects look short / weak / powerless / submissive.

low angle shot

 shot looking upwards. makes subjects look big / tall / powerful / heroic / intimidating.

top shot

shot looking straight down on the subject, not taken from an aircraft. usually indoors.

aerial shot / aerial establishing shot

taken from an aircraft. usually from a helicopter but increasingly from a drone.

typically looking straight down before tilting up to reveal the location or arcing around.

dutch / canted angles

makes things look strange / surreal. can suggest insanity / intoxication. look cool as well.

subjective point of view

first person pov. shows exactly what a character is looking at (looking through their eyes). creates empathy. often used as an eyeline match / with insert shots.

objective point of view

shows what a character is looking at, not looking through their eyes. creates empathy. over the shoulder shots are often used as part of a shot / reverse shot structure.