This shot shows a CU of the subject – her face takes up the majority of the frame and she is looking slightly off-center to the camera implying her looking at something opposite her that is still to be revealed to the audience. Close-Ups are effective in indicating the emotions of the character; the facial expression of this character is forlorn and stony which indicates to the audience the feelings that she is experiencing. This allows the audience to feel a sense of connection and involvement with the character and engages them to continue watching the film and experiencing character progression. In this circumstance, the background is slightly blurred and has a shallow depth of field to focus the audience’s attention on her face. The focus of our attention is drawn to her face as she is also placed in the center of the frame. The character appears enigmatic and intriguing, this adds to the sense of ambiguity of the film’s plot-line and character construction and is used to draw the audience in.

Close-Up from ‘The Master’ 2012

This shot is an ECU of the subject – it reveals certain elements of the character’s personality, in this case adding to the intensity of the scene. The ECU of the eye is unnerving, it evokes fear from the audience and indicates a sense of someone watching you. This captivates the audience to continue watching as the character’s other features are revealed. Extreme Close-Ups are often also used to add to a sense of intimacy and makes the audience feel as if they are entering the subject’s personal space. They allow the audience to scrutinize every movement of that subject which can reveal insecurities that are trying to be hidden through a muscle twitch or a blink indicating to the audience more about their personality. This shot is especially effective as it subtly reveals what the eye has been taking in, a dark shadowed figure appears in the doorway opposite him appearing to be a young female. This establishes a connection between the young female character and suggests that he is possibly in awe/ in love with this character. Thus, extreme close-ups can have an array of different meanings, such as the eye which can reflect a sense of concealment or hint towards an intriguing plot line.

Extreme Close-Up from Equilibrium (2002)

This frame shows a mid-shot of the subject – the subject is placed center frame and we can see the upper half of his body. Mid-Shots are effective in revealing part of the costume of the subject as well as the body language; both of these things are indicative of the character’s persona. In this instance, the subject seems to be wearing a cape and leotard with an ‘S’ embellished on the front indicating that he is a superhero (in this case, ‘Superman’). His arms are held in a dignified manner slightly outstretched revealing him to be a proud and confident character to the audience. Mid-shots are also effective in introducing the setting behind the subject and establishing location in the film. Often they only reveal certain elements of a setting such as props which leaves a sense of mystery towards the setting of the film. Whilst we have a shallow depth of field for this certain shot, it is clear from the surroundings that the character is in an urban environment, possibly a car-park. This is indicative of the film’s genre as ‘Superman’ is seen as a heroic figure who can easily transport between buildings to reach his desired location.

Mid-Shot (Medium Shot) from ‘Man of Steel’ 2013

This shot is a two-shot – the frame includes two subjects and establishes the relationship between the two characters. In this instance, both characters are facing opposite directions of each other, reflecting the hostility and disconnection between the two characters. Often a two-shot is used to display the motions and actions of a scene, this can be done to follow the interaction between the two characters and how they respond to one another. Two shots (and three shots) are viewed as variations of a mid-shot, they generally include a shot of the protagonists from the waist up so the audience can focus both on their body language and their facial expressions which reveals to the audience how the characters respond to one another. In this certain frame, a mid-shot is used also to indicate their body language in relation to one another as well as to reveal the costume choices which may be indicative of their personality and/or gender. For example, the woman is wearing a low-cut black dress and pearl necklace suggesting her femininity and seductiveness whilst the man is dressed in a black suit which may be seen as classy and formal, reflecting the formal event they are at.

Two-Shot from the series ‘Warehouse 13’ 2009-14

This shot shows a LS of the subject- she is moving away from the camera, her body is placed centre frame and take up the full frame height. In this circumstance the protagonist is facing away from the camera, creating a sense of isolation and detachment from the audience. The setting is also crucial in establishing the tone of the scene; in this instance the protagonist is by themselves in a darkened alley/tunnel which enhances the protagonist’s vulnerability. A long-shot is often used to establish a location (establishing shot) and where a character is in relation to this, this can often make a character seem small and insignificant if placed in a vast landscape. A LS is also used at the beginning of a film to set the audience’s perception of the place, time and action that will transpire in the film. In this circumstance, the character appears in the centre of the frame, which immediately draws the audience’s attention to this subject. This shot is often referred to as a wide-shot as it is frequently used to capture a whole scene and place the subjects in this environment.

Long-Shot from ‘Irréversible’ 2002

This shot shows an ELS of two protagonists walking away from the camera. In this circumstance the space within the frame is filled primarily with a vast landscape, giving us a panoramic view of a desolate plain valley/ sea-side landscape. Whilst the characters are present, they are at a large distance from the camera, adding to a sense of disconnection between the motions and actions of the film and the audience. The distance of the characters implies a sense of loneliness and solitude and insinuates the insignificance of the protagonists in relation to their surroundings. An ELS is often use to imply a journey, to show a person or small group of people trying to attempt to cross a landscape or embark on a journey where obstacles are overcome and a target is met. Extreme Long-Shots can also be used to illustrate the vulnerability of a character, especially if the shot includes just one protagonist in a vast landscape. With Long-Shots, the subject’s full body and facial expressions can be viewed in a subtantial amount of detail, Extreme Long-Shots often make the characters less distinguishable thus suggesting a lack of identity and substance with the characters.

Extreme Long-Shot from ‘To The Wonder’ (2012)

This frame shows a POV shot being used – it has been taken from the female character’s perspective indicated by the camera placement. The shot is used to gain an insight into how a character may be feeling, as well as indicating a dialogue between two characters. This shot is often incorporated into a shot-reverse-shot technique where the camera cuts between a POV shot of the first protagonist and a POV shot of the second protagonist. This is done to show the reactions of each character, in correspondence to their dialogue. In this circumstance, the male protagonist is gazing longingly at the female protagonist, establishing the relationship between the two characters. Often for conversations between two people this technique is used to add to the intensity of the conversation/mood or to indicate a close relationship between two characters. In this circumstance the female character is sitting within close proximity to the male character, establishing potentially their close bond. After this shot has been used, it would typically be followed by an establishing shot to help the audience to view the characters within their settings. For OTS shots normally the person facing the subject will occupy half of the frame to establish the position of each person within their conversation

Over-The-Shoulder Shot from ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’ (2010)