SHOTS AND ANGLES By Kiera Herbert

SHOTS

EXTREME CLOSE UP

• Extreme Close up angle are used to create enigma as you cannot see anything else but from that one object therefore you begin to question what it is, which creates the enigma. Close-up shots do not show the subject in the broad context of its surroundings. If overused, they may leave viewers uncertain as to what they are seeing.

CLOSE-UP

• Close up are often employed as cutaways from a more distant shot to show detail, such as characters' emotions. Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene. Also, close-ups are used for distinguishing main characters. Major characters are often given a close-up when they are introduced as a way of indicating their importance and are used to show their emotion.

MID SHOT

• The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. The MS is appropriate when the subject is speaking without too much emotion or intense concentration. As well as being a comfortable, emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement to convey the emotion felt by actor.

WIDE/LONG SHOT

• In the wide shot, the subject takes up the full frame. See surrounding background and setting, this informs the viewers of the surroundings and begins to draw in their attention. A wide shot, also called a long shot, is one where the subject is completely in the shot and has a wide amount of space on both sides. The primary objective of the wide shot is to capture the entire subject, especially if the subject is a person. A very wide shot distances itself even further from the subject, usually making the subject barely visible but still centred in the environment.

EXTREME WIDE/LONG SHOT

• An extreme wide shot is so far away from the subject that it isn't even visible and the real subject is the surroundings. This is to inform the viewers of the setting and to draw them in, creating enigma as for why they are there. It makes the building or a statue the main focus to emphasise this building and inform the audience that it is the main focus, signifigant.

TWO SHOT

• A two shot has two subjects in the picture and is usually framed much like a mid shot with both subjects. The shots are also used to show the emotional reactions between the subjects and is very common amongst film to convey the two protagonists.

ESTABLISHING SHOT

• An establishing shot is usually the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place, Also, to show time Sometimes the viewer is guided in his understanding of the action.

• Relationship is another reason for an establishing shot might be a long shot of a room that shows all the characters from a particular scene. For example, a scene about a murder in a college lecture hall might begin with a shot that shows the entire room, including the lecturing professor and the students taking notes.

• An establishing shot may also establish a concept, rather than a location. For example, opening with a martial arts drill visually establishes the theme of martial arts.