Video Shots

A good director communicates both information and feelings.

Communicating information is only half the job of a director.

A good director presents information in a way that involves the audience emotionally.

Shot Examples for Communicating a Feeling

- The bigger the image size, the more emotional impact it carries.
- Control the length of a sequence by shooting it in greater or smaller number of shots. By stretching the length of a sequence, the director increases the feeling of urgency. A sequence with ten shots is more suspenseful than a sequence with three shots.
- Camera Angles can contribute to the overall emotional effect of a scene. High angles often convey a feeling of detachment, while low angles emphasize the power of the image, and the powerlessness of the viewer. Head-on feel formal and calm, while diagonal setups convey movement and energy.
- Camera movement can add significantly to the emotional cast of a scene. A stationary camera, panning and tilting from one position, conveys a sense of detached observation. A moving camera, especially when dollying in and out, becomes a part of the action. Moreover, a constantly moving camera imparts a feeling of restless energy.
- Individual shots can be made shorter or longer, depending on the effect desired. Short shots with quick cuts convey energy, while lengthy shots feel calm. That is why fights are typically constructed from many brief shots, while romantic scenes are often assembled from fewer but lengthier angles.

From: How to Deliver Information to an Audience (Director’s Edition)

Overview of Camera Angles and Shots

SHAMP - Selecting your Shot

The following is from the Global Action Project Curriculum (Cinematography 101)

The Shot: A shot is continuous non-interrupted image for a period. There are different types of shots. The type of shot depends on five elements (SHAMP): the SIZE of the frame, the HEIGHT of the camera, the ANGLE of the frame, MOVEMENT of the camera and the PLACEMENTof the camera within the location or set.

SIZE of the frame

Shot

Establishing Shot (ES)

Point-of-view (POV)

Extreme Close-up (ECU)

Close-Up (CU)

Medium Shot (MS)

Full Shot (FS)

Long Shot (LS)

Over-The-Shoulder (OTS)

Description

A shot that establishes person, place or thing. Usually used as the first shot of scene.

The camera becomes the character. The camera sees what the character sees and the audience experiences what the character experiences.

camera emphasizes a small detail

camera emphasizes a small detail with in the frame

the head and chest of a character fill the frame

A shot of a character from head to toe

A shot of a setting or landscape but characters are still visible within the frame

A shot over-the-shoulder of one character. Each shot shows the face of one character and the back of head and shoulders of the other.

Purpose

It is used to make the audience see the scene from the character’s own eyes. A POV shot forces the viewer to connect with a particular character and draw the viewer into the action. Often after a POV there is a reaction shot.

To make the viewer aware of some specific detail in the film. It can be used to heighten tension.

Used to introduce a character and allows the character to show emotions. It can be used to heighten tension.

This allows you to get to know the character more closely by viewing their facial expressions and body language.

Places the person in context.

This allows the viewer to understand the relationship between the characters and their environment.

Used to emphasize the perspective of the person in the conversation.

Example

HEIGHT/ANGLE of the frame

From The Effects of Camera Angles on a Viewer’s Emotion

MOVEMENT of the camera.

Pan – A horizontal camera move in which the camera swivels from side to side.

Tilt – A vertical camera move in which the camera swivels up and down.

Zoom – Optical motion created by the lens that changes the size of an image and apparent distance between foreground and background.

Handheld – A shot in which the camera operator’s body supports and controls the camera.

Special Effect Shots

Green Screen Special Effects in Imovie

Shooting Deceptive Camera Shots

Use a backwards video shot

Stop Motion Video Example by Rhett and Link

Now watch how they did this

Creating Animations

Thanks to Haley (2010-2011 8th Grader)

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