Camera Shots and Angles

November 14, 2022

The extreme close up shot focuses on small details usually having to do with a characters eyes. By using this closeup, emotion is added to the scene that a full or long shot may not be able to pick up on. In this photo of my eye, my pupil is very small which could indicate a bright light or looking far off into the distance. Because the shot was so close up, you can notice both my eye makeup and eye colors. From a mid shot view, my bottom red liner may appear to be naturally red from lack of sleep. Up close though, it is clearer that it is makeup which tells a different story. In film, a close up on a character's eye can express surprise or other emotions that connect to what they're experiencing. Because the eye is the only item on screen, all other background portions are cut off. In film, other body parts like zoomed in portions of the mouth or eyebrows express emotion without words. In my photo, my eye is resting normally and the hood of my eye is still low. This doesn’t immediately point to surprise but instead, just a normal relaxed eye. If you are trying to express disgust in an extreme close up, the character might scrunch their eyes and nose which could indicate something unpleasant they are experiencing. Movies such as “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”, and “Blue Velvet” often use this form of camera angle to zoom in on weapons and then characters' faces to show their reactions. Without any background context, this camera angle can explain a lot.