Camerawork

Close up- much more dramatic than medium or long shots. They are you'd when you want to emphasize someone’s emotion or expression

Extreme close up- This an extremely detailed shot. These types of shot are generally used to show just one feature on someone’s face that would be missed in a wide angled shot.

Mid shot- The medium shots may be cut from medium shots straight to close up shots to make a more dramatic affect. Medium shots are the most common shots in films showing most of the person’s body. The medium shot is in-between the long shot and close up shot. The medium shot also includes the two-shot, when two actors are facing the same direction and the over the shoulder shot, when two actors stand facing each other e.g. sitting across a table from each another.

Establishing shot- A wider shot that would focus more on the environment than the characters. The establishing shot introduces a new location e.g. a school, someone’s house, and a street. The establishing shot would nearly always be filmed with the same lens and in the same position. The shot would also last a couple of seconds before it cuts to a medium shot and close-ups.

Low angle- low angles are normally placed below the actor’s eyes looking up. This makes the characters look more aggressive or dominant, it could also be used to show something lurking.

High angle- The camera above the actor or subject, looking down. It would be used make the charters look weak, small or frightened often used to show the small size of a child in comparison to the subject looking down on it.

Aerial shot- A shot taken from a drone, helicopter or a person on top of a building. Sometimes introducing the film or new location.

Point of view shot- the camera looking out of the actor’s eyes. The camera may be shaky to show the person walking. The shot after normally follows by a close up.

Camera Movement

Tracking- A moving shot. The camera is mounted on a camera dolly track, a wheeled platform that is push on rails. Used in the days before Stedicams got popular. The phrase dolly-in means step towards the subject with the camera and dolly-out is the opposite whilst keeping the zoom the same.

Panning- Fixed on to a tripod, turning left or right. Often used to capture moving images like cars or people walking or to show a vast landscape. The best pan is revealing a piece of         information.

Tilting- the up or down movement of the camera. Tilts are often used to reveal an object or tall vertical building.

Hand held movement- If the action is moving to quickly or too unpredictable for the camera to be on a tripod, so the camera needs to be more mobile and able to move more freely and follow the action of the scene. Normally held by a cameraman.

Hitchcock zoom- also know as the ‘dolly zoom’. It’s a rare but stylistic shot. The camera has to move on the dolly closer or further away from the subject while zooming in or out.