Extended Research - Camera Angles

Camera Angles
There are many different types of Camera Work used in trailers. I am going to explore the different types of camera shots and angles and what each of them do and how they engage the audience.In looking at Camera Work there are different areas such as:

• Angle

• Movement

• Position/ Framing

• Composition 

• Depth of Field 

Angle- High and Low angle shots are used in trailers, this could show the power that the character has if the camera is looking up at them. The high angle shot looks down on the characters and this could show that we are overpowering them and they look vulnerable. They may also use a canted angle to create a skewed frame. Often used to reinforce the idea of chaos or instability 

Camera Movement

• Pan- horizontal movement of the camera from a static position 

• Tracking- Camera tracks the movement of a subject 

• Tilt- movement on the vertical (up and down) 

• Crab- a subtle movement on the horizontal (left or right)

• Crane- the camera is mounted on to a crane so that it can move dramatically up and down and from side to side. Sometimes cranes are put on tracks to create spectacular tracking and craning movement. 

• Handheld- a shaky movement the follows the movement of camera operator. Often used to create realism, urgent and sudden figure movement or to create a point of view shot (we are seeing things through the eyes of a character). 

• Zoom lens- creates the illusion of movement by altering the lens length. 

Position & Framing

• The distance between the camera and the subject. 

• The position selected relates to the information the filmmaker is trying to communicate. 

• The camera is the viewers eyes in a scene so the camera position also dictates the viewers relationship with the action or characters in the scene. 

Composition 

• The way a frame is composed can help to convey important information. 

• A basic convention of composition: rule of thirds 

• Proponents of this technique claim that aligning a photograph with these points in mind creates more tension, energy and interest in the image than simply centering the subject would. 

Depth of Field

• A frame's depth of field refers to the focal length. 

• Where a frame shows everything sharp or in focus this is called deep focus. 

• When a particular part of the frame is picked out and the rest of the frame is blurred or indistinct it is called selective focus. 

• When the focal point changes within the frame this is called pull or 'rack' focus.

-post done by Amy Braud