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Writer's picturejasmine anderson

camera techniques

Updated: Nov 2, 2022

close up:

  • good for showing facial expressions and emotions

  • makes someone seem important in the scene

  • [extreme close up: just the eyes or a small part]

medium shot:

  • good for facial expressions and body language

  • roughly half of a body or object

  • combines close up and long shot


long shot:

  • shows off body and body language

  • shows all of a character

  • allows us to see a person in their surroundings


two shot:

  • shows a relationship between two people

  • can have a ‘medium two shot’ or ‘close up two shot’ etc.

  • can have a three shot, four shot etc.


establishing shot:

  • revealing a location

  • making setting clear - time, weather, period etc.


low angle shot:

  • camera is down low looking up at the scene

  • dramatic, makes characters look dominant, powerful


high angle shot:

  • camera is up high looking down on the scene

  • makes someone seem weak, innocent, vulnerable

  • encourages audience to feel sympathy


straight angle/ eye level shot:

  • helps audience to relate to character

  • audience feels on their level

bird's eye view shot:

  • extreme high angle looking straight down

  • makes something seems small or insignificant


canted angle/ dutch tilt:

  • camera is tilted at an angle

  • good for making disorientated or chaotic situations

  • good for making characters seem drunk or dazed


shallow focus:

  • only parts of the scene in focus

  • draws audience’s attention to make something seem important


deep focus:

  • everything in the background and foreground is in focus

  • good for showing surroundings


pull focus:

  • someone pulls the lens around

  • when the shot switches focus


trombone shot/ dolly zoom:

  • camera zooms in as it’s tracked in or vice versa

  • for dramatic/ major events


tracking shot:

  • camera is on wheels/ track

  • tracks across a setting

  • good for when characters are moving


handheld shot:

  • camera is hand held and very shaky and unstable

  • good for action

  • audience feel like they’re in the scene


pov shot:

  • audience sees through character’s eyes

over the shoulder shot:

  • for conversation or confrontation







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