A famous example of a tracking shot is from ‘Touch of evil’ (1958, by Orson Welles) I decided on this particular shot because of how visually interesting it is. A main reason for its significance is the tension it builds up. The whole film itself is very intense, with moments of slow agonising wait compared to some bursts of fast and sharp action. This particular shot is deliberately slow, and drawn out to both excite and frighten the audience, who are eagerly anticipating the next move. The daunting irony of the audience knowing that the time bomb is inside the car heightens the tension as it makes us feel like we are in on the action, especially the irritation as the couple regularly pass the car. We are anticipating the next move, so keeping us focused on the car is an interesting tactic in ensuring that no one looks away. By using this type of camera movement, this ensures that the audience can only focus on the action in front of them, and the pace of which the action is delivered; is deliberately controlled to create a tense and fearful atmosphere

A good example of a crane shot is from ‘Citizen Kane’ (1941, Orson Welles) This film was directed by Welles, who also directed ‘Touch of evil’ which incorporates various shot types into his work. I chose this film in particular because I think that the shot has a powerful impact on the audience, because of how it visually appease but also because of the significance it has towards the plot and character development. This scene depicts the story of the lack of appreciation for Susan’s performance, solidifying her character as looked down upon and somewhat tragic. This instantly evokes sympathy from the audience, who want to get to know the character. The camera rises up to the rafters, to overlook the scene from such a height. This gives us a broad view of the action, which ensures that we can observe everything going on. By ultimately separating us from Susan, we are given the illusion that she is trapped within this life that Kane has set for her and cannot get out. Since we are looking over the scene, this can give the implication that people looked down and upon the character, which can make the audience feel even further sorry for her

The film ’Animal Kingdom’ (2010, by David Michôd) showcases a good example of a dolly shot. The shot is an excellent way of establishing the eerie and almost frightening scene. The slow movement drags onto Pope’s longing expression, the audience then assumes that he is staring at the TV which is shown. But the picture cuts to Nicky, a character of which is asleep. This can be very effective in creating a spooked atmosphere but also clearly establishing Pope as a character not to be reckoned with. The movement is very significant, because it is deliberately slow which keeps the audience on the edge of their seat while equally entertained but also frightened.

‘Toy story’ (1995, by John Lasseter) shows an excellent example of a pedestal camera movement. The camera moves upwards from Buzz when he makes his first appearance in the film. This is done primarily to visually showcase his implicated and expressed superiority over Woody, who feels replaced. By showing him looking down on Woody, this is foreshadowing the feelings of inferiority and replacement by Woody later on in the film. This evokes an instant aspect of distain towards Buzz by the audience, because we are rooting for Woody; the protagonist, and do not like the idea of Buzz thinking that he is superior. Since this is our first look at Buzz, I personally think that our first impressions are largely negative. We get the impression that he is vain and extremely self-assured by his confident position looming over Woody. This suggests aspects of his character are mainly confident. By slowing lifting the camera upwards, not only is the tension manipulated by the camera crew but we are only showed Woody’s reaction as he first witnesses Buzz

A good example of a tilt movement is from ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope’ (1977, by George Lucas) This famous shot is used in the opening scene, which implies that its main role of significance is to set the scene for the audience. The camera tilts down from the stars, to the planet. This instantly indicates the sci-fi aspect of the film by showing it is on a different, fictional planet. By starting with filming the stars, the audience get a peaceful start to the film, which contradicts all of the later action and tension. Since the opening begins with something basic enough, we can suggest that the action will increase later throughout the film. I think that the audience would be pleased by this opening, because they get an interesting visual of the world which helps create verisimilitude

The film ‘Psycho’ (1960, by Alfred Hitchcock’ utilises an excellent example of a pan downwards camera movement. The camera slowly pans down as Marion falls down after being stabbed. As the protagonist, her death is arguably very significant so her death would need to be something which engaged the audience because of her relevance as the main character. Since the camera slowly pans, this is important in creating tension which contradicts the frenzy and wildness of the situation. I think that the audience would sympathize with Marion because they understand her desperate character and do not think that she deserves to die

A good example of a high angle shot is from ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ (2011, by David Yates) This angle is significant, particularly to the plot because it gives a representation of Voldemort’s power as he physically towers over Harry which shows the audience his sheer power. As the audience, we are frightened for Harry at the severity of his disastrous situation; this solidifies his character as a protagonist because despite the challenges he faces, we are still meant to stick by him. The angle is also well-framed, because it makes us look down on the scene as if we are a part of it. By having Voldemort tower over Harry, we feel that his situation is precarious and does not look good. There is also a sense of superiority by positioning Voldemort over Harry, insinuating that Voldemort thinks he is above Harry. This is also suggesting that he is more powerful than him, foreshadowing the ending where everyone believes that Harry was killed but it turned out that he defeated his arch rival

The film ‘Raising Arizona’ (1987, by Joel Coen) makes good use of low angles. This particular shot is highly effective in portraying Smalls as a menacing and dangerous character. This is done by forcing the camera to look up to him, implying that he believes to be superior to everyone, adding a touch of arrogance to his traits. The shot is well framed by positioning him in the centre, surrounded by guns. This implies that violence is his world, and all he ever knows. The audience should feel intimidated, or afraid for the characters because of the way that the camera is angled looking upwards at the character. He looks frightening because of the confidence expressed in his facial features, which represents his character very well

This example of a bird’s eye view is from the film ‘Psycho’ (1960, by Alfred Hitchcock) I think this is a strong example because everything seems eerie and out of place. The scene depicts the secret antagonist Norman’s attempt to hide the identity of his ‘mother’ who supposedly killed the investigator. The interesting aspect is that we do not know that his ‘mother’ is actually just the corpse, so I think this scene is very effective for the audience because it prevents them from finding out about the true identity, which creates even more tension. This type of angle is significant because it shows the entire setting, which allows our attention to drift away from ‘mother’, thus allowing her true identity to remain a secret. I think this is vital in retaining an element of mystery and surprise throughout the entire film

This is an example of a worm’s eye view camera angle from the film ‘The ant bully’ (2006, by John Davis) I particularly like this angle used because; although this film isn’t usually my favourite genre I think that both the plot and cinematography conveyed important messages. We perceive the scene in the same point of view as the ants, so view Lucas as gigantic in comparison. His anger is evident, which twists his character negatively, making him seen cruel and harsh; especially when he attacks the ants. From this, we don’t particularly like Lucas, although to a certain extent we do understand his rage; coming from his recent bullying. However, since he is looking down on the ants, this gives us a sense of his feelings of superiority. This is contradicted when he is shrunk down to their size and learns that he is equal to them. I think this shot is useful in conveying the main messages portrayed in the film, including equality

The film ‘Battlefield Earth’ (2000, by Rodger Christian) is well-known for its usage of Dutch tilt camera angles, I particularly like this one because of how abstract and complex it appears. The film itself is extremely complex; there are many different ideas and aspects which are varied. I think that this is also represented in this scene. The camera is only slightly tilted, which contrasts against the scaffolding bars and the outlines of buildings. There is a lot going on in this scene, so tilting the camera ensures that the audience can notice how uniquely balanced everything is.

This example of a canted shot is from the film ‘Inception’ (2010, by Christopher Nolan) I really like it because of how complicating it is to look at. I think that it reflects the confusing yet engaging nature of the film which ends with a complex and not fully explained ending. The whole plot revolves around the manipulation of dreams to receive what the main character Dom wants. By showing the characters swaying and manoeuvring across the corridor, this represents the shaky line separating dreams from reality. Since everything seems floaty, and on edge; it is hard to determine what is reality and dreams. I think the audience would be interested by the complexity of this shot, but might feel a bit confused about how to look at it without a headache

Crab Left – Ghostbusters (dir. Paul Feig, 2016)

A crab left camera movement is when the camera moves left, showing the audience more of the scene. In this clip, the camera does a crab left movement at 0:28-0:32, when the camera moves over all four of the girls firing their proton guns. The director has chosen to use this movement at this moment to show the first main use of the guns in the film. It is a very powerful shot, and works very well with the rest of the scene, as it makes the audience feel like the girls have a new sense of power. If the camera had stayed fixed on the Ghostbusters instead of moving along, then it wouldn’t have given the same effect and wouldn’t have been as impressive to the audience.

Zooms – Shaun of the Dead (dir. Edgar Wright, 2004)

This scene uses a number of quick zoom shots, which each focus on a different thing. These shots give the audience a brief but specific glimpse of how average Shaun’s life is. It helps them to understand his character more, as the shots focus on more simple tasks in his morning, rather than anything majorly significant. It also creates a lighthearted sense to the film, as the audience wouldn’t expect a serious drama to use shots like these. These shots come near the beginning of the film, and they help to set the comedic tone that the rest of the film has. They also help to establish Shaun’s character to the audience, so that they understand the actions that he takes later on in the film.

Ped down – Psycho (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

A ped down shot is when the camera moves down in the scene. In the famous shower scene in this film, the director has used a ped down shot to show Marion as she’s dying (1:24-1:30). The camera tracks her as she slides down the wall after being attacked and murdered. This shot has been well thought out by the director, as it emphasises her death for the audience, and makes it seem more real. It also helps the audience to sympathise with Marion and to be fully immersed in the scene. This shot follows her face as she falls down, which makes the audience feel like they’re experiencing the scene with her.

Deigesis, or the diegetic gaze, is when a film can create a believable scene using camera placement/techniques in relation the rest of the scene (Using props, depth of field, etc.)   is a very good example of a diegetic film, as it creates a very believable world through the costumes, sets and also camera work.

The Depth of Field is controlled by the focus and aperture of a camera and is the distance between the nearest and furthest image in the frame. For instance, if a shot is using a shallow focus, the background will be more blurred out, making it easier to have a specific character stand out to the audience.

Whereas a deep focus will have everything in the frame in focus, with nothing necessarily standing out more than anything else. For instance, The Revanant (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2016) used a a lot of deep focus shots throughout so as to keep everything of equal importance in the frame.

Thor (Kenneth Branagh, 2011)

Canted/Dutch Shots:

The Director of Thor has stated many times that he was not sure how to shoot the 2011 movie Thor. Along with the director of photography, Haris Zambarloukos, they decided to use a lot of canted/dutch angles. Most  of these kinds of shots are reserved for scenes where a character is dazed or confused, as it makes it seem like there is something off-kilter and strange going on. Unfortunately, because there were so many in Thor, it made many elements and scenes in the film feel clunky and not quite right; an effect the director was not after.

The Revanant (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2016)

Worms eye Shots:

The Revenant utilities very low, swooping low angle shots to portray to the viewer the sense of scale and wonder that surrounds the protagonist. Many filmmakers tend to stick to using telephoto lenses when shooting landscapes, where as director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki, predominantly used wide angle lenses whilst shooting to make the world feel bigger and more life like.

The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

Low Shots:

Nolan uses mostly Low and eye level shots when filming the antagonist of the film; the joker. This helps create a sense of humanity to the character and even though he is shown throughout the movie to be crazy, it helps keep the character grounded in reality, instead of making him seem like an over-dramatized villain.

Bird’s Eye – To The Bone (dir. Marti Noxon, 2017)

A bird’s-eye shot is when the scene is shown from a very high place, as a bird would see if it was watching. This particular scene is one of the most significant in the whole film, as Ellen realises what her body has started to look like because of her struggles with anorexia. The director’s choice to have a bird’s-eye view show this scene where she looks down at her body is very effective, as it reflects the out-of-body experience that Ellen is experiencing. This shot emphasises the shocking change in appearance that she has gone through in the film, and serves as a pivotal moment towards Ellen’s recovery.

Canted – Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2010)

A canted angle is made when the horizon isn’t level, and it often gives the sense of something not being quite right in a scene. Inception uses a number of different shots in this famous corridor scene. The canted angle is created as the corridor tilts around, which is caused by the characters’ bodies swaying around in the real world. This shot helps to create a dream-like effect, which works very well in this part of the film, as it emphasises that none of this scene is really happening. It also increases the audience’s sense of confusion, as this shot makes the already weird scene ever stranger.

High Angle – Back to the Future (dir. Robert Zemeckis, 1985)

A high angle is a shot when the camera is tilted down, looking at the characters below. The use of the high angle in this scene is powerful as it shows the similarities between Marty and his father. From this, the audience can clearly see that it is his father, even if they weren’t aware of it yet, because of the way they are acting so alike. This angle also gives the audience a good look at the 50’s diner, so they can be fully immersed in the film. There are many details in this shot that help with this immersion – including the costumes, the style that the diner is decorated in, and the car outside of the window.

This dolly shot is from Malcom X (1992 , directed by Spike Lee) and in this scene , Malcom is on his way to give the speech where he will be assassinated. Lee has put both the actor and the camera on a dolly and this makes Malcom look like he’s floating like a ghost which may make the audience feel a sense of foreboding because they know what is about to happen.

This is the opening shot of Touch Of Evil (1958 , directed by Orson Welles ) and it is one continuous tracking shot which follows the main characters through a crowded street. The audience will be jolted out of their expectations because continuous tracking shots are notoriously difficult to execute and hence they are rarely attempted.

This example of a zoom shot is from The Shining (1980 , directed by Stanley Kubrick) and it makes the audience feel uncomfortable because before this scene , the audience were unsure weather Jack was going to go insane and in this scene we go from Jack hacking down the door to a close up of his deranged face and this would scare thee audience.

This pedestal shot is from Toy Story (1995 , directed by John Lassiter) is the establishing shot for Buzz Lightyear and it immediately makes it seem like he thinks he is superior to everyone else and this may make the audience begin to dislike him because they may think that Buzz is vain and has a superiority complex.

 

Baby Driver (Dir. Edgar Wright, 2017)

Eye-Level Close Up:

 In this scene from Baby Driver, the DoP (Bill Pope) has created a shot where the Main Character, Baby, is looking towards the camera, however he is not in focus. the camera is focused on the toy car and this is used as foreshadowing as later in the same scene, the car is pushed off of the table – hinting towards the car crash that happens later in the film.

The Shining (Dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

Extreme Close Up:

This famous scene from the Shining Uses an Extreme close up on the character of Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) to portray the levels of insanity that the character has gone to, and is also used to unsettle the audience. The use of this extreme close up also helps show the audience that there is nothing left of Jack Torrance, as we cannot see his body. it effectively shows how the character has completely changed, to the point where they are almost different people.

Logan (Dir. James Mangold, 2017)

Long Shot:

This Shot gives the audience time to realize how hurt the protagonist of Logan (Hugh Jackman) is. In this film, his power is the ability to heal his wounds, and while it was hinted at previously in the film that he was becoming weaker, this shot confirms it to the audience.

Camera Angles

This is my work for Camera Angles for the Film Spider-Man Homecoming.