Cinematography

Shot Types

Extreme Long Shot:

This shots shows a complete view of the setting and also puts emphasis on an extreme space also isolating a character. 

Within this shot the focus is on the setting by putting the character in the shot it puts the size of the mountain and lake making the character seem insignificant to the audience.

Long Shot:

This shot is slightly closer to the subject however the setting is still visible and the shot is on a more human scale. 

In this shot the character is still visible and the audiences focus is more on him more clearly however the setting is still visible giving the audience a sense of destruction around the character.

Medium Long Shot:
This shot focuses even more on the subject and their details however it still presents the audience with information about the setting.

The audience can now tell more about the character his confused expression is clear however the audience can still see the mass of abandoned cars highlighting the tense atmosphere.

Medium Shot:
The focus of the shot is the character or subject which shows information such as posture, facial expression and appearance.

This shot highlights Kate's expression of delight and Jack's of content which otherwise wouldn't have been visible with a wider shot. Also a tighter shot wouldn't have shown the characters body language which conveys how intimate they are.

Medium Close Up:
This shot is mainly used for reaction or conversation shots and is often used on the news as the focus is the reporter.


Here the shot is used to show Wonder Woman's sadness and exhaustion however the sky being a dark orange colour mirrors her dark emotions which is why it was important that it is still visible in the shot.

Close Up:
This shot allows you to see a characters details and shows small features allowing the audience this is the widest shot where you can cut the subjects head.

In this shot the audience can see the Jokers makeup is smeared showing a lack of care because of his imprisonment.

Big Close Up:
In this shot the audience can view the social triangle which is the nose, eyes and mouth this shot is primarily for showing a characters emotions. 

In this shot you can see the characters look of determination and sadness this shot allows the audience to connect with the character.

Extreme Close Up:
This shot shows very little detail and isn't used very often but is also good for hiding details.


In this shot we can see a world and an explosion but have no idea what is happening as this the opening shot of the film it intrigues the audience making them want to know what has happened to this world.

Camera Angles

High Angle:
The camera is looking down on the subject.
 
The subject feels inferior to the audience in this scene Harry is being attacked and this angle makes him weaker.

Low angle:
In this angle the camera is looking up at the subject.


Because of the high angle used the Avengers appear to have the power because they are looking down onto the camera.

Eye Level:
In this angle the camera is the same height as the subject.

This angle helps the audience connect with the character as it makes them feel equal to them. In this scene the eye level angle is used to help make the audience sympathise with Eleven as feel a connection with her.

Canted:
This angle is on a tilt and is used when the setting or character is just not right.


This angle is used in Inception when the realities start to break down and the hotel turns upside down this angle helps to convey the odd nature of the scene and also high lights how much trouble the characters are in.

Camera Movement

Tilt:

This is movement of a camera going up and down it does not effect the horizontal axis. This technique is typically used to reveal something important or to build suspense.

Pan:

The movement involves the camera moving from one side to another it's often used to show the whole setting for example the shot could pan over a group of people to show them all.

Zoom:

This technique changes the focal length of the lens to make the subject seem closer or further away in the frame. Zoom is typically used to highlight a smaller detail or to reveal a bigger picture. 

Pedestal:

This movement is very similar to the tilt however in the tilt its the angle of the view which moves whereas in the pedestal the whole camera moves.

Dolly:
This technique is the movement towards or from. Dolly-in refers to moving closer to the subject whereas Dolly-out means to step further away from the subject with both movements the zoom is always kept the same

Truck:
Trucking is similar to dolly except you physically move the camera left or right this is sometimes preferable to a pan for example if the subject is moving a pan would begin to show their back as they move whereas trucking would stay with the subject.

Analysing a scene 

I've taken this scene from a TV show called Pretty Little Liars.

The scene starts with long shot with a slightly high angle then the shot quickly zooms out before the audience gets a good look at the environment highlighting that this is not an important image. As the shot continues to zoom out there is an over the shoulder shot where the audience can see the original image is from a computer screen. This shot tells the audience a lot about the character who's shoulder we see it shows the audience the character is sneaky and spying on people also the high angle from the first shot could also show this character believes they feel a sense of power. The shot then uses an extreme close up onto a red button and then focuses on a gloved hand pressing the button. Red is a colour associated with danger highlighting that by pressing the button something bad could happen. Also the gloved hand hides features of the character from the audience creating a sense of mystery. The shot then changes to a eye level angle with a medium shot with the camera facing the back of the character which still hides the characters features. Now the shot shows the setting clearly and the audience can see that the character is sat at a desk. Then still keeping the same shot another character walks into the frame and sits down next to the first character the camera lingers on them and then the scene ends.

The new shot is at a high angle panning over some duct tape, ropes, a tool bag and then a case of needles are pushed into focus. These items indicate to the audience that a kidnapping or killing is being prepared for. The shot then zooms out into a medium shot as the character from the first scene closes the boot of a car the shot then tracks the character as they move round to get into the car. This frame shows the audience who's incriminating items was being panned over and because they have now been packed into a car highlight that the suspected kidnapping is soon going to take place. The shot continues to track the character while they get into the back of a car the camera then stops at an over the shoulder angle where the divider rolls down and the over character passes back an envelop. The camera then zooms in on the envelop making it the focus of the frame then the camera tilts down following the envelop. This following the envelop shows the audience that the contents of it is very important. The shot stays on the extreme close up of the envelop as the character opens it to reveal tickets to a school dance. The build up to open the envelop and the importance each frame showed the audience how important the tickets are hints that the suspected kidnapping is going to take place at this dance.