Studying Media

Camera Shots and Angles

Introduction – What we’ve learned so far…

As a class we have started to discuss some of the tools available to a film maker when directing a movie.

We have spoken about:How a filmmaker uses soundtrack.How a filmmaker uses genre and

conventions.

Task 1

Groups will be given a sheet of A4 Paper. You will be assigned either ‘Soundtrack’ or

‘Genre and Conventions’ as your topic. You have 5 minutes in your group to draw a

spider-diagram and note everything you learned about these areas of media in bubbles around the main topic.

You MUST have at least two bubbles explaining WHAT they are and HOW they are used by filmmakers.

Soundtrack

We are learning to…

Recognise and use the names of different camera shots.

Identify these camera shots. Explain why these camera shots might

be used.

What is a camera shot?

When a filmmaker starts to shoot a scene in a movie he has to decide where to put his camera for different parts of that scene. By putting his camera in different positions he will get different shots of the actors and this can change how the viewer feels about those characters.

Scene – A scene in a movie is a short segment of the film which is shot in one place. So a film might have lots of different scenes that are all shot in different places.

A ‘Close-Up’ Shot

A close up shot is when a filmmaker positions his camera so that all that is visible on the screen is the actors head and the tops of their shoulders. Most of the screen will be filled the actors face.

A ‘medium’ shot

In a medium shot the whole top half of an actors body should be visible. This means we are still close enough to see his face but we can also see his hands and arms as well as the top half of his body. Again, most of the screen is filled by the actor with very little background visible. It can be a shot of one or more actors.

A ‘long’ shot

A long shot is when the camera is positioned further away from the actor. It means you can see the whole of the actors body on the screen as well as most of the background.

Task 2

Individual Task

You will see a number of different pictures. Write down the number of the picture and beside it write down which of the three shot types you think it is.

E.G.

Picture 1 – Medium Shot

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

All you see on the screen is a well-manicured hand, nervously tapping a countertop.

An interior of a car where a couple are having an argument.

A car is driving on a deserted road. The outline of a city can be seen in the distance.

Task 3

Now we need to identify what these shots might be used for. Look at the descriptions on the following page and decide what sort of camera shot would be used in that scenario. Discuss it with your group and prepare to feedback to the rest of the class.