Discover the transformative impact of camera placement and movement in your footage, influencing viewer perspective and narrative depth. Learn how strategic camera motivation can elevate your storytelling and immerse audiences in your cinematic world.
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In 1900 George Albert Smith used one of the first Close Ups in cinema. Up until this point, filmmakers usually kept their camera static and a wide field of view, assuming anything closer would disrupt or confuse the audience.
This all changed when Smith used of the earliest known cuts from a wide to a close-up shot, when he wanted the audience to see the kitten eat in more detail.
The cut between wide and close worked, it seemed natural and was well received by the audience, so Closeups were born!
A.K.A. Establishing Shot
Purpose: Used to establish a setting
Ways to achieve: Drone, Helicopter, Standing far away.
A.K.A. Long Shot, Full Shot
Subject takes up the full frame – from head to toe.
Purpose: Establishing a character within a setting.
A.K.A. Mid Shot
Waist-Up, most common, start seeing emotion, body language – more person/subject than setting.
Similar to Medium Shot, includes two actors.
Purpose: Establishes relationship between these two characters.
Usually from the shoulders to the top of the head.
Purpose: For the actor to portray the emotional impact of the scene. Completely reliant in the actor.
Extreme detail on the subject’s face or a specific important item. Purpose: Usually to amp up the scene, show emotional intensity.
Almost exclusively used for dialogue, uses rule of thirds for framing, also note 180° rule.
Purpose: makes subject appear larger, heroic, dominant or intimidating.
Purpose: To make subject appear inferior, weak, scared or threatened.
Shows a view from the perspective of the subject (or object). Needs an establishing shot of whose POV it is, unless the shot is obvious. This is often used in horror movies to see through the killer’s eyes.
EVEN IF THERE ARE ONLY TWO PEOPLE IN A SCENE, THERE IS A THIRD PERSON IN THE ROOM, WATCHING THEM: THE CAMERA.
— GODAR
Motivated camera movements are direct responses to the action on screen: you move, I follow you. A character walks across the room and the camera tilts, pans, or physically moves by hand or on tracks. Unmotivated camera moves are used for emphasis of one kind or another, be it emotional or supernatural, by the storyteller. You stand still, I approach — that’s unmotivated.
Unmotivated simply means that the camera frame reflects the director’s point of view first and the characters and narrative action second. Camera movement is motivated by the storyteller not the story.
A Pan can be used to reveal more information. Specific information can be hidden initially and then displayed by a Pan later in the scene.
A Tilt can reveal new information or tell the viewers what to focus on.This movement can also reveal what a person is looking at.
Moving Forwards makes people or objects larger. It suggests the viewers should focus on something. Moving Backwards reveals new information, showing a wider area or more visual information.
A great camera-move for following a subject. It keeps them in the frame while also seeing their environment at the same time. This is a stylish way to reveal new information as the character comes across it.
Like other movements, it helps reveal more information. By slowly revealing something, it creates a sense of menace or a threat.