The Top 10 Most Important Camera Shots And Angles

 

 

 The Shots and the affects that they create...



 
 

Example of a Close Up

Close Up
A shot that keeps only the face full in the frame. Perhaps the most important building block in cinematic storytelling.           

 

 



Example of a High Angle Shot

High Angle Shot
A shot looking down on a character or subject often isolating them in the frame. Nothing says Billy No Mates like a good old high angle shot.           

 

Example of a Low angle shot

                                       Low Angle Shot

 

A shot looking up at a character or subject often making them look bigger in the frame. It can make everyone look heroic and/or dominant. Also good for making cities look empty.           

 

 

Example of Long Shot

 

 

Long Shot Aka Wide Shot

A shot that depicts an entire character or object from head to foot. Not as long as an establishing shot. Aka a wide shot.     

 

 

 

Example of a Medium Shot

 

 Medium Shot
The shot that utilizes the most common framing in movies, shows less than a long shot, more than a close-up. Obviously.           

 

 

Example of the Over the shoulder shot

Over-The-Shoulder Shot

A shot where the camera is positioned behind one subject's shoulder, usually during a conversation. It implies a connection between the speakers as opposed to the single shot that suggests distance.

Example of a Pan Shot

 Pan Shot
A shot where the camera moves continuously right to left or left to right. An abbreviation of "panning". Turns up a lot in car chases and on You've Been Framed (worth £250 if they use the clip).

 

Example of a POV shot

 

POV shot
A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see. Often used in Horror cinema to see the world through a killer's eyes.           

 

 

                                                        Tilt
A shot where the camera moves continuously Up to Down or Down To Up. A vertical panning shot. A tilt to the sky is traditionally a last shot in a movie.           

 

 

Example of a Tracking shot

Tracking Shot
A shot that follows a subject be it from behind or alongside or in front of the subject. Not as clumsy or random as a panning shot, an elegant shot for a more civilized age. Beloved by Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Terence Davies, Paul Thomas Anderson.           

 

 

 

And When I say 10 shots well I really mean 11, but who can miss out the...

 

THE MONEY SHOT

A shot that is expensive to shoot but deemed worth it for its potential to wow, startle and generate interest. This is the best shot ever. simple.       

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it. my version of the top 10 (11...) movie shots you can use. Just watch any film, any film you like and I guarantee you will find at least 1 of all these shots in it. Well go on... what are you waiting for? Go see for yourself!!!