1. Learn about
CAMERA ANGLESor die!

2. Eye-level shot = normal
The Great Train Robbery, 1903

3. Sherlock Jr., 1924

4. The camera
angle remains
at eye-level
when the
characters are
sitting.
Sherlock Jr., 1924

5. Angled shots = abnormal way of seeing?
The Shawshank Redemption, 1994

6. Viewers
identify with
the camera.

7. Force of Evil, 1948

8. A camera
placed at a
low angle
forces us to
look up at the
subject.

9. A high angle
forces us to
look down at
the subject.

10. Low-angle shot
Eye-level shot
The Passion of Joan of Arc, 1928
High-angle shot

12. A Dutch tilt
or canted
angle
presents
the world
off-balance.

13. The effect of
a particular
camera angle
depends on
context.
The Shining, 1980

14. This low-angle shot
of Joan occurs
during the torture
montage, just
before she
collapses.

15. Mise-en-scène
1. Design
the look of settings, props, lighting and
actors
(as in plays)
2. Composition
the organization, distribution, balance,
and general relationship of actors and
objects within the space of each shot
(as in paintings and photographs)

16. Framing

17. Subject placement using the rule of thirds
American Beauty

18. Subject placement using the rule of thirds
Pan’s Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro, 2007.

19. Subject placement without looking room creates tension
Pan’s Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro, 2007.

20. Subject placement in center
Pan’s Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro, 2007.

21. Hitchcock’s rule: The size of the object in the frame should be
directly related to its importance in the story at that moment

22. Figure placement in a balanced composition
Juno. Jason Reitman, 2007.

23. Figure placement in an unbalanced composition
Juno. Jason Reitman, 2007.

24. Figure placement in a balanced composition
American Beauty

25. A deep frame that emphasizes the z axis
The Shining. Stanley Kubrick, 1980.

26. A flat frame that understates the z axis
The Conversation. Francis Ford Coppola, 1974.

31. Extreme long shot
The Searchers. John Ford, 1956.

32. Long shot
The Searchers. John Ford, 1956.

33. Medium long shot / Three shot
The Searchers. John Ford, 1956.

34. Medium shot / Two shot
The Searchers. John Ford, 1956.

35. Medium shot / Single
The Searchers. John Ford, 1956.

36. Close up
The Searchers. John Ford, 1956.