Cinematography notes

1. Cinematography
Establishing shot
The shot can tell us where the film is located- and therefore it can hint a genre.
Wide shot (WS)
A wide shot which tells us where a character is- it gives us more information.
Medium shot (MS)
A medium shot can show us a character from the waist upwards/ downwards.
Medium close up
To add more detail to a medium shot, or not to be as zoomed in as a close up
Close up (CU)
A close up shot can highlight someone’s emotion or make an object significant.

2. Extreme close up (ECU)
To highlight extra emotion on someone’s face
Point of view shot
To show us the characters point of view, hands or feet are usually featured
Over the shoulder shot
To make us feel like we are part of the shot
Two shot
Two people featured in a shot
Shot reverse shot
The camera flicks between two people usually having a conversation (must obey 180 degree rule)

3. Low angle shot
The camera looks up at a character- which shows authority
High angle shot
The camera looks down on a character- which shows weakness