Using Camera Shots

During Media lessons, we have been learning about different camera shots and how to set up a video camera and tripod.

As practical work, we had to set up the camera and tripod, and then we were set the task to go and film some of the shots that we had learnt about in the lesson. Hannah and I took it in turns, with one of us operating the camera, and the other being the subject of the shot.

Our teachers set us a list of shots that we should attempt to film:

• Panoramic Shot
• Extreme Close Up
• Close Up
• Medium Shot
• Long Shot
• Canted Shot
• Point of View Shot
• Over the Shoulder Shot
• High Angle Shot
• Low Angle Shot

With the shots that we filmed, we created a short video:

We had set up the camera and tripod correctly, and we had this checked by our teacher, which meant we were able to go away and film. We felt that we got good examples of each shot.

In the lesson we learnt the purpose of certain camera shots. Here are a few examples:

Extreme close ups - These are often used to focus in objects or on a part of a character's body. This type of shot highlights the importance of the subject of the shot to the audience and amplifies its significance.

Close ups - These are used in order to show the emotions of the character and allow the audience to feel empathy for them. Close up shots will only contain the face of the character, as their expression is the main focus of the shot.

Medium shots - These are shots of characters from the waist upwards. Medium shots are used to show the body language of the character, and how they interact with other characters in the shot. They allow the audience to make a connection between the character's body language and facial expression, as both can be seen in this type of shot.

Extreme long shots - Often known as establishing shots, these are typically used at the beginning of a film, or even scene, to establish where it is taking place. Extreme long shots contain a large amount of landscape in order for the audience to get a feel for the place in which the film is set.

We also learnt some important filming tips for audience engagement:

• Keep the shots short - they should be no longer than 10 seconds
• Use a variety of different shots
• Use a variety of different camera angles