This is the first in my attempt to help others learn little about photography!
I hope you enjoy!
The height of the camera in comparison to the subject has a huge affect on the viewer. Think about what you are trying to convey to your audience. Do you want them to feel dominant over a character? Do you want them to have pity on someone? Lets say you are building your character, and you want them to finally feel equal to another character, working on your camera height can help you achieve any of these situations.
Here are the different camera heights and the affects they can have on your viewer. Keep in mind, lots of these terms can have relative meanings and feelings, so be aware at how you can use them to help tell your story.
Birds Eye – This angle is done from a really elevated position. Also called Overhead view, bird’s eye view can be an aerial shot, or almost looking from directly above a subject. Imagine you were a bird flying far above your subject, this is about what you would end up seeing.
High Angle – Shooting from a higher angle looking down at your subject. With this angle, you can take away any power that your subject may have. Think of it as actually looking down on someone. If you wanted your audience to have pity on a character, this could be a very reasonable angle to use. There are varying degrees of high angles, this can be subtle or very apparent. Distance from your subject also will have an affect on your angle, but we can talk more about that later.
Eye Level – I probably would say to use this as your standard shot. But again, every angle should have a purpose, so be aware of the feelings they convey and use them wisely. This angle puts the viewer and the subject on equal footing. At Eye Level, no one is looking down or looking up at anyone. I like shooting Interviews and Portraits at eye level, because, it gives a neutrality to the image, and lets you build from there. A standard eye level is about 5 and a half feet, but the eye level of a short person, or a really tall person vary, so again, lots of these are relative terms.
Low Angle – This angle gives the subject power! Imagine yourself, standing in front of a body builder looking up at them, shooting someone from a low angle makes the subject look like they could be towering over you. Because you are giving your subject power or taking it away, you are able to choose who and when to shoot in these angles.
Worms Eye – This is an exaggerated low angle. Rather than a bird flying overhead, this would be the worm crawling on the ground. Everything towers above this angle. So shooting something from worms eye view looks like a giant.
Dutch Tilt/Canted Angle – Camera Height isn’t as important as is the tilting or rotating of the actual camera itself. The Canted Angle or the Dutch Tilt as its commonly known as, puts the camera on a tilt as if you were tilting your head to the side. It’s rotated enough so that the vertical lines are now angled and the horizon is no longer parallel to the bottom of the frame. This angle really is meant to distort your view. You can use it to add a feeling of chaos or mental anguish (physiological uneasiness).
These angles work, whether you are shooting a 3 foot tall toddler from a low angle they will feel like a towering giant, or the other way around and shoot a 7 foot tall man from a high angle removes his power and he looks little and helpless. So now that you know what these angles can do, use them to your advantage. Experiment with them and see how you react to the visuals you create.
If you have had the chance to read through any of the recommended books I listed in the previous post, then you may have already come to the section on Types of Camera Angles.
I’d like to spend a little bit of time going over some of the basics, so that we all can get on the same page. There are two main types of Camera Angles, Objective and Subjective.
To think of an Objective Camera Angle, think of a stage play. All the characters are on stage performing, and all the action is happening in front of you. You are not part of the play, only viewing it as part of the audience. Objective Camera Angles gives you the view of the audience and separates you from the action that is happening. You are viewing from the sideline, and not participating in the action.
A Subjective camera angle, brings the viewer out of the audience and allows them to have a view from a subject or character’s view point (Not a point of view, although POV shots are considered subjective). This type of camera angle can be as if you were a third person following along in the action, listening into the dialogue and almost being a part of the cast. This allows the viewer to experience the film subjectively.
The reason why I bring this up, is because its important to learn the relationship between the audience and camera angles. The placement of the camera and the angle of the camera can have a direct effect on the viewer. Camera angles consist of 3 different factors. Subject Size, Camera Height and Subject Angle.
Its been a while since college, I went to film school over 15 years ago. But there are lots of times I find myself referencing ideas and thoughts that I learned during classes and out of my textbooks. Getting an education and training is important, but I believe most important of all is the learning. Especially learning how to learn!
For those interested in a few resources, I just wanted to list a few books that I used when I was in school, many of which I still reference today. Others, I’ve acquired over the years and have just thought them good reads. Learning techniques is great, it can be extremely helpful, but in most cases, its even more helpful to learn theory. Its the “why” that matters. Why are you telling your story in a certain way? Why did you choose your camera, or lens choice? Why do you want to move the camera?
There are plenty of books out there, but here are a few I really enjoyed and got a lot out of.
The 5 C’s of Cinematography – This is probably one of the books I go back to the most. It’s almost a textbook style learning of the process of
filmmaking. Going over the 5 C’s gives everyone a detailed look at lots of the theory and technique behind films of the time. This book was first published in the mid 60’s and is still studied by students of film today. I have read this book multiple times and still enjoy looking through it.
American Cinematographer Manual – I must admit, this book was over my head when I first looked through it. I struggled a bit and learned enough to pass my Cinematography class. We actually learned on Film Cameras, and we learned to load film in a mag in a dark changing bag. But unless the new revisions have changed drastically from the one I used, this book mainly deals with using actual film and film cameras (16mm 35mm and plenty more).
The Screenwriter’s Bible – I remember being told, “if you don’t think its important enough to learn the proper font, layout and margins, a production company won’t think its important enough to read, and they’ll just toss it in the trash.” Unless you have connections that will be able to green light your project from a treatment you wrote on a napkin, you probably want to learn the correct formatting for your script!
The Complete Film Production Handbook – When it came to preproduction, this book really helps with script breakdowns, and budgeting and forms and sheets. This is the part where most people want to skip. But it is invaluable to be organized and prepared. This is a huge part of the preproduction process and you should not skip this step or just take it lightly! “For every three weeks of preproduction, there is one week of production.” I’ve lived by this 3 to 1 ratio and have learned from it immensely! Skipping preproduction really puts your project to a screeching halt, and can really magnify the time it will take you to finish a project.
Rebel Without A Crew – This was not required reading for any of my classes! But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and read it because it is very encouraging to go through this one. It’s more of a diary of a young filmmaker as he goes through preproduction, production and post, until he goes on to win the Sundance Film Festival and becomes a major Hollywood player. It’s great to go through this book with an average guy with determination and see him succeed.
I have a lot more books that I haven’t listed, but I’ll continue to come back to this page, and add more resources, books and links. I hope that this can be of help to any of you who really are interested in filmmaking and storytelling. Let me know below what you think of any of these books or if you have recommendations of other books or resources as well.
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