Compiled by Chris Bertucci
Here is a YouTube video that shows the basic camera angles and shots and why they matter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYPrtXZ7HVE
Here are a series of short clips (1-2 minutes each) from Expert Village that cover the uses of various camera angles and moving shots:
Extreme wide shots (establishing/long shots): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSuKV3FnxR8
Long shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GNvCZVReR4
Medium shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZbHBwTDL5M
Close up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xvO5GViVQQ
Extreme close ups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YrNQImkcDU
Pan shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcGYQBE0G0A
Low angle shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSnbp2uhx3Q
High angle shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtImu3Cc6F0
Dolly shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJM0esaRkQo
Crane shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9fL0xLGH8c
Over the shoulder shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGoGJ3AFZuY
Tilted angle shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKTwOO8AgbQ
Handheld shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grxOY-bsnGM
Aerial shots: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylf-2gdroGw
Birds eye shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZsn4hjg1OQ
Eye level shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhtOrfkH2R0
Shot/reverse shot is one of most standard ways to film a conversation between two people. A medium two shot is another common way. Both methods give roughly equal emphasis to both people. What should catch your attention is a scene where the camera stays on only one of the people in the conversation. For example, there is a scene in O where Hugo talks to his father and the camera stays on Hugo while his father isn’t in the frame—this shows the emotional distance of Hugo’s father (he’s both visually and emotionally out of the picture). Here is an example of a shot/reverse shot (it starts with a two shot, a close up of their hands, and then falls into the shot/reverse shot pattern): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLkUHZ1qips
Close ups don’t always have to show a face. A close up of an item, such as a ring, draws attention to the item. However, close ups of body parts can objectify the person.
The opening to Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil is a famous example of a tracking shot (which also uses a crane). Notice that the first cut doesn’t happen until the explosion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7J5sxlJRVE
War movies are prime examples of how handheld shots can be used to help make the audience feel like part of the action and experience the chaos of the scene. The beginning of Saving Private Ryan is one such example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqSg7WO4tT4
By combining shots that don’t follow a single narrative, montage tends to express a feeling, theme, or idea. For example, in the opening to Woody Allen’s Manhattan, using montage, the speaker tries to express what Manhattan means to his character: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyaj2P-dSi8
Another example of montage is the intro to True Blood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wet5OM7RR8Q
Montage can also be used to show multiple events occurring at the same time. The baptism scene at the end of The Godfather is a famous example of parallel action montage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caWZF00no50
Here is a tutorial explaining depth of field [first 2:55]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfOC_Msb1dI
Deep focus uses a large depth of field, that is, the foreground, middle-ground, and background are all sharp and clear. Notice how in this clip from Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, using deep focus, all of the characters remain in focus so that we can see all of their facial expressions (and the action outside) despite their spacing in the room [skip ahead 40 seconds or so]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tt840nlog0
Mise-en-scène (“placing on stage”—pronounced mee-zahn-sen) refers to everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement—composition, sets, props, actors, costumes, and lighting. Here is a clip that briefly (and with an attempt at humor) talks about some of the various uses of mise-en-scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dzuB6hcULY
Watch the end of You’ve Got Mail and notice how the music and camera shots—as well as the bright sunny day, colorful flowers, and other features of the mise-en-scene—contribute to the cliché romantic comedy ending. The scene in the garden moves from medium shots to close up shot/reverse shot, ending with a crane shot moving up to the sky to show their heavenly bliss (over the rainbow): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPA8v06EsIY
Contrast that ending with the ending of Lost in Translation where the ending is set up for a potentially happy ending, but the movie refuses to give in to the expectation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpOdAHwRnXY
This video, “Trailer for Every Oscar-Winning Movie Ever,” shows how movies rely on certain patterns for certain effects (and also shows how actual dialog contributes to only part of the meaning): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbhrz1-4hN4