Audiovisual media language 2 Camera angles and movements
- 1. Camera angles and camera movements
- 2. By the end of this lesson you: Must – be able to analyse an audio-visual media text, using media key concepts and appropriate terminology (camera shots, camera angles and camera movements).
- 3. 1. What is media language? 2. What is audio-visual language? 3. What are the main elements of audio-visual language? 4. What are camera shots?
- 4. 1. What is media language? The way verbal and non-verbal elements are used to construct meaning (communicate).This include images, graphic signs and symbols, as well as text or spoken words, depending on whether we talk about audio-visual or graphic media language. 2. What is audio-visual language? Is a form of communication made of both audio and still and motion images, as well as other elements that operate at a semantic level (such as the mise-en-scene) 3. What are the main elements of audio-visual language? These elements are: CAMERA SHOTS: the framing of the subject that indicates the distance between the subject and the camera. CAMERA ANGLES: the position of the camera in relation to the subject of a shot.The camera might be at a high angle, a low angle or at eye level with what is being filmed. CAMERA MOVEMENTS: the location of the camera with regards the subject that is filmed. PHOTOGRAPHY: the different ways of creating an image through the means of the use of lens and composition. EDITING: the juxtaposition of shots in order to create meaning. SOUND MISE-EN-SCENE: the different elements in the staging of a scene.
- 5. Camera Angles the position of the camera in relation to the subject of a shot. The camera might be at a high angle, a low angle or at eye level with what is being filmed.
- 6. Bird’s eye angle The bird’s eye angle refers to a camera angle looking directly down on a subject. This angle makes the subject appear very small and vulnerable and is often used for establishing where a character is. The director may have chosen this shot to show Williams’ vulnerability in this sad song. Along with this shot, the music video is also in black and white which implies feelings of melancholy and sadness. Robbie Williams ‘Angel’ Example 1
- 7. Bird’s eye angle Bird’s eye is an angle when the camera is placed above the subject so you can see what is going on from a higher perspective. This bird’s eye angle was taken from the Thank U Next music video. From one of the opening scenes. The dramatic effect of this camera angle can show the viewers what she is doing from a different perspective. We can also see the name of the song title on a book (the book is an intertextual reference to the film Mean Girls, in which they use a burn book) Example 2
- 8. Bird’s eye angle: A camera angle from above the subject/object. Often used to make the subject/object unaware of being observed or to highlight its vulnerability. The director may have chosen this angle to highlight Ariana Grande's vulnerability as this is the first song that she released after she suffered PTSD from a terrorist attack at her concert in Manchester 2017. Example 3
- 9. High Angle The high angle is a camera angle that looks down on the subject and can make them seem vulnerable or powerless when applied with the right mood, settings and effects. The director may have chosen this shot to express how lonely Williams is feeling as since it is an angle from above, it shows how he is the only one in the middle of nowhere. Along with this shot, the music video is also in black and white which implies feelings of melancholy and sadness. Robbie Williams ‘Angel’ Example 1
- 10. High angle A high angle shot shows the camera looking down on a person or people, this can sometimes make them look smaller and more vulnerable. This high angle was also taken from the Thank U Next video as well. The dramatic effect of this camera angle can sometimes be to make the people appear smaller and vulnerable but in this music video it can appear that the people are watching the cheerleaders from different angles in the bleachers. Example 2
- 11. Eye level angle The eye level angle is a camera angle where the camera is positioned so the subject can actually look into the lens without moving their eyes up or down – the camera is positioned at the same level as the subjects face. The director may have chosen this camera angle as it allows the viewer to look into Williams’ eyes, which therefore creates a relationship between them. Robbie Williams ‘Angel’ Example 1
- 12. Low angle The low level angle is a camera angle positioned below the subject to make them appear bigger, stronger and more superior. This angle can also be used to make the subject appear taller. The director may have chosen this camera angle to show that although he is depicted as lonely and vulnerable from other angles such as the high angle and birds eye angle, he still remains big, strong and superior. Robbie Williams ‘Angel’ Example 1
- 13. Low angle: a camera angle that looks up at a subject/object. Often used to make the subject appear powerful or dominant. At this point in the film, a child, who has been shrunk, is in risk of being eaten by the father, so the director may have chosen this angle to show the difference in size/scale between his parents and himself. Example 3
- 14. Worm’s eye angle The worm’s eye angle is a view from below, as though the observer were a worm; the opposite of a bird’s eye view. This can be used to look up to something to make an object look taller, stronger more superior. In the context of Post Malone's ‘Circles’ music video, I believe the director may have chosen this angle as a way to show people passing by rather than the usual use of making something appear bigger and more superior. Example 1
- 15. Worm’s eye angle This is an extremely low angle known as a worm’s eye angle since it is taken from right down on the ground. his shot was taken from A Bug’s Life to show the detail of the insects from their perspective. This angle can also make other things seem abnormally large. Example 2
- 16. Worm’s eye angle: this is a very low angle shot. A camera angle from below the object. Often used to highlight the power of the object or to make it look bigger than the subject's view. At this point in the film, a child, who has been shrunk, is in risk of being eaten by the father, so the director may have chosen this angle to show how intimidating this feels. Example 3
- 17. Ariana Grande ‘No Tears Left To Cry’ Canted Framing angle Canted framing is a camera angle that is achieved by titling the camera on its axis resulting in a framed shot at a slanted angle. This angle is usually used to create an impression of instability and chaos. The director may have chosen this angle to represent Grande's mind because of everything she’s gone through; the Manchester bombing, her ex boyfriend committing suicide, then being blamed for that, etc. Example 1
- 18. Canted framing (or slanted/oblique): a camera angle that makes the shot appear to be tilted. It conveys uneasiness and awkwardness, and emphasises action. The director may have chosen this angle to suggest that Ariana Grande feels like she is living in an unstable world as this is the first song that she released after she suffered PTSD from a terrorist attack at her concert in Manchester 2017. Example 2
- 19. Camera Movements the location of the camera with regards the subject that is filmed.
- 20. PAN (short for panoramic view) Panning is when the camera moves horizontally; either left to right or right to left, while the base is fixed on a certain point. The position of the camera does move, only the direction it faces moves. This can be used to follow a moving character or to fir more into a frame. Example 1
- 21. Pan (short for panoramic view) This camera movement is known as a pan since the camera slowly scans a scene to either show the setting or the characters. It is normally used to show the details in a scene and can also set the scene when a new place is introduced that the characters haven’t been to before. It is closer than a wide shot and can also introduce characters in slightly more detail. Example 2
- 22. PAN (horizontal) - where the camera pivots horizontally to reveal a setting. This can be used to give the viewer a panoramic view, often used to establish a scene. The director has chosen this camera movement to reveal the setting of this music video, so we can see that this music video is set in a college/school-environment. Little Mix – Black Magic Music Video (0.05-0.08) seconds Example 3
- 23. Whip PAN A whip pan is when the camera pans from left to right or right to left so quickly that the picture blurs into distinct streaks. This type of camera movement is commonly used as a transition between shots and can indicate the passage of time or a frenetic pace of action, and is frequently seen in 1970s martial arts movies. In the context of ‘That 70s Show’, the director has chosen this camera movement as a way of transitioning between each character sat in the circle of Eric’s basement. Example 1
- 24. Whip pan This camera movement is known as a whip pan since it is very similar to a pan but it is much faster and is normally closer up to the characters so we can see them in detail. It shows the points of interest and what is most important about that scene. By using this camera movement, the director abruptly introduces the villain and scares the audience by the sudden appearance of the killer. Example 2
- 25. Whip pan: a very fast pan between two or more characters. It gives off a sense of surprise to the audience and is used in the place of a more conventional cut/shot/reverse shot. Casino Royale Whip Pan: https://youtu.be/6qjCwb9DoaI Example 3
- 26. Tilt A tilt is when the camera stays in a fixed position but rotates up to down or down to up in a vertical plane. Titling the camera results in a motion similar to someone raising or lowering their head to look up or down and is typically used to introduce a new subject. In the context of ’Toy Story’, the director may have chosen this camera movement to both introduce the character of ‘Buzz Lightyear’ and also make him out to be this tall, strong and mighty character. Example 1
- 27. Tilt This camera movement is known as a tilt, it is similar to a pan however it goes vertically instead of horizontally.The movement is used to often show a character, maybe as a first impression of what they look like or in this case, to show the expression on the persons face. This example was taken from the movie IT and in this case it is used to progressively introduce the character’s reaction from a extreme close up (hands) to a close up (face). Example 2
- 28. TILT (vertical) - where a camera scans a setting vertically. Similar to a pan, but vertical. The director has chosen this camera movement to reveal the setting of this music video, so we can see that this music video is set in a college/school-environment. Little Mix – Black Magic Music Video (0.09-0.11) seconds Example 3
- 29. Track Track is a camera movement where the camera follows a subject/object. The tracking shot can include smooth movements forward, backward, along the side of the subject, or on a curve but cannot include complex movement around a subject. ‘Track’ refers to rails in which a wheeled platform (which has the camera on it) sits on in order to carry out smooth movement. In the context of ‘Stranger Than Fiction’, the director has chosen to use this camera movement to create a smooth, controlled shot of Harold crossing the road, without any wobbles. Example 1
- 30. Track – a shot where the camera follows a subject/object. The tracking shot can include smooth movements forward/backward/along the side of the subject/on a curve. Cannot include complex movement around a subject. “Track” refers to rails in which a wheeled platform, which has the camera on it, sits on in order to carry out smooth movement. The director has chosen this camera movement to follow the criminal’s actions by using smooth movement along the side of the subject. In this example, the actors are moving on the top of a train, so the camera must be sitting on a wheeled platform on rails, which allows the camera to move smoothly in order to film and capture the action. Skyfall: https://youtu.be/p4nLHMl-H60 Example 2 1.37-1.39 seconds
- 31. Track This camera movement is called a track since the camera is placed on a “track” and follows the subject/subjects either in a curve or a straight line. It is a smooth movement and even though it makes this scene look busy, the camera is still moving in a steady curve but it is following the different characters. Example 3
- 32. Steadicam A Steadicam is a stabilising mount for a camera which mechanically isolates the operator’s movement from the camera, allowing a very smooth shot even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface. The main purpose of this camera movement is that is makes the shot look smooth and controlled, capturing the action without any wobbles. In the context of ‘The Shinning’, the director has used a steadicam to follow Danny through the maze when he is being chased by Jack. Example 1
- 33. Steadicam – a stabilising mount for a camera which mechanically isolates the operator’s movement from the camera, allowing a very smooth shot, even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface. Example 2
- 34. Steadicam The steadicam is another camera movement used in many forms of media. This camera movement is held by a person but the Steadicam operates in a way that even if the person is running fast, the camera quality will still be clear and wont be bumpy. In this scene we can see a boy running away, the steadicam is used in a way which follows him slowly and watches him running away before he runs of shot.The camera does follow him for a short while and the dramatic effect can be to show how the boy is slowing down but he is still running away from something he is afraid of. Example 3
- 35. Crane A crane shot is a shot taken by a camera on a moving crane or jib. A crane shot is sometimes used to signify the end of a scene/programme/film. The effect is achieved by the camera being put onto a crane that can move upward. In the context of Ariana Grande’s ‘No Tears Left To Cry’ music video, the director may have used a crane shot to show Ariana Grande from a high angle to show her vulnerability due to everything she had been through that year; the Manchester bombing, her ex committing suicide, etc. Example 1
- 36. Crane This camera movement is called a crane because the camera is literally placed on a crane and moved up and down around the subject matter. In this scene the camera is following the little boy in the rain, it first starts up high and slowly ends up behind him. The dramatic effect of this camera movement could be to show the boy from a different angle so that the audience can see what he is doing from other angles whilst the camera gets closer or higher up. Example 2 It opening Scene 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJWJ6RP55nU (0.00-0.02) seconds
- 37. Hand-held camera The hand-held camera is a technique in which a camera is held in the operator’s hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base. Hand-held camera shots often result in a shaky image, unlike the stable image from a tripod-mounted camera, a tracking shot or a steadicam shot. However, this can make the scene feel more realistic, due to its connotations of documentary footage, amateur footage (such as home video films) or news reports. In the context of Joel Corry’s ‘Sorry’ music video, the director has used this camera movement to create a shaky shot to make the viewer feel like they are there. Example 1
- 38. Hand-held camera This camera movement is similar to a Steadicam but when it is used, the camera movement is bumpy and looks as if someone is following behind those in shot instead of it just being a camera following them. The dramatic effect of this camera movement can make the audience feel as though they are part of the scene and since this scene is showing a group of boys bullying another guy, it can make the audience feel like we are really watching them abuse him from close up but we cant do anything to help the situation. Example 2
- 39. Following with the Power Point presentation that you started in the previous lesson, add one slide for each of these camera angles and camera movements, adding the definition (written) and an example taken from a film,TV advert or music video: 1. Using as case of study a film or advert of your choice, find one example for each camera angle and camera movement listed in this lesson. 2. Create one slide for each camera angle and movement. Take a screenshot or image and paste it on the slide. 3. Write the definition of the camera angle or movement and a brief explanation of the narrative purpose of that shot in the context of that film or advert’s narrative.
- 40. Choose one music video that you can find online and analyse five camera angles and movements, naming them and explaining their dramatic effect (What is the meaning that they convey and how do they work in the narrative of the advert? Or, in other words, why has the director chosen that angle or movement to represent that specific action?)