Camera Angle

Norris School District

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Camera Angle

For 1998, Saving Private Ryan won the Academy Award for cinematography.
Pick a film you would like to see that was recognized for achievement
in cinematography (an outstanding example is Citizen Kane, honored
in 1941). As you watch the film, try to focus on the details of the
images. For example, think about the angles of different shots.The cinematographer can convey a great deal simply by changing the angle of the camera:A shot taken from above can make a figure seem small or
insignificant; one taken from below can make a figure seem larger, important, and even menacing. Use of a hand-held camera can give a feeling of intimacy and reality to a scene.

Movies we will examine:

A brother and sister from the 1990s are sucked into their television set and suddenly find themselves trapped in a "Leave it to Beaver" style 1950's television show, complete with loving parents, old fashioned values, and an overwhelming amount of innocence and naivete. Not sure how to get home, they integrate themselves into this "backwards" society and slowly bring some color to this black and white world. But as innocence fades, the two teens begin to wonder if their 90s outlook is really to be preferred.

On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny

We will watch scenes from the movies and discuss camera angles and shots

What is the tone of the scene, and how does the camera placement and movement contribute to it?

Is the camera placed higher, lower, or on the same level as the actors, and how does the placement make you feel about the characters?

Are some characters treated differently than others by the camera placement?

Does the camera move a great deal, or is it fixed, with the action moving within a fixed frame?

Now, let’s take a closer look. View the film again, but this time turn the sound down so you can focus more easily on what you see. Watch
how transitions are made visually from one scene to another, and look for other special camera techniques. How many of the following could you identify in your film?

	Slow Motion
	Ariel Shot
	Tracking Shot
	Shallow Focus
	Soft Focus
	Deep Focus
	Zoom shot
	Pan
	Link to the Yale Film Analysis site

You may write this on a seperate piece of paper, or go to the worksheet in word by following this link:

Camera Angle Worksheet