Media Camera Positions

High Angle

This GIF shows examples of stills using high angle shots. The stills are taken from the films, Shrek 2, James Bond and Titanic. High angle shots are when the camera is positioned above the camera in shot. Its used  to make the character appear small, weak, timid and more vulnerable than the audience and other characters. In the shot from Shrek 2, the cat has wide eyes and is looking up at the audience. This makes him look like he is begging another character for something. This makes him vulnerable because he wants something but only the other character can decide whether he gets it. In the shot from James Bond, the character is on the floor pointing his gun upwards. This makes him weaker and he has obviously been pushed to the floor by the other character and now the other character has the upper hand on him. The characters only defence now he is on the floor is his gun, which also makes him weaker as the other character will have other weapons like his hands and feet. The shot taken from Titanic makes the character in the still look vulnerable and weaker as he is smaller than the other characters and that is emphasised with the high angle shot.

Eye Level

Eye level shots are used so that some normality is there for the audience in the film. This GIF which features examples of eye level shots are stills taken from the films, Twilight and Alice in Wonderland. In the shot from the film Twilight, the character is looking at something confused. As the camera position is eye level, this makes the audience feel like they should also be confused, as the camera position is normality for the audience. It also makes us feel confused as the audience and the character have something in common, which is that they are both seeing from eye level. In the shot from the Alice in Wonderland film, the character is looking at something with an intrigued look on his face. This makes the audience want to know what the character is looking at as the audience and the character have something in common, which is that they are both seeing from eye level.

Low Angle 

Low angle shots are when the camera is placed below the character and is looking up at the character. This makes the character feel taller, more intimidating, more powerful and superior to the audience and other characters. These are some still shots using a low angle shot. These examples are taken from the films, Titanic, Shrek and Spiderman. In the shot from Titanic, all of the characters are higher than the audience. This makes the audience feel vulnerable and the characters look more powerful. The characters feel more powerful in this shot because they are talking about what they have to do. This makes the audience want to get involved in the conversation so they also know what to do, as they aren't involved in the conversation, they feel vulnerable. In the shot from the film Shrek, the character has opened his mouth to scare another one of the characters. This makes the character in the shot more powerful and intimidating as he is scaring somebody. In the shot from spiderman, the character is looking down at his suit deciding what to do. This makes him look more powerful because the audience may want to join in and help him make the decision, however they cant. This makes the character more powerful as he is the only one who will be able to make the decision and no one else can help him.

Point of view 

Point of view shots are when the camera is placed as though the audience is looking through a character in the films eyes. This makes the audience feel like they are involved in the scene which makes them relate to the film more. In the first shot, all of the characters are staring at the audience whilst they are sitting around a dinner table. This makes the audience feel involved in the scene which makes them more interested in the film. This can also make the audience feel slightly uncomfortable as all of the characters are staring at the audience like they have done something wrong, when actually the audience has done nothing. In the second shot, the two characters are involved in a conversation. The character behind the camera is sticking out his hand which makes it look like he wants to be involved in the conversation. As the audience and this character are both seeing the same thing, this also makes the audience want to be involved in the conversation, which also makes them want to be more involved int he film as well.

Over the shoulder 

Over the shoulder shots are when the camera is placed behind one of the characters and is filming the scene from over the shoulder of that character. This involves the audience in the scene more. However, this shot could potentially be slightly threatening and it may feel as though somebody is watching. Some of the examples in this GIF are from the films Mean Girls and Titanic. In the shot from Mean Girls, the camera is placed behind one of the characters shoulders and is facing the main character in the shot. This makes it obvious to the audience that these two characters are involved in a conversation. As the camera is placed behind one of the characters shoulders, it makes the audience feel like they are part of the conversation, however not all of the characters know. This could make the audience feel uncomfortable, like as though someone is watching. This applies to all of the examples used in this GIF. In the shot from Mean Girls the main character in the shot looks as though she is explaining something to the other character. This makes the audience feel like they want to be involved in the conversation also to find out what the character is explaining to the other character. In the shot from Titanic, the main character in the shot looks surprised at something that the other character is saying. This makes the audience want to be involved properly in the conversation to hear what the character is saying to the main character in the shot.