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Cinematography3 min read

LESSON 97

Camera angles

Height and tilt change power on screen.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. Angle is position
  2. High, low and eye level
  3. POV, over the shoulder and Dutch
  4. Practice: choosing angles

Angle is position

The camera angle is the exact place the camera stands for a shot, and especially its height and direction relative to the subject. A scene can be filmed from several angles at once, each giving the viewer a different feeling. The same face shot from above, from eye level and from below can look vulnerable, neutral or commanding. Angle is chosen together with shot size and lens, but it carries its own meaning, which is why directors plan it rather than leaving it to where the tripod happens to fit.

High, low and eye level

A high-angle shot looks down on the subject from above and tends to make it seem small, weak or exposed. A low-angle shot looks up from below and tends to make the subject seem powerful or threatening. An eye-level shot keeps the camera level with the subject and carries little psychological weight, which makes it the default for most conversation. Taken to extremes, the bird's-eye view looks straight down to show a place and the people in it, while the worm's-eye view looks up from the ground, like the view of a child or a pet.

POV, over the shoulder and Dutch

A point-of-view shot shows what a character sees, sometimes handheld to feel like their eyes. An over-the-shoulder shot frames one person past the back of another and is a building block of dialogue scenes. A Dutch angle, also called a canted or tilted angle, rolls the camera to one side so the horizon slopes. The result feels off balance and is used to suggest unease, madness or danger. Used constantly it loses its force, so keep it for moments that earn it.

Practice: choosing angles

This is working practice. Start at eye level for the subject, not for you: for a seated person or a child, lower the camera. Move up or down only when you want the viewer to feel a change of power. Keep the lens height consistent within a dialogue so the two sides match. Watch the background as the height changes, because a low angle often shows the ceiling and a high one shows the floor. Check both before you commit to a set-up, and dress or clear whatever the new height reveals.

Try it today

  1. 01Film a friend saying one line from high, eye level and low.
  2. 02Show the three clips to someone and ask how each feels.
  3. 03Shoot a short point-of-view sequence of picking up a phone.
  4. 04Try one Dutch angle and decide if it fits.
  5. 05Write down the lens height you liked best.