Camera angles are an important component of storytelling within the moving image. They are used primarily to create atmosphere and alter the meaning of a scene or shot.
The choice of camera angle can affect a scene or shot in five ways:
- Viewpoint – by indicating a specific POV
- Relationship – by changing the viewer’s relationship with the character
- Status – by indicating the status of the character
- Suspense – by creating suspense, tension or expectation
- Mood – by creating a particular feeling or mood
For example, in these two shots from Witness (1985), the camera angle is integral to the storytelling.
In the first image, a high angle shot looking down from a statue in the ceiling of Grand Central Station, uses the height of the building to show the character as a small, insignificant figure. In this way, the viewer sees the young Amish boy Joseph Lapp as a fish-out-of-water in the unfamiliar surroundings of the city. It also infuses the scene with an edge of hostility. Foreshadowing what is to come.
In the second image, taken from later in the film, a low angle shot of a car slowly edging into view on the crest of a hill is used to help give a sense of foreboding. Although no characters are visible in the shot, we know that whoever is inside the car is a threat to John Buck and the Amish family.
Low Angle
Images: Die Hard (1989), Shutter Island (2010), Terminator (1984)
Framed below the subject’s eye line, the Low Angle shot is used to create a sense of threat from within the scene, possibly from the character within the shot.
High Angle
Images: North By Northwest (1959), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010), The Shawshank Redemption (1995)
Framed above the subject’s eye line, the High Angle shot is used to create a sense of weakness, in which the character within the shot seems less significant or powerful, or in which there is an implied threat from a greater force.
Canted Frame
Images: The Third Man (1949), Twelve Monkeys (1995), 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
Used for dramatic effect, the Canted Frame (or Dutch Tilt) is used to help create a sense of unease, disorientation, intoxication or madness within a scene or shot. Canted Frames range from slight tilts (5°) to extreme tilts (90°).
Overhead Shot
Images: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2012)
The Overhead Shot can be used to make the subject harder to identify or empathise with, and to emphasise emotional distance within the scene.
The camera angle is an important element within the design of a shot. It can draw the viewer’s eye into the frame in a particular way, giving subliminal clues about a character’s status, building suspense within a scene or creating a sense of expectation. It also helps to manipulate the viewer’s emotions as they watch the moving image by influencing the mood or atmosphere within the scene. A slight tilt upwards, downwards or sideways can greatly influence the way in which the story is told.
However, camera angle does not work in isolation from everything else within the frame. One thing I’ve discovered from this exercise is that camera angle and lighting are very closely tied together in the creation of atmosphere and meaning within a scene.
References
Die Hard (1989) Directed by John McTiernan
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2012) Directed by Michel Gondry
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010) Directed by David Yates
North by Northwest (1959) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The Shawshank Redemption (1995) Directed by Frank Darabont
Shutter Island (2010) Directed by Martin Scorsese
The Terminator (1984) Directed by James Cameron
The Third Man (1949) Directed by Carol Reed
Twelve Monkeys (1995) Directed by Terry Gilliam
Witness (1985) Directed by David Lean
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Directed by Stanley Kubrik