- By the end of this video,
you'd have a full understanding
of the types of shots and angles
that pro video creators use.
So that the next time you're thinking of a script,
or creating a storyboard in your head,
or thinking of close up,
long shots, or even over the shoulder shots,
you'd know when to use what.
Sounds useful?
Let's jump right in.
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There are multiple ways of classifying a shot.
One of the most prominent ways of categorizing your shots
in your scene is by the size of your frame.
That is, how wide or tight your shot is.
Let's start with the extreme wide shot.
This shot is most commonly used
to reveal the overall setting
or location of your video from a significant distance.
More often than not,
you'll see extreme wide shots being used
as establishing shots in most films
as they subliminally let the viewers know what to expect.
You can also use these shots
to make your subject look insignificant
with a mammoth task at his hand,
or an isolation in a wash landscape,
establishing the starkness of where he's located.
An extreme wide shot is often used by vloggers
as introductory shots
whenever they switch to a new location.
More so, even timelapses are captured in extreme wide shots
to show the passage of time.
Now, if you would want
to give your audience a comparatively closer look
where they can see your subject
as well as experience the setting around it for context,
you'd want to give it a wide shot.
A wide shot completely reveals your subject's body
from head to toe while also recording their environment,
allowing the viewers to see the background action
as well as the subject's relationship
to its nearby objects and people.
When captured from a continuous
single position encompassing the whole action,
a wide shot is called a master shot.
An editor can always cut to a master shot
to edit any forms of gap in the editing.
In the early 20th century,
most films were captured only in a master shot
to mimic a theatrical production.
While a wide shot captures the subject
and the surroundings equally,
to direct your audience's attention primarily
to what the subject's speaking,
you may need to use a mid shot.
In a medium shot, the subject is usually framed
from the waist up, which ensures
that your audience primarily notices the main character
but also has an eye on what is around him or her.
Since the medium shot is between a wide shot and a close up,
it can be used in a few ways,
ranging from a medium wide shot,
which frames the subject from knees up,
to a medium close up, framing the subject from the chest up.
In fact, narrative videos like this are usually captured
in medium shot as it's the perfect middle ground
where the frame is close enough for me
to build a connection with you,
the viewer, but wide enough
to not make the frame look suffocatingly tight like this.
Now, let's move from a shot that gave equal importance
to both your background as well as the main subject,
to a shot that only focuses on the intricacies
of your main subject, the close up shot.
The close up shot is often used to show the reaction
of a character through a close up of their face,
or highlight a key detail in the frame
that's super important to move the storyline ahead.
If you go in even closer to your subject or an element
in the frame, such as the eyes of your subject,
or the ticking hands on a wall clock,
what you get is an extreme close up shot.
Emphasizing the minutest detail of the subject in the frame,
an extreme close up shot can be used
to show the viewer things that they might miss otherwise,
or wouldn't want to see.
While a close up captures the subject
in a tightly closed frame,
an extreme close up puts the character
into an even suffocating and tighter space.
Creating an illusion of claustrophobia,
fear, tension in the scene.
It's not just about the size,
but also the camera angles with respect to the subject
that can convey a lot about the narrative.
For instance, placing the camera at an eye level
of your subject, allows the audience to view the character
through a neutral perspective,
as if the viewer is making eye contact with the character.
That's why YouTube tutorial videos
like this one usually have the camera shoot at eye level,
making you feel that we're directly talking to you.
But what happens when you shoot from an angle
that's not neutral?
When the camera shoots at an angle
that is lower than the eye level of the subject,
we get a low angle shot.
Low angle shots are often used
to establish a powerful character
where the viewer literally looks up to them.
It can also be used to portray robust emotions
like victory and authority.
The opposite of a low angle shot is a high angle shot.
In which, a camera is situated
above the eye level of the character.
Depending on the context,
a high angle shot can portray inferiority or helplessness
of a character by looking down on them.
This angle can also be used
to capture the subject's deepest,
darkest emotions, such as loneliness and pain.
When a high angle shot is from way high,
it's called a birds eye view shot.
As the name suggests,
we see our character down below from the sky or ceiling.
You can use this shot to showcase the scale of the set
as well as to portray the point of view of a higher power.
Vloggers and filmmakers frequently use this shot
as establishing shots, where the camera looks down
on the subject or a location from a distance.
Watching a character from above or below gives us an idea
about the power dynamics.
But what if the audience watches a subject
from an oblique angle?
Unlike a high or low angle shot,
which is tilted on the horizontal axis,
a Dutch angle is stilted on the vertical axis.
Here the camera is deliberately tilted to one side
of the vertical axis to create a feeling of uneasiness,
intoxication, disorientation or exaggeration.
While a Dutch angle constructs a sense of obstruction,
there are other shots that blend the subject's POV
with what is actually happening in reality,
such as over the shoulder shot.
They are also used to make the viewer feel
as if they're right
behind the subject who's witnessing the action.
The viewer sees whatever the subject sees.
This shot is most often used in dialogue scenes,
making the viewer feel as if they're physically present
on the location, snooping over the shoulder of the subject.
But what if instead of snooping over,
you could allow the viewer to see
through the eyes of your character?
A point of view shot, as the name suggests,
makes the viewer see everything as subjectively
as the character sees them.
Vloggers often use a POV shot
to make the viewers see a particular location
or space through their eyes.
A POV shot is often clubbed
with an editing technique called shot reverse shot,
where we switch back and forth
from the point of view of the subject A to B.
Whew, that was a lot to take
and that's why we'll be dropping in timestamps
in the comments below,
so that you can have a quick recap and have a look at
any shot that you would want to use for your videos.
Not just that, but if you have questions with regards
to anything that we've covered in this video today,
make sure that you drop them in the comments below
and we'll make sure that we answer every one of them.
Last but not the least,
if you found value in this video and want to learn more
about video creation fundamentals and filmmaking,
you would want to check out this playlist
where we've covered other video fundamentals like cuts,
transitions, and a lot more.
This is Christine from InVideo,
and I'll see you in the next one.