The Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds is a basic fundamental in film and photography. It uses an imaginary grid, where a frame is divided into 9 sections. This gives reference points which act as guides for framing the image. They say that the human eye is more attracted to the object that is captured right on one of the "lines" of the grid.
Extreme Close Up (ECU)
The Extreme Close Up shot is used in very specific situations. It is used to show extreme detail on a object or person. With this specific shot, you can't really tell what the emotion is on the person because it is so close.
Close Up
The Close Up shot is used to show the emotional state of the subject. It is used to focus on the subject and shows a lot of the detail on the subject.
Medium Close Up
The medium closeup is half way between a mid shot and a close up. This shot shows the face more clearly and can see the emotion of the person because of their body language. You can also see the background in this picture, in the close up shot you do not see the background as much.
Mid Shot
The Mid Shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, it makes the viewer feel like they're looking at the whole entire subject without showing the whole entire thing. This is how you would see a person if you were having a casual conversation.
Full Shot
The Full Shot is when you see the subject from top to bottom. It is used to capture the scenary and the other objects around it.
Wide Shot
The Wide Shot is a different variation of the "Full Shot." It captures the subject from top to bottom. The "top" is almost at the top of the frame and the "bottom" is at the bottom of the frame.
Extreme Long Shot/Establishing Shot
The Extreme Wide shot is far from the subject with a lot of background. Mostly used in films to show what the main setting is for the rest of the movie. Sometimes used in openings.
Two-Shot
The Two-Shot is a view of two people (the subjects). The subjects don't always have to be next to each other. It is very useful if the film is about two people.
Point of View
Point of View is first person view, and it is usually used in a scene that shows what a character (subject) is looking at. It's done by the camera being positioned in front of the character and the camera picking up what the character sees.
Over the Shoulder
An over the shoulder shot is a shot of someone (subject) taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person. Commonly used in conversations or to capture dramatic scenery. It is almost like point of view but 3rd person.
Eye Level
Shots that are taken at Eye Level are to get sort of up and personal with the actor (subject). But it's not so personal like a CU or a ECU but just enough to where the subject can be viewed clearly. This shot does not make the subject look smaller or bigger, it is a shot that makes everything neutral showing no dominance in anything.
High Angle
High Angle is known to make the character (subject) smaller, showing dominance. The high angle shot could get mixed up with an overhead shot, but the two are different. High angle is when the camera is angled down towards the subject but the shot itself is not at a great height or an aerial view.
Low Shot
The Low Shot is just like high angle where the effect of shot is that it makes the subject look strong and powerful. If the low shot is a point of view of a character (subject) then the lower part of the shot would feel weak because the other character (subject) would be higher and would seem more powerful.
The Undershot is directly taken from below, this is when you see what's above. This could be used in film when the character (subject) is looking up. They could be looking up at the dentist for example.
Overhead Shot
The Overhead shot is from directly above. This could be the point of view of the character (subject). An example would be a surgeon working on a patient.
Dutch Tilt
The Dutchtilt camera shot is where the camera angle is slanted to one side. This can be used for dramatic effect, disorientation, frantic or desperate action, intoxication, madness, etc.
