Camera Angles

Camera angle is the angle at which the subject is filmed. It is a technical code, chosen on purpose to help tell the story and shape how the audience feels about the subject.

Over-the-shoulder shots

An over-the-shoulder shot is filmed from behind a person looking at the subject. Their shoulder and the back of their head sit at the edge of the frame, so you see what the character sees or does, as if you were standing just behind them.

During a conversation, the editor often switches between over-the-shoulder shots of each character, so you see the person speaking and then the person listening. In a short film about a school chess final, the shots switch between the challenger's view of the board and the champion's face as she waits for his next move.

High and low angles

A high angle can also turn a setting into a kind of map, showing the whole layout at once, and it can make a scene look like surveillance footage, as though you are watching people who do not know you are there. A low angle does the opposite: the subject towers over the viewer.

In a drama about a new pupil at a strict school, a low angle on the head teacher at the office door makes her fill the frame and seem in charge, while a high angle on the pupil clutching a crumpled timetable makes him look lost.

Aerial shots

An aerial shot, also called a bird's-eye shot, is filmed from high in the air looking down. It can establish location and landscape, make a subject seem small or isolated, open or end a sequence, show action across a wide area, or show a subject that is in the air. A bird's-eye view of a lone runner on a huge empty sports track shows where she is and how isolated she feels, and pulling away at the end of a sequence could close the film.