Analysis: Camera Angles

In this blog post, I will evaluate the different camera angles that we used in the filming production stage of our 2 minute film opening. Different genres commonly used different camera angles in order to reflect the message being portrayed in the scene; for example, high angled camera shots are often used to represent a character as vulnerable or weak. The genre that we intended to conform to in terms of conventions is psychological horror.

Stedicam Long shots:

Long shot of protagonist (victim) walking 
towards abandoned shack.

We used long shots regularly throughout as they are used commonly across all genres to establish the scene and see everything that is happening. In horror films, long shots are particularly important as they often introduce the location, such as a creepy abandoned house, and thus, create tension for the audience and potentially, dramatic irony as audiences would know something horrific is about to happen. 

Longshot of victim walking out of the shack.

Here, longshot is used to represent a CCTV camera, 
watching the victim walking inside.

High and Low Angled Shots:

As mentioned in the introduction, high and low angled shots are often used to portray a character or scene in a certain way; high-angled shots often portray a character as vulnerable and victimised, whereas a low angled shot often represents a character as dominant or powerful.

In this scene, we used a high-angled shot in the form of CCTV firstly, to conform to common angles of security cameras but to also represent the obvious victim as weak.

Another high-angled shot

Another high-angled shot is used here, this time to display the title of the news article where the audience can see an image of the killer, portraying her as the victim potentially due to her mental state. Since the protagonist is in frame to the right, the use of a high-angle focusing on the article portrays the protagonist as confident and oblivious in terms of what's to come. 

Low-Angled Shot

The use of a low angled shot here suggests that the protagonist is vulnerable to the danger ahead, which in this case is the killer, implied by the 'Hail Satan'script, a common representation of the  supernatural or psychological genre, but more so, the bloody hand print.

Hand-Held Camera Work:

Hand Held work as protagonist
walks towards abandoned
shack

Since the narrative of our film opening is based around the idea of a reporter investigating the abandoned shack, we decided to include hand-held camera work when filming scenes such as walking toward the building. In addition to this, during post-production, we added a 'Camcorder' filter to create the illusion that the protagonist is recording the footage herself; this captures the idea of realism, which many horror films attempt to convey in order to involve the audience further and create a more tense atmosphere. 

Hand Held work as protagonist
investigates the location

Hand Held camera work of Missing posters

Pan Shots:

Pan shots were used regularly throughout in order to capture the victim exploring the premises without using tracking or hand-held and thus, creating a shaky and unprofessional look. Additionally, pan shots, which is where the camera moves horizontally when on a tripod, follows the victim as she migrates around the shack, identifying her as the main focus and target and creating dramatic irony for the audience as they can guess that something bad is likely to happen to that character.

The camera starts focused on the doorway as the protagonist
enters the premises

The camera then pans to the left, tracking the protagonist as
she walks across the room.

Tilt Shots:

We only used one tilt shot, a shot in which the camera is moved vertically when on a tripod, in our film opening as they did not seem appropriate for certain scenes. We chose to use this shot when the protagonist is crouched down on the floor looking at a matchbox; she then stands up holding the box and the camera tilts to maintain focus on the box. By doing this, the attention of the audience is focused on the matchbox to create enigma as to why the matchbox is important, creating a sense of foreboding. 

Over the shoulder shot of the protagonist crouched on the
floor examining the matchbox.

Camera then tilts upwards as the protagonist stands to
maintain focus on the said matchbox.

Close-Ups and Extreme Close-Ups:

We use a serious of close-ups and extreme close-ups throughout in order to emphasise certain features or props key to the scene. The close proximity of the camera allows for additional detail to be emphasised and focuses the audiences attention on that object/feature. These types of shots are common in horror films, such as a close-up of a weapon, as they often create tension for the audience and also enigma in terms of what events are about to unfold. 

Extreme Close-Up of killer's hands as she lights a match
from the matchbox in hand.

Close-Up shot of victim's burnt skin which appears as a
flashback when the protagonist walks towards the location.

Evaluation:

In terms of the variety of shots that we included, I feel that we were very creative with our choices. Additionally, the types of shots that we did chose to include greatly reflect the narrative of our piece and also conform to common conventions of our chosen genre (psychological). Overall, I think that we captured the narrative well and produced a tense filled film opening which creates enigma and conforms well to common conventions.