Shots:
Extreme Long Shot- This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting,
establishing shot. It normally shows an exterior, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action for example in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression and no specific action.
In terms of horror you could use and Extreme Long Shot from the 'killers' perspective, watching his victims from a long way away, so we know the 'killer' can see them, however they are un aware.
Long Shot- This is the most difficult to categorise, but is generally one which shows the image as "life" size, it will appear to be the size you think it is, (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall like normal). This includes the
full shot, showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the
frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still exists.
In terms of horror this shot could be used to see the 'victim' in full length view and we might be able to see the 'killer' behind him/her, this creates tension between the audience and the film, because the 'victim' has no idea whats behind them.
Medium Shot- Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the
two shot (containing two figures from the waist up) and the
three shot (contains 3 figures...). Background detail is reduced, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already know where they are and now want to focus on dialogue and character interaction. Another variation in this category is the
over the shoulder shot, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.
In terms of horror this could work in many ways, having a simple conversation about what is happening, or you can have someone squaring up the 'killer', there are many ways in which this shot can be manipulated into a horror scene.
Close Up- This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of
mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object and shows the importance facial action, or specifiction objects. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very
intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a
zoom lens in order to get the required framing.
In terms of horror this type of shot would be great for creating unease/tension because by looking at the terror on one's face, you feel it too, or getting a close up on the killers face could make you really squeamish and look away.
Extreme Close Up- As your probably aware, this extreme version of the close up, generally
magnifying beyond what the human eye would be able to see in the real world. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very
artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and
lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable, this is where the
tri-pod comes in use, which is what we will be using.
In terms of horror this would be ideal to really focus on the 'killer' or the 'victim' because you would get a MAJOR sense of fear, or anger, which by focusing on the eyes, we can feel these emotions.
Angles:
Birds Eye- This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle which can create uncomfortable viewing. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first (umbrellas in a crowd, dancers' legs). This shot does, however, put the audience in a
godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, like a view from a helicopter.
In terms of horror this is difficult to use, a good place to use it would be looking down on a forest maybe, to give you a better idea of how large it is, so if someone is lost of being hunted in there, you can see its going to be very difficult to get out.
High Angle- Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a
crane to give a general overview of what is going on. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture.
In terms of horror this angle is brilliant, because it creates a sense of insignificance, you can focus on the 'victims' so they look hopeless and lost, this would be good in a house setting or a dark damp forest setting.
Eye Level- A fairly
neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground (which is between the average human heights), you can often be the viewer of the scene when using eye level, so it looks like you included in the movie.
In terms of horror this would be fantastic, because you can make it seem as if the audince are part of the move, so you see the setting, e.g. the screen shows a scary room at eye level, and it seems as if the viewers are walking through the room. You could have someone running at the camera which make the audience jump, as they are so focused on the screen.
Low Angle- These increase the height of a person :(useful for short actors like
Tom Cruise or
James McAvoy) and give a sense of
speeded motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling, the lack of detail about the setting adding to the confusion of the viewer. The added height of the object may make it inspire fear and insecurity in the viewer, who is psychologically dominated by the figure on the screen.
In terms of horror this angle is also good to create a sense of power coming from the 'killer', a good setting could be the victim under a floor board, and looking through the crack to see the 'killer'.
Canted Angle- Sometimes the camera is tilted (not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance,
transition and instability. This technique is used to suggest point of view shots (when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character,seeing what they see — a hand held camera is often used for this.
In terms of horror this type of angle is very popular because it can create a sense of the viewer belonging to the situation, for example, people using video camera's.
Movements
Pan- A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a
tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.
In terms of horror this would be ideal to watch a person running across the set of a corridor or through the woods, you can follow them being chased by the 'killer'
Tilt- A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.
Dolly- Sometimes called
TRACKING shots. The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action, generally following a moving figure or object. Complicated dolly shots will involve a track being laid on set for the camera to follow. The camera might be mounted on a car, a plane.A dolly shot may be a good way of portraying movement, the journey of a character for instance, or for moving from a
long shot to a
close-up, gradually focusing the audience on a particular object or character.
In terms of horror, this is good following a running person again, or can be scanning a scene that involves lots of action, it could also circle a character to make them look confused or like someone is circling them.
Hand Held- This is a movement where a person just holds the camera in there hand, this originated from the war times when reporters were on the news, people felt closer to the action. The main focus of hand held movement are in Horror such as ( Paranormal activity, Rec, Quarantine, Blair Which) And many more, it's emphasis is to make it look like a home video and is very effective.
Crane- Basically,
dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane , is a large, heavy piece of equipment, but is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it. The camera operator and camera are counter-balanced by a heavy weight, and trust their safety to a skilled
crane operator.
In terms of a horror movie this would be useful when you get a scene that involves a lot of action and movement, for example, if your in a forest, and you want to portray a sense of fear among a group, and something attacks them, you can see all of there reactions from different angles.
Aerial- An exciting variation of a
crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration — so long as you don't need to get too close to your actors or use location sound with the shots.
This would be good at the begging of a movie based in the desert, like The Hills Have Eyes movie, you can see just how big the dessert hills are and there is nothing around, its sets up the movie and gives you a real sense of whats coming.
