Camera Angles, Shots and Distances

1. Dolly Shot

1.1. Camera moves along something mounted on wheels.

1.2. Gives more flexibility to where it can move.

2. Stedicam

2.1. Made shots easier and less cumbersome on set.

2.2. Camera is mounted on a harness to the camera man.

2.3. Allows a more realistic following of the action without shakes and jars of a hand-held camera.

3. Dolly crane

3.1. Crane fixed to a moving, wheeled platform.

3.2. Camera/crane can move with the action.

4. Pan

4.1. Panorama

4.2. Taken horizontally from left to right from a camera on a fixed axis.

4.3. Gives an intensive view of set or location.

4.4. Often used as an establishing shot.

4.5. Makes spatial relationships seem clear to the viewer.

5. Zoom/reverse zoom

5.1. Camera is in a fixed position.

5.2. The lens zooms in close on or out from the subject.

6. Tilt

6.1. Fixed.

6.2. Goes up and down.

6.3. Does not move from left to right.

7. Pull Focus

7.1. Shot that shows one thing initially that is in focus whilst everything else is blurred.

7.2. In the same shot, the camera lense will change so the background detail now becomes clear and the first subject is blurred.

7.3. Could represent sense of clarity.

8. 180 degree rule (Crossing the line)

8.1. A scene featuring two or more people.

8.2. Positioning of a camera on one side of an imaginary 180-degree horizontal line.

8.3. Camera always stays on that side of the line - doesn't cross to the other side.

8.4. Could disorientate the viewer is camera crosses the line.

9. Tracking shot

9.1. Camera moves along rails or a track.

9.2. Shows smooth movement of a camera following something usually parallel action.

9.3. Can be used to move into or out from the character's position.

9.4. Camera can either move alongside the character or the camera can move towards an object or back away from them.

9.5. Can travel in every direction at any speed.

10. Crane shot

10.1. Camera is fixed to a crane.

10.2. Can produce camera shots of different heights and angles.

10.3. Crane is fixed to one spot on the ground.

11. Dolly zoom

11.1. Camera is mounted on a dolly.

11.2. Lens and actual camera move towards/back from the subject.

11.3. Used to indicate something is unsettling and disorientating.

12. Dolly

12.1. Object on wheels.