camera shots and angles

Shot or angle	Code	Description	Purpose
Extreme close-up	ECU	This is a very close shot showing the detail of an object or the physical features of a person.	To make the viewer aware of some specific detail in the film. It can be used to heighten tension.
Bird's eye angle (aka- Ariel view)	AV	looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle	To allow the audience to view the scene from a different perspective.
High and Low angle shot	HAS ___ LAS	A high angle shot is where a camera is places so that it looks down upon a subject where as a low angle shot is where a camera looks up at a character	A character shot with a high angle will look vulnerable or small and a low angle shot makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel vulnerable and small by looking up at the character
Close-up	CU	This is a shot taken of a person’s head from just above the head to the top of the upper chest. It can also be used to film an object at close range. It contains little or no background.	This used to introduce a character and allows the character to show emotions. It can be used to heighten tension.
Medium close-up	MCU	This shows the upper half of the body. The shot is taken from the above the head to lower chest.	Good for conversation between two characters.
Medium shot	MS	This shows half of the body. The shot is taken from above the head to just below the waist.	This allows you to get to know the character more closely by viewing their facial expressions and body language.
Medium long shot	MLS	This shows the whole person as well as some of the background.	Places the person in context.
Long shot	LS	This shows the whole person and other characters, but the background dominates the shot.	This allows the viewer to understand the relationship between the characters and their environment.
Extreme                        long shot	ELS	This shows the landscape of the film or a barely visible character in the distance of a background.	This gives information to the viewer about where the action is to take place. It often sets the atmosphere of a film.