Acting For Camera - Camera Shots

A resource for Acting for Camera Students detailing basic camera movement and shot types.

Below are some links to examples of the main camera shot types

WARNING: Some of these links will take you to scenes from Certificate 18 films which may upset more sensitive viewers

Wide Shots - Examples

Medium/Mid Shot - Examples

Medium Close Up (with dolly left) - Inception - 0:08 onwards

A good example of a variety of Close Ups. Medium close up (1min) developing through a Close Up (1.20), then a Choker (2.50) into an Extreme Close Up (3.20) – Silence of the Lambs

Top Shot - Leon - 0:54

Over The Shoulder Shot - No Country for Old Men

High Angle – North by Northwest - Hitchcock loved a high angle

Low Angle Shot – Citizen Kane - Orson Welles dug holes in the floor to get the lowest of low angles

Two/Three Shot - Paul Anderson – exponent of the symmetrical two shot

Tracking Shot – Kubrick is famous for his incredible use of tracking shots – Paths of Glory

Dolly Zoom - Jaws - Another Hitchcock favourite of Dollying in one direction and zooming in another

Aerial Shot – The Shawshank Redemption

Handheld - The Office

Deep Focus – Citizen Kane

Locked Down Shot – Tommen's death in Game of Thrones

Sequence Shot – One of many extraordinary sequence shots from Birdman

Pan Shot - Clownwise

Dutch Tilt – Thor - Lots of examples here

Crane/Jib Shot – Shawshank again - 1:36

Arc Shot – Matrix - 0:44 - Not strictly an arc shot as it is created by several cameras but the effect is similar