Camera

The basic element of film making - the shot

The shot is everything recorded on film from when the camera begins rolling ("Action!") until it stops rolling ("Cut!"). The director decides how long a shot will be. This can range from a few seconds to a few minutes.

Films are usually made up of thousands of shots. These shots make up the scenes which are placed together through the process of editing. When editing, a shot can be cut and different pieces used in different parts of the sequence to tell the story and enrich the narrative.

Francisca Bosch, Focus Puller on location for The Genie from Down Under 2

Framing is created through the use of different camera shots and angles. Framing can be used to emphasise a character's point of view. It can also be used to hide information from the viewer (such as something happening out of shot) which is later important to the story, creating mystery for the audience. Framing can also provide information to the viewer which the characters don't know, creating suspense and expectation.

Shot types

There are eight different shot types that a director can use when filming.

Long shot/Wide shot	Mid shot

Close-Up	Single

Master shot	Two shot	Point Of View (POV)

1. Long shots and wide shots show the whole person or the whole feature object as part of the landscape. The establishing shot of a television and film production is usually a long shot showing the actor/s in their environment. This establishes the context for following shots. The establishing shot, for example, might be a house, a town or a landscape. This shot implies that it is important to the story for the audience to see the actor in this context. A long shot or wide shot can also be used as the first shot or master shot of a new scene. These shots are outlined in more detail below.
   
   
2. Mid shots or Medium shots cut the actors off at the waist. This allows the viewer to clearly see the characters' expressions and movements without dominating the screen. This type of shot usually cuts out much of the background.
   
   
3. The Close-up shot shows the actor's head and sometimes their shoulders. This shot directs the audience's attention to the significance of what that individual is doing, saying or feeling at that particular time. The close-up shot can also draw attention to an object which is of significance to the narrative.
   
   
4. Extreme close-up shots are used for dramatic emphasis. By framing only an actor's eyes or mouth the director can emphasise the drama, suspense or tension of the moment.
   
   
5. Master shots are usually the first shot of a scene. It is a wide shot which covers all the action and speech in the scene and establishes context.
   
   
6. A Two shot is a shot showing two characters in the scene. It usually involves a dialogue sequence between the two characters.
   
   
7. Single shots are mid-shots or close-ups of each individual actor in the scene where none of the other characters appear.
   
   
8. A Point of view (POV) shot is where the camera is used to enable the audience to share a character's point of view - as if the camera were seeing through their eyes.
   

A film maker can show points of view by using the camera to put the viewer in the same position as the character and we see what the character is seeing. A POV shot is used to help the audience identify closely with, and understand, the character's feelings, or to create suspense and humour. In most cases the camera will only occasionally show a scene from a character's point of view to show a reaction, or something of importance to the character.

Camera movement

Camera movement affects what is revealed to the audience. It reveals new sights and new information. Camera movement can simply be used for following action or it can be used to emphasise drama.

Camera movement can draw the viewer's attention to something or it can move attention away from one subject to another subject which appears in the frame. For instance, a tracking shot where the camera physically moves closer or further away from the subject is most commonly used to increase the drama of what is being said or done.

If we are led closer and closer by the camera into a situation, we can't help but become more involved in the drama, suspense or intimacy of that particular moment. Camera movement is also used to establish the visual style of the film. This can include long sweeping pans in a romance or period style film, or jerky camera movements similar to those used in fast-paced police television programs, documentaries and news programs.

There are five types of camera movement. These are:

	1. Zooming - a zoom lens brings objects closer to the camera and makes them bigger in the frame by zooming in. It can also happen in reverse by zooming out from the object without moving the camera. A sophisticated camera zoom lens can allow you to start with a long shot of a building and then zoom in on a face in the window.
Click image to view a zoom in shot and a zoom out shot from The Genie from Down Under 2
	2. Panning - this involves the camera moving from side to side while the tripod remains still.
Click image to view a panning shot from The Genie from Down Under 2
	3. Titling - in this instance the camera tilts up or down while the tripod remains still. This can create a sense of unease in the viewer and is often used to create suspense or mystery.
Click image to view a tilt shot from The Genie from Down Under 2
	4. Crane shot: the camera is suspended on a small crane and can be raised very high to look down on the scene or location. It can then be swept down low within the same shot.
Click image for a crane shot from The Genie from Down Under 2
	5. Tracking/dollying - the camera and tripod are mounted on a moving platform, usually on rails, and can be smoothly pushed forwards, backwards or sideways so that the camera can stay with and follow the action.
Click image to view a tracking shot from The Genie from Down Under 2

Camera angle
The camera angle is another important consideration for the director. The camera angle is the vantage point from which the film maker would like the audience to see the characters or location. This is an important psychological tool in reinforcing dialogue, action and the way we respond to and interpret the character.

The three different types of camera angles are:

1. High angle, where the camera is placed above the person or object and looks down on it. It can be used to get a wider shot of a scene such as the example on the right. High angle camera angles can also be used to have the viewer looking down on something or someone, creating the illusion of weakness, or to show that the character is frightened or powerless.
2. Eye level camera angle is where the camera is on the same angle as the person or object. It creates the impression that the viewer is on the same level. It is usually seen as 'normal' but can also be used to bring the viewer closer to the action, as in this example.
3. Low angle is where the camera is placed to look up at the person or object so that the viewer feels they are looking upwards. This angle can be used to create impressions of superiority, authority, strength, power or menace. A low angle shot is often used to convey the point of view (POV) of a small child.

Special effects are used to make the fantastic appear convincingly real. In The Genie from Down Under 1 the genies, 'Bruce' and 'Baz', take 'Penelope' on a magic carpet ride. This special effect was created by filming the actors on a carpet against a green background (as can be seen in the photo below). This was filmed on a small raised stage in the studio with the actors pretending they were flying through the air. Actor Alexandra Milman had to present a frightened 'Penelope', terrified on such a dangerous journey. These shots were then superimposed on shots of the scenery over which they were supposed to be flying.

Camera conventions

We make many assumptions when we watch a film. For example, we assume that when one shot is placed next to another there is a significant relationship between them. If one character in a single shot is looking to the left and another character in a single shot is looking to the right, when these shots are edited together we usually assume that the characters are looking at each other. We also expect that if the film is depicting real life then the characters will not look at the camera. Conventions can be broken for effect. In The Genie from Down Under, for example, the lead character Penelope directly addresses the audience at the beginning of each episode, looking at and speaking directly to the camera. This unusual strategy is a significant feature of this series.

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