A Reminder of Camera Shots and Angles

Camera Shots:

Establishing Shot (ES)/Wide Shot (WS):
Shows you where the scene is going to be set, characters appear to be small but you can tell their position.

Long Shot (LS):
Shows the character from head to toe and can see a bit of background.

Medium Shot (MS):
Shows the character from head to waist.

Medium Close Up (MCU):
Shows the character from head to the top of their shoulders.

Over the Shoulder (OTS):
Usually used to show 2 characters speaking. The back of the head of on character is seen near the corner and on the opposite is the other character so it feels as though you are there.

Close Up (CU):
Shows the face of the character

Extreme Close Up:
Focuses on one key feature very closely for example a zoom on the eye.

Camera Angles:
(As seen on official Media blog)


High Angle:

Makes subject look small and weak.

Low Angle: 

Makes subject look big and powerful.

Unusual Perspective:

Can be used to surprise the audience or show danger (e.g. looking down off a cliff)

Note: Sometimes the image might not be accurate and so it could be for example in between a medium shot and a medium close up. If you pick either one in an exam you won't get it wrong so long as you explain your reasoning behind your selection. Make sure to memorise these.