2. Starter Task
What is the purpose of a ‘LOW ANGLE SHOT’?
Note down THREE significant advancements in
cinematography since 1893
Complete the sentence:
“Establishing shots are............ And can be used
to..............”

3. Learning Objectives
Continue developing our ‘Cinematic Language’
vocabulary
Identify Key Term: Framing
Evaluate the use of framing in both:
• Saving Private Ryan
• In the Mood for Love

4. Cinematic Language
Pan Shot
The camera remains
stationary in a position and
moves, or ‘pans’ from left to
right
Use:
To follow a subject / object
Directing the audiences
attention to a specific area /
object

5. Cinematic Language
‘Tilt’ Shots
The camera remains
stationary in a position and
moves, or ‘’tilts’ up or down
Use:
To follow a subject / object
Directing the audiences
attention to a specific area /
object

6. Cinematic Language
‘Tracking’ shots
The camera is connected to a track and moves along that
track in one direction – either left to right, or forward to
back
Use:
To follow a subject / object as
it travels – such as characters
walking / cars driving

7. Cinematic Language
‘Crane’ shot
The camera is positioned on a crane that can move up/down,
left/right etc and take shots from high positions and unusual angles
Use:
Establishing shots – to follow action and
provide a birds-eye view of the action /
environment

8. Cinematic Language
‘Hand-Held’ Camera
The camera is attached to a rig on the cinematographers body.
The camera is then operated by hand is characterised by a ‘shakey’
look
Use:
Handheld styles gives a scene more fluidity
and a natural feel
It can be used to position the audience within
the action or give the audience an insight in to
a characters POV

9. Saving Private Ryan
Watch the opening scene from Saving
Private Ryan and answer the following
questions:
How does Spielberg ‘place the
audience’ in the scene?
How does the cinematography
add to the believability of the
scene?
Why do you think Spielberg Saving Private Ryan
used hand held camera Dir; S. Spielberg (1998)
techniques here?

10. What goes in a shot?
When a director films a scene s/he must
not only decide what should be seen – but
also what should not be seen
Sometimes withholding information from
the audience can be just as effective as
giving information -
Considering what to include / exclude from
a shot is called FRAMING
BLADE RUNNER
Framing is very effective in creating a In an attempt to add
required impression and the shot mystery to the film, Ridley
types, camera height and location Scott framed the eye in a
must be considered carefully CU and purposefully hides
the identify of the person

11. What goes in a shot?
Look at this still from The
King’s Speech
The film is about the King’s
speech impediment and his
discomfort when speaking in
front of other people
The framing includes a
stadium of people watching
the King adding to his
discomfort

12. What goes in a shot?
By changing framing of the
shot and moving the camera
closer to the King we lose
that sense of him being
watched –
By including the audience
within the frame the King
becomes more isolated and
his fear of speaking in public
The camera does not simply record is magnified
that which is in front of it but can be
placed skilfully to create the required
impression

13. Framing – In the Mood for
Watch the following extracts from In the Love
Mood for Love and make notes on the framing
Look at the camera location and placement
Do you notice anything unusual?
Why has the filmmaker chosen to place the
camera where he has?
How are the characters being filmed?
How does the framing add meaning / provide
information? In the Mood for Love
(2001)
Dir; Wong Kar Wai
Clip 2 – What do we learn about the
relationship between the two characters?

15. Scene 2 – it has already been established that the two main
characters are having a secret affair. How does the framing and
cinematography inform the audience of this?

16. Summary
• Framing is a key aspect of filmmaking and must be taken in to
consideration when analysing and making films
• By choosing what goes in to a shot a director can drastically
alter how the audience will read and respond to the scene
• Items that appear in the background of a shot may inform the
audience about the film
• Equally withholding information from the audience is essential
in creating suspense and tension in a film

17. Cinematography - Camera Position
Watch the following scene and complete a short analysis of the
cinematography.
Focus on:
•How does the camera react to Norman’s change of personality?
•Why did Hitchcock use Low Angle and High Angle shots in this
scene?
•How does Alfred Hitchcock use the camera to inform the audience
of Norman’s split personality?

18. The scene begins with a series of eye
level, medium long shots that position the
characters within their own space.
The frame is empty around them reflecting
their ease.
During Norman’s conversation with
Marion, at one point a low angle shot
is used of Norman which has the
effect of exaggerating his
‘strangeness’. We already suspect he is
odd form the things he says and from
his obsessive, unpredictable character.
At another point in the conversation
Marion stands up and a high angle
shot of Norman is used. This has the
effect of reducing him to looking like a
small child where before he was
threatening, thus emphasising his split
personality

19. Cinematography
Instead of being limited to one camera position
and shot type, directors were now able to show
a world from multiple points of view –
enhancing the realism and believability of the
films
Filmmakers like Charlie Chaplin could used
many shots to tell a story and give the film a
more dynamic feel
Watch this short Chaplin film and note how he
creates a mini-story through the use of the
camera

21. Spot the shot?
Watch the following montage of scenes and
not down all of the shot types that you see
1 Point for each correct shot type
1 Bonus point for each film correctly named