CAMERA MOVEMENTS

SHOULDER LEVEL SHOT

a shoulder level shot is a camera angle that is as high as your subject's shoulders. Shoulder level shots are actually much more standard than an eye level shot, which can make your actor seem shorter than reality

ARC SHOT

an arc shot is a camera move around the subject, somewhat like a tracking shot. Some definitions of the arc shot describe it as being tracking and dollying at the same time, i.e. simultaneous side-to-side and in-and-out movement.

A HIGH ANGLE

moving shot photographed from a crane (a mechanical arm which carries both camera and camera operators).

SWISH TILT SHOT

the camera rotates to aim upward or downward without changing the location at a fast speed.

ZOOM SHOT

zooming means altering the focal length of the lens to give the illusion of moving closer to or further away from the action. The effect is not quite the same though.

GROUND LEVEL SHOT

A ground level shot is when your camera's height is on ground level with your subject. This camera angle is used a lot to feature a character walking without revealing their face.

LOCKED-DOWN

A locked-down shot has no camera movement. The camera is put on a stable platform (typically a tripod) and simply captures the action that happens within the frame.

SEQUENCE SHOT

A long shot that covers a scene in its entirety in one continuous sweep without editing.

THE ONER/LONG TAKE

a long take, also known as a "oner" is a shot that's intended to appear as a single, uninterrupted take in the final edit of a project.

SWISH PAN

a rapid pan that results in a blurred image. It usually begins and ends at rest.

DOLLY

a shot taken from a moving dolly (a platform on a set of wheels). when the camera moves towards the subject, it is a "dolly in" when it moves away from the subject, it is a "dolly back" or a "dolly out."

PAN

a shot taken when the camera stays in one place (on a tripod, for example) but rotates or swivels horizontally.

PEDESTAL

A pedestal shot is moving the camera up or down, while keeping the lens at a constant angle.

LIBRARY SHOT (STOCK SHOT)

A pre-existing shot of a location — typically a wild animal — that is pulled from a library. Aka a "stock shot", it says this film is old. Or cheap.

STEADICAM SHOT

A shot from a hydraulically balanced camera that allows for a smooth, fluid movement.

TOP SHOT

A shot looking directly down on a scene rather than at an angle. Also known as a Birds-Eye-View shot.

TILT

A shot taken when the camera stays in one place (on a tripod, for example) but rotates or swivels vertically.

POV SHOT (POINT OF VIEW)

A shot that depicts the point of view of a character so that we see exactly what they see. Often used in Horror cinema to see the world through a killer's eyes.

MATTE SHOT

A shot that incorporates foreground action with a background, traditionally painted onto glass, now created in a computer.

TRUCK

Trucking is like dollying, but it involves motion left or right. Truck left means "move the camera physically to the left while maintaining its perpendicular relationship."