Construction Explained
Let’s get straight into it! Here are some of my favourite camera angles and construction devices, and how you could analyse them for your text response essay. If you have a shot type that you’re unsure about, send us an email and we’ll help you out with how you could potentially analyse it for your text.
High Angle Shot
Definition:
The camera looks down on a subject.
Effect/Meaning:
• Makes the subject appear weak, vulnerable, or powerless.
• Can create a sense of inferiority or intimidation.
Low Angle Shot
Definition:
The camera looks up at a subject.
Effect/Meaning:
• Makes the subject appear powerful, dominant, or intimidating.
Medium Shot
Definition:
Shows the subject from the waist up, balancing focus between the character and their surroundings.
Effect/Meaning:
• Provides a natural, conversational feel.
Close-Up Shot
Definition:
The camera focuses on a subject’s face or an important object.
Effect/Meaning:
• Highlights facial expressions and emotions.
Long Shot (Wide Shot)
Definition:
The subject is fully visible in their entire body, with background details included.
Effect/Meaning:
• Establishes setting and context.
• Can emphasise loneliness, scale, or character placement within an environment.
Extreme Long Shot (Establishing Shot)
Definition:
The subject is very small or not visible, with the environment dominating the frame.
Effect/Meaning:
• Creates a sense of vastness, insignificance, or epic scale.
• Often used for introducing locations or setting tone.
Over-the-Shoulder Shot
Definition:
The camera is placed behind a character’s shoulder, looking at another subject.
Effect/Meaning:
• Creates a perspective-based view, often used in conversations.
• Can indicate power dynamics in a scene.
Two-Shot
Definition:
A shot with two characters in the frame.
Effect/Meaning:
• Emphasises relationships, power balance, or conflicts between characters.
Pan Shot
Definition:
The camera moves horizontally (left or right) across a scene, usually to follow movement or reveal new information.
Effect/Meaning:
• Reveals important context or contrasts (e.g., panning from a wealthy home to a homeless person).
Mise en scène
Definition:
A French term meaning "placing on stage," referring to everything within the frame, including set design, props, lighting, costume, actor placement, and composition.
Effect/Meaning:
• Creates atmosphere and mood.
• Symbolises themes or character traits (e.g., a cluttered room might represent a chaotic mind).
Costume
Definition:
The clothing and accessories worn by characters.
Effect/Meaning:
• Reflects personality, status, or transformation.
• Can symbolise themes (e.g., dark clothing for villains, white for innocence).
Lighting
Definition:
The use of light and shadows to create mood, highlight characters, and direct attention.
Types of lighting:
- High-key lighting (bright, even) -> Creates a sense of openness or happiness.
- Low-key lighting (dark, shadowy) -> Creates mystery, fear, or tension.
- Backlighting -> Can create silhouettes, symbolising mystery or power.
Effect/Meaning:
• Enhances tone and atmosphere.
• Emphasises character traits (e.g., villains often appear in shadows).
Voiceover
Definition:
A narrator’s voice is heard without the character speaking on screen, often providing backstory, inner thoughts, or commentary.
Effect/Meaning:
• Creates a sense of intimacy by revealing inner thoughts.
• Can provide unreliable narration, forcing the audience to question the character’s perspective.
• Enhances storytelling by filling in gaps in time or setting.
Music
Definition:
The soundtrack, background music, or thematic score that accompanies a scene.
Effect/Meaning:
• Sets mood and tone (e.g. suspenseful music builds tension, upbeat music creates joy).
• Can foreshadow events (e.g. eerie music before a horror scene).
• Reinforces character emotions or major themes.
Genre
Definition:
The category of film based on common conventions, themes, and styles (e.g., horror, drama, thriller, comedy, sci-fi).
Effect/Meaning:
• Shapes audience expectations (e.g., horror films use suspense and fear).
• Reinforces specific themes (e.g., dystopian films critique society).
• Can be subverted for effect (e.g., a comedy that turns into a tragedy).
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