Are we (and the camera) looking up or down on the subject? Or is the camera neutral (eye level)?

There are five basic angles in film.

1. Bird's-eye view--the shot is photographed directly from above. This type of shot can be disorienting, and the people photographed seem insignificant.
2. High angle--this angle reduces the size of the objects photographed. A person photographed from this angle seems harmless and insignificant, but to a lesser extent than with the bird's-eye view.
3. Eye-level shot--the clearest view of an object, but seldom intrinsically dramatic, because it tends to be the norm.
4. Low angle--this angle increases high and a sense of verticality, heightening the importance of the object photographed. A person shot from this angle is given a sense of power and respect.
5. Oblique angle--for this angle, the camera is tilted laterally, giving the image a slanted appearance. Oblique angles suggest tension, transition, a impending movement. They are also called canted or dutch angles.

 

 

Ghost World (2001)

This shot is eye-level. The scene is not highly dramatic and no power relationship is being suggested between the two characters.

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