The three elements that make up cinematography are

Camera movement

Camera angles

Camera positions

Long shot (LS)-you can see most of the person and some of the surroundings.

Extreme long shot (ELS) - sometimes used as an establishing shot, because the camera is at its furthest distance from its subject emphasizing the background and reducing the importance of the subject.

Master shot (MS)-Similar to an establishing shot and are used at the beginning of sequences, as a reference point for the rest of the sequence to follow.

 

 Establishing shot (EL)-Defines the location and gives the audience a perspective on action that is to follow. They are often essential to defining a genre

 Medium long shot (MLS)-when the shot focus on the subject from the knees upwards, it permits a balance between the subject and surrounding.

 

Medium shot-MID-is when the camera frames the actor from the waist up.

Close Up (CU) - shows a fairly small part of the scene and emphasises on something, such as a characters face and neck in detail that it fills the screen.

Extreme close up (ECU) - Singles out a portion of a face isolates detail and magnifies the minutes.

Point of view shot- Camera position to imply that the camera is looking through the eye of the subject

Two shot- is when two people are used in the frame.

Over the shoulder shot-when the camera is placed at shoulder level and is shot this way.

Camera angels

Straight on angle-most common angle used and angle that is at eye line level facing straight.

  

High angle shot-Shot that captures the action or the subject from high up looking down

                     Low angle shot-Shot that captures the subject from a low angle looking up.

Camera movements

Zoom-when zooming the camera does not move and the lens is focused down from a long shot to a close up,whilst recording.

Tracking- is also known as dollying, the camera is moved smoothly towards or away from the subject while the focus remains constant. Tracking in (like zooming) draws the audience into a closer relationship with the subject, moving away tends to created emotional distance.

Tracking back-Tends to divert attention to the edges of the screen and the speed of tracking may affect the viewer’s mood.

Pan- when the camera moves from left to right or right to left following the moving subject.

Whip pan- is when a very fast pan causes the subject to blur.

Handheld camera-Is handheld and produces a jerky,bouncy, unsteady image which can create a sense of immediacy or chaos.

Steadicam-a handheld camera that is worn as a kind of harness. It uses a gyroscope system to ensure the camera remains perfectly level and smooth as the camera moves.

Craneshot- a camera is mounted on a crane and it moves around at a distance above ground level and it can move up or down.

Rolling shot-a camera moves diagonally , which makes the image askew (often used to show that a character is drugged/drunk)

Aerial shot-is where the camera looks down on something and it is like a birds eye view shot.

Shot types

Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a rule that is used in photography. The rule states the image is to be divided into 8 parts by two equally spaced lines horizontally and vertically. The four point of connection are used to align features in the image. The rule is said to add balance an interest to a photo and can also add it to a shot.

Tilt shot

A tilt shot basically means that that the camera is in the same position however it tilts up or down, this technique creates a more dramatic shot than a basic straight angle shot. A downward shot is usually used to oversee action and a down ward tilt is usually used to represent superiority.

                                                                         Panning

Panning is the horizontal movement or rotation of a camera, or the scanning of a subject horizontally on video or a display device. Somebody shaking their head ‘no’ is quite similar to panning.

                                                               Pedestal shot

A pedestal is moving the camera vertically with respect to the subject. It is often referred to as ‘pedding’ the camera upwards or downwards.