When shooting coverage for a scene, the camera placement, and the angle of a frame are just as important as the shot size. CAMERA ANGLES refer to the placement of the camera on the horizontal or vertical axis.

The placement of the camera is directly in front of a character’s face. This angle tends to be very flat without much depth, but it does allow an audience to feel connected to the character as they can see full facial expressions.

The camera is placed directly to the side of a character, only showing the profile of their face. This angle can make an audience feel disconnected from a character since they cannot see their full facial expressions.

The camera is positioned to the side of a subject’s face, but not quite as far as the profile. This angle is used often, as it gives more depth to the shot while also showing some details of the character’s facial expressions.

The camera level is placed at the same height as the eyes of the character in the frame. Even though the angle is called EYE LEVEL, it does not mean that the character’s eyes need to be seen. It just means that the camera is aligned to the same height as where the character’s eyes would be located. It is considered a neutral camera angle.

The camera is placed below the action and is pointing upwards at the subject. This angle tends to give the impression of “looking up” on the character, making them appear powerful and large.

The camera is placed above the action and is pointing downwards at the subject. This angle tends to give the impression of someone “looking down” on the character, making them appear weak and small.