Eye-level shot
A direct, observational viewpoint, useful when you want dialogue to feel grounded or relatively neutral.
Interactive shot guideFree · Learn by exploring
Learn Cinematography.
Choose Every Shot.
Explore camera shot types, angles, movements and focus techniques. Select a style to see what it communicates, when to use it, and how to plan it for your scene.
Four choices shape a shot
01 / Shot size
How much do we see?
02 / Angle
Where do we look from?
03 / Movement
Does the camera move?
04 / Focus
What holds attention?
01 / Interactive explorer
Explore camera shots and angles
WS / 02Illustrative frame
A simplified visual aid for framing and composition, not a live camera feed or precise optical simulation.
SHOT SIZE / 02
Wide shot (WS)
What it communicates
Use it when
How to shoot it
Try this in a scene
02 / Point of view
Camera angles and what they communicate
Meaning depends on blocking, performance, lens choice and context — not the angle alone.
High-angle shot
Looks down on a subject and can suggest vulnerability, exposure or a wider view of the space.
Low-angle shot
Looks up at a subject and can add presence, power, threat or a sense of scale.
Dutch angle
Tilts the horizon to create unease, instability or a deliberately off-balance visual world.
Bird’s-eye / overhead
Looks down from above to reveal patterns, blocking, isolation or the arrangement of objects.
Worm’s-eye angle
Places the camera very low, often exaggerating height, architecture or a subject's presence.
03 / Movement
Camera movements: pan, tilt, dolly, tracking and more
Give each move a purpose: reveal information, follow action, change distance or guide attention.
Pan
Rotate horizontally from a fixed position to follow action or reveal something across the frame.
Tilt
Rotate vertically to reveal height, follow a subject or shift attention up or down.
Dolly / push-in / pull-out
Physically move closer or farther away to intensify attention or reveal context.
Tracking shot
Move alongside, behind or ahead of a subject to sustain action and connect the audience to the character's path.
Crane / jib
Move through an elevated arc to reveal scale, geography or a changing perspective.
Handheld / Steadicam-style
Handheld can feel immediate and unstable; stabilised movement can preserve fluid motion through space.
Whip pan
A fast pan creates directional blur for energy, transitions or sudden attention shifts.
Zoom
Change focal length without moving the camera; unlike a dolly, perspective does not shift in the same way.
Dolly zoom
Move the camera while zooming in the opposite direction to shift background scale around the subject.
04 / Attention
Focus, composition and cinematic techniques
Shallow depth of field
Separate a face or object from a busy background using a narrow plane of focus.
Deep focus
Keep foreground and background detail readable so the audience can explore multiple layers.
Rack focus
Shift focus between subjects or depth planes to redirect attention without cutting.
Silhouette
Expose for a brighter background so the subject becomes a shape rather than a face.
Negative space
Leave visual room around a subject to communicate isolation, anticipation or imbalance.
Leading lines & foreground
Use architecture or foreground objects to guide the eye and create depth.
05 / Quick reference
Which camera shot should you use?
| Story goal | Try this | Why it can work |
|---|---|---|
| Establish a location | Extreme wide / wide shot | Gives geography and context. |
| Show a reaction | Close-up / medium close-up | Makes expressions easier to read. |
| Create a power imbalance | High-angle / low-angle | Can change perceived scale or authority. |
| Cover dialogue | Two-shot / OTS / reverse | Clarifies relationships and eyelines. |
| Reveal information | Push-in / pan / rack focus | Directs attention to a discovery. |
| Create unease | Dutch angle / handheld / negative space | Can make a frame feel unstable or uncertain. |
06 / Quick answers
Cinematography & Camera Shot FAQs
What are the main types of camera shots?
Common shot sizes include extreme wide, wide, full, medium, medium close-up, close-up and extreme close-up. OTS, POV, two-shot, reverse and insert shots are also widely used.
What is the difference between a shot size and a camera angle?
Shot size describes how much of the subject appears in frame; camera angle describes the viewpoint, such as eye-level, high-angle, low-angle, overhead or Dutch angle.
What is the difference between a dolly shot and a zoom?
A dolly physically moves the camera through space and changes perspective. A zoom changes focal length while the camera stays in place.
What is an over-the-shoulder shot?
It includes part of one character in the foreground while framing another, commonly used to connect viewpoints in dialogue.
How do I choose the right shot for a scene?
Start with the story beat: establish the location, show what a character notices, reveal a reaction or change how the audience reads the space. Then choose framing, angle, movement and focus to support that purpose.
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Make every frame serve the story.
Shot choice works best when framing, movement, performance and editing are planned together.