Cinematography

Shots

Establishing: Shows the whole scene, usually at the start of the sequence.

Long: Shows the whole subject and some surroundings.

Medium/Medium Close: Half of the subject- best for showing body language.

Close Up: Ribs/Shoulders upwards of a subject- good for facial expressions.

Extreme Close: In the subject’s face- lot’s of detail.

Cut Away: “Action Codes” (Tilly, 1991) indicate action on the screen.

Angles

High: Faces down onto subject.

Low: Faces up at the subject.

Eye Level: Camera is directly facing the subject (at eye level).

Bird’s Eye: Facing down on the subject from a height above.

Worm’s Eye: Facing up at the subject from ground level.

Over the Shoulder: PoV of a subject from behind another subject (often in dialogue).

Movement

Zoom In: Rapidly increasing the magnification of the image with the lens.

Zoom Out: Rapidly decreasing the magnification of the image with the lens.

Hitchcock Zoom: Moving the camera away or towards the subject whilst simultaneously pulling the focus in the opposite direction at the same speed.

Pan: The camera stays in the same position, but moves horizontally, usually 180 degrees, without the camera position itself moving. 

Swish Pan: The same as above but faster for a blurrier movement. 

Tilt: Tilting the camera upwards, without moving the camera itself.

Dutch Tilt: Tilting the camera downwards, without moving the camera itself.

Tracking: When the camera moves and the same pace as the subject.