Planning- Shot types and camera angles

Here is the list of shots that I believe will be beneficial in our film trailer for the thriller film, love me.
⇾ Close up- This shot is used to focus on something in particular, whether it is someones face or a specific piece of mise en scene. Furthermore, it usually shows very little background, which gives the shot a more powerful message to the audience as it is focuses on only one thing. This shot can be used to show a characters emotion, and in real life only few people like family get to go that close to your face, having an effect on the audience as they can feel more connected to characters. In love me, we can use this shot to show the emotional stress Rosey is going through, whether it would be sadness and this would include crying, or anger because she is vulnerable and this can be connoted by showing a close up of frowning.

⇾ Establishing shot- An establishing shot is usually the first shot of a new scene, its purpose it to show the audience where the action is taking place. It is usually either a wide shot or an extreme wide shot. In love me, we aim to show some establishing shots in order to show the audience where the setting is taking place. In our trailer, the shots will mostly consist of low key lighting in order to make the audience feel slightly uncomfortable, and we hope it will have a sinister feel it. An establishing shot of a dark car park or a wrecked up garage, can add anticipation to the trailer and this would make people want to watch the full film to see exactly what happens.
⇾ POV shot- A point of view shot (POV) is designed to show the audience what the character is looking at. It is used to captivate the audience and it gives them the opportunity to see what the character is seeing from their eye view. Furthermore, having a POV in our trailer will be useful as it can add tension to a scene, for example showing a POV shot when the stalker is following the girls, can connote to the audience that he is going to make an attack which leaves them on edge.

⇾ Long shot- It is sometimes referred to a full shot, or to remove ambiguity it may be called a wide shot. This shot is used to show either an entire object or human in relation to the environment they are in. This allows the audience to see the action of the character/s in the surroundings they are in. It usually corresponds with the real distance between the audience and the screen in the cinema. We may want to use this shot in our film because it will give us the opportunity to show both characters and the environment which gives the audience an idea of the area and situation they are in. An example using this could be when the mentally ill character follows the two girls to show where Rosey and Daniella are, and what they are doing, with also showing the man stalking them.




⇾ Mid shot- A mid-shot usually shows the knees/waist up. It still shows enough for the audience to feel as though they are looking at the whole object. It is usually the same distance you would talk to someone in real life. Mid shots are usually used to show a scene of dialogue or some kind of action, also they are close enough to see the emotions of characters. Including this in our trailer would be ideal when showing either an action or conversation between Rosey (the stereotypical school girl) and the main character who has kidnapped her. This is because we do not want to show the face of the character, so by using mid shots not too much will be given away but the audience will still be able to see the costume he is wearing.


⇾ Extreme close up- This shot shows either an object or person that focuses on just one feature and nothing else, this engages the audience to one specific thing. For example, if someone is crying, an extreme close up of their eyes gives the emotion more emphasis which connects the audience more to the character and what they are feeling. This will take our trailer to the next level, by having more of a dramatic effect. However, we will have to be cautious with this shot, because just one small movement of the camera will be noticeable.

⇾ Over the shoulder shot- A shot where the audience get to feel like they are peering over somebody's shoulder. It is usually used when two characters are speaking, showing each character and what their facial expression are. However, I feel as though it would be useful in our stalk scene where the audience look over the shoulder of the main character and see the two innocent girls that are about to be subject to some sort of kidnapping. This will give a dangerous and sinister feel as it gives the audience an opportunity to see the scene in a different way.

Camera angles also have to be considered, here are the following camera angles that might be used in order to connote different stereotypes and conventions that will be effective in a thriller film:

↝ High angle shot- This angle is used to make someone or an object look inferior or vulnerable, like something is bigger than themselves. This will be a frequent shot that will be used both throughout the Love me trailer and the film. Moreover, it will be a beneficial shot to use when showing the vulnerable teen Rosey when she is being kidnapped.



↝ Low angle shot- The low angle shot has the opposite effect of the high angle shot. Instead of portraying vulnerability like the high angle shot, this shot connotes power and strength. For example, a low angle shot of somebody makes them look bigger, which connotes to the audience that they are strong and in a position of power. Furthermore, this can be used in our trailer to show the kidnapper looking large and strong which is the opposite to the victim.


↝ The birds-eye view- This shows a scene from directly above, giving the audience a godlike look down on what is happening. It will look slightly strange and unnatural as objects and people will look unrecognisable. However, it shows the audience the full setting of a scene and literally gives them a 'birds-eye view'. This shot at first seemed to be an impossibility, but because of a purchase of a drone it is not possible to pull off a shot such as this. It maybe used to give the audience a relative idea of where the scene is set.

↝ Oblique/Canted angle shot- sometimes the camera is tilted to show something slightly distorted. It suggest to the audience imbalance and instability. This could be used to show the problems the mentally ill character has and how he is unstable and unpredictable.