Again, you must learn these terms and use them throughout your essay. Remember that camera angles will often indicate something about the potential fate of the characters, and that this will often be relatively straightforward to link to the area of representation that you will be asked to focus on. If, for example, a character is shot from a high angle it is likely that they will be under threat or being presented as weak or vulnerable - the trick is to then suggest that the reason they are being presented as vulnerable is directly related to the area of representation (that is, they are being presented as vulnerable because of their age, gender, disability or class).
Remember - the first thing to do is to say what the choice of camera angle suggests in general terms, before finishing the sentence with a suggestion of what the choice of angle implies about the chosen area of representation.
10 marks out of the 50 available for the essay are given for the appropriate use of terminology - so it is important that you learn the terms and use them frequently throughout your essay.
HIGH ANGLE SHOT
The camera is often placed above the character, as if looking down on them. High angles are mostly used to suggest a character is vulnerable, weak or under threat. Remember that you don't need to define the angle BUT what you should try to do is relate it to the area of representation. Is the character being presented as vulnerable or weak as a result of their age, class, race or disability?
LOW ANGLE SHOT
Low angle shots work in the opposite way to high angle shots. Characters will be shot from below and will appear to dominate the frame. Low angle shots are most commonly used to imply a character's strength or power - and are often associated with heroes or the central protagonist. They can, however, be used to suggest that a character is sinister or threatening. Again, you must relate the use of this angle to the chosen area of representation. Is the character being presented as powerful/strong/sinister or threatening as a result of their race, gender, age or class?
Bird's-eye view shots are extreme high angle shots, where the characters or landscape are/is shot directly from above. If a character is in the frame the shot will often make them appear tiny against the landscape, hinting at their vulnerability. Most commonly bird's-eye view shots are used to suggest to the audience that the character is somehow being controlled by other characters, or external forces (such as fate). Bird's-eye view shots are also used to suggest the majesty or size of a landscape - they are impressive and exciting shots for the audience because we are placed in a position/given a vantage point that is rare (sometimes the shots are used without any significant reason, simply because they look stunning). Again, it is important to relate the shot to the area of representation - you should think about how the idea of characters being controlled could be related to their disability, age, class, gender or race.
CANTED FRAMING/DUTCH ANGLE
Canted shots, or Dutch angles, where the shot appears tilted to one side as if the camera has been tipped at an angle while shooting, are used to unsettle the audience or to suggest that something terrible (such as violence) is imminent. On screen the audience will witness strange diagonal angles rather than a more traditional straight-on, eye level view. Canted framing suggests danger or something untoward to the audience but can also be used to reflect a character's disorientation, confusion, fragile mental state or a drug or alcohol-induced stupor.
You must learn these terms and become confident discussing them, as it is almost certain that one or more of these angles will appear in the clip you see in the exam - they are very common and they are usually reasonably easy to relate to the question's chosen area of representation.
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