Understanding Camera / Shots / Angles / Movement in General
- Natasha
Tips in relation to cinematography specific to horror films:
'1. Shoot Through Things
Some horror filmmakers are drawn to extreme closeups, but in my opinion doing the exact opposite is far more effective. Rather than always filling up your frame with your actors faces (just because it looks intense), challenge yourself to go wider.
Imagine a scene where an actor is sitting alone in their kitchen. An extreme closeup on their face may show us some added emotion, but a wide shot taken from outside the house (looking in) could be far more powerful. Not only are you showing the isolation of the character, but you’re also creating a voyeuristic and unsettling feeling by shooting through a pane of glass, which is a technique that can be very effective under the right conditions.​
2. Underexpose
As DPs, we have it drilled in our heads to always expose perfectly. We have more tools than ever (both in camera and otherwise) that enable us to nail our exposure. Though, in some cases, that isn’t what’s going to serve the story most effectively. On a horror film, underexposing can be extremely effective as it’ll leave more areas of the frame in the shadows and create a more mysterious feeling.
Although you could technically expose normally and just color grade your footage to darken it in post, the end result won’t be quite the same. You want to actually light your scene in a way that feels organically underexposed, and bring that out even more in the grade. Don’t push things too far though, or you won’t be able to bump it back up in post if needed. About a stop of underexposure is all you need to set the tone.
3. Use Haze
Using a tasteful amount of haze (or fog) can add a lot of texture to your scene. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but it’s still used on nearly every set (and for good reason). There’s absolutely no substitute for the look and feel that haze can bring to your scene, and it’s especially effective when it comes to the horror genre.
Use a hazer or fog machine to add just a touch of haze to your scene, and be sure not to go overboard. A little bit of haze will go a long way, and much like underexposing, it can really help to set a unique and mysterious mood to your scenes.
4. Don't Be Afraid of Coloured Gels
I almost always avoid using colored gels when shooting, unless I’m using them to correct the color temperature of a light (for example, balancing tungsten to daylight). That said, if I’m ever going to use them, it’s on a horror film, as that’s one of the only genres where I feel they can work exceptionally well.
Red gels in particular can be really effective for horror, as the color red can inherently make your viewers feel unnerved. Avoid using colored gels in the way that a photographer might (such as on the rim light) and instead use them on your key. Let’s say you’ve got a scene that takes place in a dark hallway of a club. If your key light has a red gel on it, it will bleed over the faces of your actors and create a really stylized look. Again, know when to use this and when not to. If you mix colored gels with regular lighting (or natural light) you may just wind up with a strange looking image.
5. Find Unique Angles
The most obvious example of a unique angle that works well for horror is the dutch tilt, though just about any unconventional angle can help play into the vibe of your film. Much like the other tips on this list, you want to use your camera angles to create an unsettling feeling within the viewer, and the best way to do that is to create an image that looks off balance. That’s why the dutch tilt works so well.
Other examples would be a bird’s eye view or a very low angle shot looking up. Both of these are unique perspectives that we rarely see on film, and can really help to jolt the audience into the headspace of the characters. Always be sure that whatever extreme camera angle you’re going for still suits your scene, as the last thing you want is to stylize a scene or moment in a way that isn’t true to the story.'[5]
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Camera Shots​
There are many camera shots in film trailer which include the following. Establishing shot, Long shot, Mid shot, Close up, POV shot, Over the shoulder shot, High/Low angle shot, Tracking shot and Focus pull.
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Establishing shot - This is the first shot in a trailer, designed to let the audience know where the action is taking place. It is usually a wide or extreme wide shot. This shot is key to all horror film trailers, as the mise-en-scene has to match the horror genre so that the audience are clear on what genre of film it is. An effective example of this is in "The Woman in Black" trailer where there is a steam train in the sunset with creepy music playing, which makes it clear that the film is a horror film set back in history.
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Long shot - A view of a scene that is shot from a considerable distance, so that characters faces in the shot aren't easily recognised. Long shots in horror film trailers are usually used to show to antagonist at a distance, to make the audience aware of that character and their threat even from a distance that is far away. Two examples of this are in "The Woman in Black" trailer and in the "Sinister" trailer. The first is a two shot of Daniel Radcliffe and The Woman in Black, but The Woman in Black is in the background of the shot which shows her in a "long" shot. Her face isn't sgown here which keeps the audience guessing of her appearance up close. The second is a shot where the antagonist of Sinister, "Bughuul" is in the foliage in the garden, in a long shot, which in the trailer is presented as a jump scare. This shot is effective as "Bughuul" can be seen by the audience watching, but his whole appearance isn't fully clear. The shot also demonstrates that his threat is ever present, even at a distance.
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Mid shot - A camera angle shot from a medium distance, usually displaying a character from the waist up. Mid shots aren't used in a crucial way in horror film trailers, as they don't have the aspect of the fear of the unknown like a long shot, or show facial expressions like close ups. They are used mainly to tell the story at the start so that the audience gets a clear view of the clothing of the characters and the mise-en-scene in the trailer. An example of a mid shot used is in "Poltergeist" to display Madison on screen, to show the audience her mutated face because of her abduction by the spirits in the house.
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Close up - A detailed view of a person or object, usually without much context provided. A close up usually only displays a character on screen from the chest up, to show the audience what the character looks like and their facial expressions. This shot can be key in a lot of horror films, because it can tell the audience what the character is experiencing emotionally without any words being said. An exceptional example of this is in "Poltergeist" towards the end of the trailer when a drill comes through a wall, almost going through one of the characters' faces, presenting on his face to the audience, his sheer terror at the events happening.
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Point of View (POV) shot - Any shot which is taken from the vantage point of a character in the film. A POV shot is a shot of what a character in the trailer is seeing with their own eyes, it lets the audience know what they are looking at, which in horror films, can tell the audience where the danger is. They are used in horror films fairly regularly, sometimes in scenes where a character is moving through a cramped space or when a sniper is lining up their shot. They are used to build suspense, as these scenes are usually important and key to the storyline of a film. An example of a POV shot is in the film "28 Weeks Later" when there is an outbreak of the infected and the snipers are ordered to kill anything that moves.
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Over the should shot - A medium shot, useful in dialogue scenes, in which one actor is photographed head-on from over the shoulder of another actor. This shot is effective in horror films when the shot shows the antagonist in the background of the shot, where they would likely be out of focus. The shot is used in all types of films for dialogue scenes mainly and is usually involved in a "shot-reverse-shot" where the characters will be talking to each other and the camera will show each person talking. An example of an over the shoulder shot in a horror film is in the "Insidious" trailer when the family's son is in hospital, seen over the shoulder of his dad.
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High angle shot - A shot in which the subject is photographed from above. A high angle shot can set up a dichotomy between characters, as it can tell the audience who is of more importance in the trailer. If there are two people in a scene and the scene focuses on one character using a high angel shot, this tells the audience that this character is vulnerable and weak. It can also imply isolation or a character being lost, as if a high angle shot is used, it usually shows a character either alone in a vast area, or frantically looking around because they may be lost.
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Low angle shot - A shot in which the subject is photographed from below. A low angle shot can assert a characters dominance within the film, because the camera is looking up at them, displaying their power and importance. This tells the audience what characters are important and will play a big part in the story. If music is used when a high angle shot is shown, this can also tell the audience what type of character is being displayed. This is because when creepy eerie music is played, this implies to the audience that the character is probably the antagonist of the film. Whereas if prominent, heroic music is played, this suggests that the character is the protagonist of the film, and is there to try and prevent evil from being victorious. An example of this comes in "The Dark Knight" where the camera shot is of the Joker, demonstrating his power and evil ability.
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Tracking shot - A shot taken from a moving vehicle. Originally tracks were laid on the set to permit a smoother movement of the camera. Today a smooth hand-held traveling shot is considered a variation of the dolly shot. A tracking shot helps the audience to follow the action from either behind or in front of the characters. It gives a sense of speed, because of how fast the camera is moving, which can create tension to rise. This is because if the camera is moving fast, a car chase could be occurring, or someone could be getting chased which builds suspense in a film. A tracking shot can also show the audience the setting the film is in which can help to give context to the storyline. An example of this is in "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" where a variety of tracking shots are used to show a number of scenes where a chariot is being chased by the orcs who are getting killed by the chariot and the Dwarves in it.
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Focus pull - A creative camera technique in which you change focus during a shot. Usually this means adjusting the focus from one subject to another. A focus pull literally pulls the attention of the audience from one thing to another quickly, so that the audience can see an important part of the film. It is done to highlight the importance of a part of the film, so that it will be remembered later on in the film by the audience so that they understand what has happened. Sometimes focus pull's are used to show the realisation a character has, or in horror films, to display the appearance of a character, usually the antagonist, in the background of a shot, to frighten the audience. I filmed a focus pull for the skills development tasks, which can be seen to the right.
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