Shot Sizes, Camera Angles and Composition — From ECU to 2.39:1

A scene is usually shot first as a wide master from start to finish, then the same performance is repeated in tighter sizes to gather material for the edit (coverage). When you cut a person off at the edge of the frame, avoid cutting exactly at a joint such as the neck, waist, knees or ankles. A crop right at a joint makes the body look awkwardly chopped off.

• Bird’s-eye view — Looks straight down from directly above. It shows the layout and movement in a space like a map.
• High angle — Looks down from above eye level. The person seems small, weak or isolated.
• Eye level — Looks straight at the person from their eye height. The most neutral, natural point of view.
• Low angle — Looks up from below eye level. The person seems big, strong or intimidating.
• Dutch (oblique) angle — The camera is tilted sideways so the horizon slants. It expresses unease, confusion or tension.
• Worm’s-eye view — Looks almost straight up from near the floor. A low angle pushed to the extreme.

Shooting with the camera held in the hands or on the shoulder, with no support, is called handheld (H/H). The shake stays in the image and adds immediacy and urgency, but long stretches can tire the audience. When you need movement that still looks smooth, use a Steadicam or a gimbal.

• Rule of thirds — Divide the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically. Placing the eyes or the key subject on those lines or intersections feels balanced without being static.
• Headroom — The space above the head. Too much and the person seems to sink; too little and the frame feels cramped. The tighter the shot, the less headroom you leave.
• Lookroom (lead room) — The space in front of where a person is looking or moving. Leaving room ahead of the eyeline feels natural.
• Over-the-shoulder (OTS) — Frames one person over the shoulder of the other. It shows the relationship and distance between them, which makes it the backbone of dialogue scenes.

The imaginary line joining two people in conversation is called the axis, or line of action. As long as the camera stays within the half circle on one side of that line, A always looks from left to right and B from right to left. If the camera crosses the line, their positions and eyelines flip, and the audience feels as if the characters suddenly swapped places. If you must cross the axis, show the camera moving across the line, or cut in a frontal shot taken on the line itself.

When you cut between two shots of the same subject from almost the same position, the result looks like a jarring jump cut. Change the camera angle by at least 30 degrees, or change the shot size clearly, between consecutive shots. This is called the 30-degree rule.

Aspect ratio directly shapes composition. At 2.39:1 it’s easy to fit two people side by side and the negative space grows; at 9:16 you can frame a person tall, but the person next to them easily falls out of frame. Put an aspect ratio guide on the monitor before you roll.

1. 01Break the scene into beatsSplit the scene wherever the emotion or information changes. A change of beat is a good place for a cut.
2. 02Choose the master shotFirst decide on a wide shot that shows all the blocking in the scene. It becomes the reference for the space and where people stand.
3. 03Set the axisDraw the axis between the characters on a floor plan and decide which side the camera goes on.
4. 04Pick sizes and anglesFor each beat, match the shot size to the emotional distance and the angle to the power balance between characters.
5. 05Use consistent notationFor every shot, write the scene and shot number, size abbreviation, angle and camera movement the same way (for example: S#12-3 BS low H/H).
6. 06Group by shooting orderShoot all the setups facing the same direction together to cut down on relighting and camera resets.