You Call the Shots

Activity 1: What are the different camera shots?

(10 minutes)

When we watch videos, we usually don’t think about the camera work, but what’s happening behind the camera greatly influences the finished product that we watch. There are four basic types of camera shots, and they are related to how close the camera appears to the subject. Watch the short film Life once to understand the story and a second time to pay close attention to the camera shots. Based on what you see in the film, can you hypothesize on what the four basic shots are? If you are working with someone else, talk about the types of shots you noticed, referring to specific points in the video. If you are working independently, write about your ideas.

Activity 2: Watch Examples

(10minutes)

Check out this article about the basic camera shots. How do the shots explained in the article compare to your predictions from watching Life? Now watch this short video that demonstrates the basic camera shots as well as a few more. While you watch consider why filmmakers might chose to use the different shots. For quick reference, here is an illustration showing the camera shots. Now watch Life again and think about how the choice of camera shots affected how you experience the film.

Activity 3: Give it a Try

(20 minutes)

Take out your camera and give different shots a try. Stop your camera between different shots, and think about which shot would be best for what you are filming, for example, an extreme closeup shot might be good for showing someone doing something with their hands, like typing or playing cards. A closeup might be good for filming someone talking, maybe you could ask them a specific question, like in an interview. What do you think you could film that would be good for a long shot?

Activity 4: Reflect

(10 minutes)

When you are done filming, playback your clips. What do you notice about the different shot styles? Which do you like best? Do you think using a variety is important? Next time you are watching a video or tv show, pay attention to the different shots.

You might ask yourself: