Camera Shots, Angles and Moves for Boards

Camera shots, angles and movement in storyboards

Rule: This skill adds specialist tips to your answer. Always give your full general answer first, using everything you already know about storyboarding and cinematography. Then add the tips below where they apply. Do not replace or shrink your normal answer with this list.

Three components of every shot

• Decide framing height (shot length), camera angle and movement for each panel.
• Storyboarding is about the camera's position relative to the framing of the action.

Framing heights (abbreviations to use on panels)

• EST (establishing), also EWS/ELS: establishes the setting.
• WS (Wide Shot): as much of the setting as possible; often used to establish.
• LS / Full: the full height of the actor, with the camera some distance away.
• American (Cowboy, Hollywood, Knee Shot): Medium Full Shot, about knee up, of a group arranged so all are visible.
• MED: half of the subject; the most common shot in westerns.
• MED CU: between Medium and Close-Up, generally chest up.
• CU: head, neck, maybe shoulders; captures expression.
• ECU: more intense than a CU, often just the eyes.
• OTS: shot over someone's shoulder from behind.
• Close: a direction to close in on an object or action for emphasis.
• The source counts seven framing heights: wide/ELS, full/LS, American, medium, medium-close, close, ECU. These help the cinematographer choose the lens (anamorphic, zoom, telephoto).

WS vs LS vs ELS (establishing shots)

• LS: wider than a Full Shot, with subjects about a third of the frame. Used as a transitional device to set up a scene in an already-established location.
• WS: either establishes a setting or works as a transition that moves the action to a different setting.
• ELS: the classic establishing shot, showing as much of the location as possible. Figures blend into the environment, so principal actors aren't needed on set and the second unit typically picks it up.
• To a cinematographer, "wide" and "long" imply lens type, and ELS implies a telephoto or zoom lens. The illustrator treats WS, LS and ELS as establishing shots, so label them clearly to avoid confusion.

Camera angles (camera height)

• Eye level: the most natural angle and assumed unless stated, so only note it when it contrasts with other angles.
• Bird's-Eye View / XDS: unnatural, extreme, looking down from considerable height.
• Aerial / Helicopter: great height, need not look straight down, allows a range of movement.
• Crane / high angle: like Aerial but less extreme and closer to the action, with a greater range of movement.
• High Hat: low camera a few inches above and parallel with the ground. It makes the subject look grand and heroic, or intimidating, and emphasizes power and speed.
• Worm's-Eye View / XUS: unnatural, extreme, looking up, generally from ground level.
• Canted / Dutch / Oblique: tilted horizon, suggesting instability, unease or a transitional moment.
• The source lists six basic angles: XDS, high/crane, eye level, low/high hat, XUS, Dutch.
• Use ECU, Worm's-Eye, High Hat and Canted sparingly. An ECU out of context reads as "this is important", so give it a clear motivation such as interior monologue or a subtle reaction.

Prepping a scene: breakdown first

• Before drawing, list what must be illustrated, as in a script breakdown: location, extras, background performers, props, specific vehicles, principal characters.
• Ask: what elements are needed, what is the most logical way to depict each, and which framing height and angle suit the mood.
• A sample progression for a crowd scene: Bird's-Eye View (crowd gathering), then WS (introduce principals), Full/American (closer), MED Two-Shot or OTS (intimacy), CU (reaction).
• Choose a high angle or crane for a Wide Shot that needs many elements and is hard to get at eye level.

Location and plan view

• Make or consult a plan view (a drawing of the location seen from above) to place trees, buildings, street width and camera positions.
• Note hindrances: trees, power lines, signage, modern buildings or technology inappropriate to the period.
• A vector-based program makes crowds quick to build and gives accurate placement of buildings and trees, so street width reads realistically.

Camera diagrams

• Add a camera-placement diagram to most panels.
• Use the diagram to show what is not seen. Cars or extras can be "removed" from the set outside the frame, or moved to make room for the camera (e.g., for an OTS).
• Use boards to analyze a shot before shooting. If a Two-Shot "loses something in translation", change the camera position, e.g., to an OTS for better intimacy and a captured reaction.
• A CU can often be picked up by the same camera that covered the OTS.

Two-Shots

• Directors often say a Two-Shot needs no board because camera placement is obvious. Still include simple shots when they sit inside an action sequence, or a scene with a crowd or audience.

Arrows and movement notation

• Arrows normally show an object or character moving within the frame.
• The same arrow style can show camera movement (e.g., a crane up). Label which one it is so they aren't confused.
• Number the arrows to give the order of events when several things happen in one panel.
• Arrows can show background motion continuing (e.g., ropes still moving) or something passing the camera and exiting frame.

Sequence-continuity tips

• Motivate cuts. An Extreme Down Shot of falling bricks can be a POV that motivates the next Medium of the character looking down.
• Cutting back to an earlier setup (e.g., the same low-angle shot) pays off earlier action. Keep the framing and angle identical to the first.
• Vary angle between similar framings (e.g., a Wide at eye level after a Wide XUS) to keep geography clear.

On-set camera rigs (for realism and annotation)

• A Steadicam gives a fluid MED tracking shot with moving actors (e.g., a gurney run down a hallway).
• A camera secured to a gurney gives a CU of the patient's face. The crew pushes the gurney, so cast the camera doesn't see can be released to holding (the off-set area where cast wait to be called).
• The SI-2K Mini Helmet Camera (Silicon Imaging, developed by DP Steve Mason) gives ECUs with no fish-eye effect. It can be worn by the actor for a POV shot, which creates tension and uncertainty.
• Multiple cameras may cover a short scene (one 2-minute scene used four cameras and took hours), so storyboard the coverage per camera.
• Let actors review framing on a portable HD monitor so they know how much they can move and stay in frame.

Labelling shots: framing height plus angle

• Name each panel as "framing height + angle", e.g., "Full OTS, eye level, canted" or "Medium OTS, extreme up (worm's-eye)".
• Combine modifiers (OTS, Two, canted) with the base framing height rather than inventing new terms.