Angles & Height

If shot size controls distance, angle controls power and perspective. The height and tilt of the camera tell the audience how to judge a character before a word is spoken.

Camera positions arranged around a head, from bird's-eye above to worm's-eye below Bird's-eye High Eye level Low Worm's-eye godlike, detached, fate small, weak, vulnerable neutral, equal, honest powerful, heroic, threatening monumental dominance
The camera's position relative to the subject's eyeline is a verdict on that subject. The audience reads it instantly and almost never consciously.

The angles

AngleCamera positionPsychological effect
Eye LevelAt the subject's eye heightNeutral, equal, honest
High AngleAbove the subject, looking downSubject seems small, weak, vulnerable
Low AngleBelow the subject, looking upSubject seems powerful, heroic, threatening
Overhead / Bird's-EyeDirectly above, looking straight downGodlike, detached, fate-like observation
Worm's-EyeOn the ground, looking steeply upExtreme dominance or monumental scale
Dutch Angle (Canted)Camera rolled sideways off the horizonUnease, madness, a world off balance
AerialFrom a drone, helicopter or craneAwe, geography, scale

Height is a separate choice from angle

You can place the camera low and keep it perfectly level. That is a low height, not a low angle. Each height carries its own feel even with no tilt at all.

Four level camera positions at shoulder, hip, knee and ground height beside a standing figure Shoulder Hip Knee Ground observational, near the shoulder the classic Western height the world seen from below the dirt, the floor, the fallen
Hip level is the classic Western height; ground level puts the audience physically beneath the action without tilting at all.

The Dutch angle

LevelHorizon parallel to the frame edge. The world is stable.
Canted / DutchThe horizon tilts. Unease, moral disorder, a world coming loose.
Origin

The Dutch angle comes from German Expressionism, where "Dutch" is a corruption of Deutsch. The Third Man uses it relentlessly to show moral disorder. Because it is so legible, it goes stale fast: use it where the story genuinely tilts.

Rule

Angle is an argument. Before choosing one, finish this sentence: "I want the audience to feel that this person is ______." If the answer is "nothing in particular", shoot it at eye level and save the angle for when it means something.

Watch

Ultimate Guide to Camera Angles (StudioBinder, The Shot List Ep. 3). Reference: StudioBinder's camera angles guide.

Cinematography & Mise-en-Scène cheat sheets · built from The Foundations of Cinematography and Mise-en-Scène.