































AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies

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THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CAMERA SHOTS: A DETERMINANT 
FOR AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF FILM IMAGES  

 
Teddy Thaddeus Hanmakyugh 

Faculty of Arts, 
Department of Theatre & Film Arts 
University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State 

thamaque@gmail.com 

Abstract 

In the beginning was the camera, a humongous invention that 
captured images from a static position. The size, weight and 
challenges of this new invention were a great impediment for 
movement of the camera from one position to the next when 
recording images on a film strip. The cinema audience of that period 
was no different from a theatre audience who watched the 
performance sitting front row center. David Wark Griffith was the 
first American film director to move the audience into the scene on 
the screen by using a series of connecting shots, camera set up and 
viewpoints to tell the audience, “look here, look there” so as to affect
them in a face-to-face encounter with a character on the screen. To 
get the audience involved on the screen is the most dramatic and 
interesting approach to telling a visual story. This paper brings to the 
fore some of the cinematic elements which filmmakers use to 
consciously direct the audience attention as well as get them involved 
as active participants in a scene. In summary, the paper establishes 
that camera shots are the most effective way to tell a visual story 
which entice and fascinate the audience to get themselves involved 
in the cinematic action. In this way we can justify the appellation of 
film as a universal language understood by all and sundry. The paper 
finally recommends that filmmakers should acquire the knowledge 
and imbibe the use of these cinematic elements so as to impact and 
achieve effective visual communication with the audience. 

Keywords: Shots, Viewpoint, Perspective, Camera Angle, 
Cinematic Elements 

Introduction  

Film is a powerful medium of communication. Like the print media, film 
is regarded as text for reading by viewers and critics. The major role of 
cinema or film in the society is to inform, educate and entertain. However, 
as a business venture, film may be seen as a commodity, produced and 



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marketed by a specific industry as pleasure; as entertainment and 
enjoyment as well as a communicative system. In order to achieve the 
above objectives, filmmakers consciously pay attention to the creative 
presentation of visual narratives to their audience in order to capture their 
attention as well as fulfill the popular axiom that film is a universal visual 
medium. As a cultural product, film influences our social and political 
values. Film is universally acknowledged as a popular medium of 
entertainment and one’s knowledge of film analysis increases his
enjoyment, appreciation and understanding of the way film uses images 
or shots to tell a compelling story. The camera is one of the most vital 
equipment used in film production. Motion picture cameras have lenses 
which are similar to the human eye in many respects but there is one 
important difference. The human eye is selective, focusing on what it 
wants to see, overlooking many details and unimportant distractions. The 
camera however, sees everything and those distracting elements will show 
up in your picture unless care is taken while composing the shots. It is 
therefore, very necessary to select and organize framing to get the best 
result. There are several approaches to consider for arranging the mis-en-
scene which is the visual theme of everything that appears before the 
camera and its arrangement such as sets, props, actors, lighting, costumes 
and composition based on framing, balance, rhythm, proportion and 
symmetry. In this way, the filmmaker uses the camera to show the 
audience things from different viewpoints and perspectives.  

Watching a film is quite different from watching a stage performance. 
Caldwell explains that;  

When watching a play, we see events on a fixed stage from a 
stationary seat; from the same position. However, when viewing a 
film, we are placed in a different position relative to the action each 
time one shot finishes and another one begins. For every shot in a 
film, the cinematographer has to decide on the angle, level, height 
and distance of the camera in relation to the subject filmed (59).  

Similarly, in assessing the way filmmakers engage viewers with images 
on the screen, Bennet, Boyd- Bowman, Mercer and Woollacott rightly 
observed that;  

As a complex form of language speaking to us from particular sites 
and which we freely consent and pay to listen and see; film deploys 
certain strategies and processes to involve us, to make us enjoy 
certain shots, images, sounds, music which produce moments of 



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secrecy and revelation, tension and resolution, loss and jubilation 
(197). 

This paper has attempted to highlight and explain those technical elements 
of film production that filmmakers employ to captivate and direct the 
viewer’s attention and get them involved with the visual narratives on
screen.  

Camera Angles and View point.  

The camera angle otherwise known as view point is the angle subtended 
at the lens by the main subject in the picture area. When a character is 
photographed at the eye level position, it shows people the way we would 
expect to see them in real life. Psychologically we feel that we are seeing 
eye-to-eye with that person as this type of shot encourages and engages 
the viewer to identify with the subject on the screen as if he is a part of the 
scene. Whereas the high angle shot with the camera pointed from a high 
elevation looking down a character denotes submissiveness, humiliation, 
vulnerability, powerless or being beaten down; a low angle shot with the 
camera looking up enhances the character’s stature as big, powerful,
imposing, menacing, authoritative or dominant. In this later context, the 
view point is said to be high, low, near or distant. Several camera angles 
and view point abound for use by the cinematographer but this obviously 
depends on how the film director wants to present the subject matter to the 
audience. The straight angle or eye level camera placement for example at 
the height or eye-level of the actor could also be considered as the 
audience objective view of the actor. Films are usually shot with the 
camera placed at the eye-level of characters. This corresponds to the 
manner and natural way we humans see things in real life either from a 
sitting or standing position. Meyers-Levy & Peracchio (1992) relied on 
research by several authors (Kraft 1987; Mandell and Shaw 1973; 
Tiemens 1970) in their assumption that when an object is photographed 
from a low angle, so it seems that the viewer would seem to be looking up 
at it, the object was judged more positively (eg. larger, stronger, bolder) 
than when the same object was photographed from a high angle. When the 
object appeared to be at the eye level, viewer’s judgments were in between
the two extremes. 

When the camera is positioned high above looking down at a subject it is 
called a high angle shot. The high angle camera position produces a 
dramatic effect of intimidation. It communicates an impression of the 
person being belittled denigrated, vulnerable, powerless, threatened, 



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insignificance or inferiority, it also creates the impression that the 
character is weak and lower in status. The high angle shot is very ideal in 
the portrayal of a convict as he is being sentenced to jail by a judge in a 
court of law. The low angle shot on the other hand is achieved when a 
camera is positioned to film the actor from below. By this position of the 
camera, the audience appears to be looking up at the character. This 
camera angle gives the impression of one who is powerful, one with great 
authority as the character appears dominating and overwhelming, 
prestigious and threatening. Low angle shots of a judge passing sentence 
on a convict, shots of Idi Amin in the film “The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin” 
(1981) and Adolf Hitler in “Life of Adolf Hitler” (1961) define the essence
of this camera position. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s minister of propaganda
made sure that Hitler though a homunculus was photographed from low 
camera angle position to give him that look of a giant, a symbol of power, 
authority and strength.  

The camera angle is one of the most powerful technique which enables the 
film maker to express the emotion and psychological content of a scene. 
The position of the camera determines the area and viewpoint of the lens. 
The use of subjective camera angle which allows the action to be seen 
through the eye of one of the character is another effective means of 
expressing the state of mind of a character. Using the subjective angle as 
the eyes of the audience makes the spectator a participant, and the 
filmmaker evokes the spectator’s emotions through his involvement in the
action. Mascelli postulates that;  

The subjective camera films from a personal viewpoint. The 
audience participates in the screen action as a personal experience. 
The viewer is placed in the picture, either on his own as an active 
participant, or by trading places with a person in the picture when 
anyone in the scene looks directly into the camera kens- thus 
establishing a performance – viewer eye – to – eye relationship (14). 

Point – of – view (POV) 

Point-of-view shots put the audience right into the mind of the character 
creating the impression to the audience that what the camera is seeing is 
what the audience sees from the point-of-view of the character. Mascelli 
explains that;  

A point-of-view shot is as close as an objective shot can approach a 
subjective shot – and still remain objective. The camera is positioned 
at the side of the subjective player – whose viewpoint is being 



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depicted – so that the audience is given the impression that they are 
standing check-to-check with the off-screen player. He sees the event 
from the player’s viewpoint as if standing alongside him (22).  

The subjective point-of-view shots involve the audience move intimately 
with event than do objective scenes. The mood of the shot will depend 
largely on camera placement. In general, shots looking up to full face; give 
a strong image and shots looking down a weak image. Marner has noted 
that;  

The viewpoint selected by the director is an important dramatic tool 
at his disposal. The angle which we look at characters in a motion 
picture is itself a significant part of the narrative since it is capable of 
describing the importance of a character; his relationship with others 
in the scene; his state of mind or his immediate intention (115).  

The camera angle determines both the audience point of view and the area 
covered in the shot. It also heightens the dramatic visualization of the 
story. It is an established fact that the subjective camera angle impacts on 
the viewer by transporting him from his seat into the scene on the screen 
thus associating oneself with what is happening in the film. This effect on 
the audience is actualized by carefully editing the various shots taken from 
different viewpoints during production.  

Lighting 

Lighting is one of the elements of cinematography that enables the 
cameraman to compose shots that would add psychological impact, create 
the correct mood in a scene and to draw the attention of the audience. The 
main purpose of lighting is not just to provide enough illumination for the 
camera to register images. Motion picture lighting can be invaluable in 
setting the mood and effectively illuminating the subjects to their best 
advantage, but it must be carefully thought out and planned before the 
shooting begins. It is very important to creatively demonstrate how, where 
and when to give objects in the scene dimension with modeled lighting so 
as to provide character and emotional key to each scene through the use 
of lighting. The filmmaker and an artist use lighting in the same way to 
get the desired colour and tone: to express mood and to create an 
atmosphere, to reveal the character of a person, to unify the structure of 
his painting, and to create a surface reality through a sense of depth. 
Lighting can create a mysterious effect, boringly dull and characterless. It 
enables the camera lens to see and record an image; it is also a major 
contributory factor to audience’s responses. Roberts explains that,  



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Generally speaking, the filmmaker will use dark illumination to 
establish a somber, tragic mood; bright illumination to establish a 
happy, gay atmosphere, or any variation of these two extremes to fit 
a variety of moods. Such uses of light will invest the scene with 
emotional tone that will affect the spectator and evoke in him the 
proper feeling for appreciation and understanding of the filmmaker’s
purpose (61). 

Different types of lighting could be used to achieve the above depending 
on the subject matter. The following are commonly used lighting 
techniques in filmmaking: Low key lighting, high key lighting, the key fill 
and back light. Depending on the light intensity and the lens aperture there 
are some instances whereby the cameraman would like to shift the 
attention of the audience from one character to the other. This is achieved 
by a technique known as “split focus” or differential focus. The use of this
facility of a lens enables the main subject to be shown in sharp focus 
against an out-of-focus background. This technique enables the 
cameraman to draw the attention of the audience as he gets involved with 
the action taking place on the screen as Marner warns that,  

The device is seen most frequently in commercials and if one derives 
the use of such technique from its commercial application, there is a 
danger that pulling focus will appear a meaningless gimmick. Pulling 
focus, like any other technical context must have its motivation 
within the context of the film. It has to be part of the dramatic 
structure without distracting the audience by its petty or unusual 
effect (108).  

The eyes of the audience are directed to a particular actor on the screen 
when the cinematographer shifts emphasis from actor A to actor B, or 
isolates an individual in a crowd by using a long focal length lens. 
SivaSamy (2017), points out that “Cinematography” is not a result of
instincts or coincidental spontaneity, much forethought goes behind 
choosing the kind of shot angles, camera movement and lighting. These 
which comprise a cinematographer’s bag of tricks go a long way in
controlling what the viewers watch. 

Filmmaking offers great scope for usage of one’s power of imagination
and this manifest in the composition of shots. The basic shots employed 
in filmmaking are; Extreme long Shot (ELS) Long Shots (LS). The 
extreme long shot is an extremely wide angle shot filmed from a high 
vintage point, an establishing shot which depicts the vastness of a setting; 



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revealing the setting or the geography of the locale where the action takes 
place. Mascelli explains further that, 

Such massive shots set the scene for what follows by putting the 
audience in the proper mood and providing them with the over-all 
picture before introducing characters and establishing the story line... 
whenever possible, extreme long shots should be filmed to open up 
the picture on a grand scale and capture the audience interest from 
the start (25-26).  

The extreme long shot covers a vast area of landscape similar to a shot of 
a city taken at a great distance. This shot establishes a setting that 
orientates the audience before moving into the successive shots to create 
new scenes. Aerial shots like the extreme long shot covers a vast area 
which give the audience a bird’s eye view of the action; these shots are
either taken from a helicopter, plane or a drone fitted with a camera. The 
medium shot (MS) displays a natural distance between people and the 
camera. In the case of a human being, it includes the head and shoulders 
as well as the upper chest. Here, the viewer’s emotional response is
neutral, yet part of the scene, but only an observer. 

The Close-up shot 

It is the close-up shot that draws the attention of the viewer to a specific 
area of interest in a picture. The close-up shot is more intimate than other 
shots because the expressions and emotions of an actor are more visible 
and affecting and is meant to engage the character in a direct and personal 
manner. A relationship between the character and the audience becomes 
more intimate and impacting. Cardwell (2010) outlines the significance of 
the close-up shot stating that;  

Close-ups also create drama and tension by giving single objects and 
small movements a lot of importance. In the final shootout in Sergio 
Leone’s “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, there are multiple close-
ups of the guns hanging off the men’s belts with their hands hovering
above them. This highlights how much the character’s lives rest on
how quickly they can draw their guns.   

Here the audience is transported to the screen as they sit at the edge of 
their seats wondering what happens next at such an intense moment. It is 
the close-up shot that does the magic by bringing the viewer and the 
character on the screen into interactive relationship. According to 
Mascelli,  



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The close-up may transport the viewer into the scene; eliminate all 
non-essentials, for the movement and isolate whatever significant 
incident should receive narrative emphasis. A properly chosen, 
expertly filmed, effectively edited close-up can add dramatic impact 
and visuals clarity to the event. Close-ups are among the most 
powerful story telling devices available to the filmmaker (173).  

With a close-up shot, the subject dominates the screen as the shot covers 
the subject from head to shoulders. This shot enables the audience to 
establish a more personal intimate connection with the subject on the 
screen. Sharples (1971) collaborates that the close-up shot enables the 
filmmaker to exercise complete control over what the spectator will see; 
excluding all the essential and concentrating the spectator’s attention on
the one vital element. In essence, the close-up shot derives its power not 
only from what it shows but also what it excludes. 

The impact of shots in film editing 

A complete edited film ready for showing is cut together using the 
following basic shot types: extreme close-up, big close-up, close-up, 
medium close-up, medium shot, medium long shot, long shot, very long 
shot, extreme long shot, two-shot and over-the-shoulder shot. All these 
shots engage and affect the viewers in several ways as deem fit by the film 
director. When people walk around, their viewpoints and what they see is 
constantly changing in a similar way we experience change of shots on the 
screen when watching a movie. Besides giving the story a smooth flow, 
editing cuts made in a film engage the viewers and guide their perceptions 
and emotions. A cut to a new angle is not just to maintain the viewer’s
interest but to also point out objects of interest as well as what in the scene 
is important and to tell a story. The object of editing is to show the 
development of the scene by guiding the attention of the spectator now to 
one, then to the other separate shot elements. According to Braudy and 
Cohen (8-9),  

The lens of the camera replaces the eyes of the observer and the 
changes of angle of camera – directed now on one detail, now on 
another – must be subject to the same conditions as those of the eyes 
of the observer. The film technician, in order to secure the greatest 
clarity, emphasis and vividness, shoots the scene in separate pieces 
and, joining them and showing them, directs the attention of the 
spectator to the separate elements compelling him to see as the 
attentive observer saw.  



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The above view expressed by Braudy and Cohen underscores the manner 
in which film. Editing can stir up the emotions of the audience when 
watching a film. The basic significance of constructive editing is to build 
scenes from separate shots of which each concentrates the attention of the 
spectator only on the elements important to the action. From the foregoing, 
one can again see the intended symbolism and psychological impacts each 
element of cinematography possesses. The camera and the viewer trade 
places as the camera’s viewpoint becomes a viewer.  

Conclusion   

This paper has striven to enumerate, highlight and explain the various 
cinematic elements at the disposal of the film director and camera operator 
to engage the attention of the viewers to what takes place on the screen. 
The effectiveness of the visual language of film in communicating with 
the viewers is encapsulated in the way different types of shots are used to 
express meaning and affect people. The choice of camera angles or 
viewpoints chosen to shoot a subject becomes the most effective tool of 
communication as visuals engaged the audience in the narrative process. 
This paper encourages the creative use of these elements as they do not 
only enhance the various compelling narratives that entertain, educate and 
inform but also are a great way of continuous improvement upon the ways 
filmmakers visually hold their audience spell bound. 

Works cited 

Bennett, Tony et al. (1981) Popular Television and Film. London: The Open 
University Press. 

Braudy, Leo, Marshall Cohen (2004). Film Theory and Criticism. 6th. Edition 
(ed). New York: Oxford University Press. 

Cardwell, Thomas (2010). Film Analysis Handbook: Essential Guide to 
Understanding Analyzing and Writing on Film. St. Kilda Victoria, 
Australia: Insight Publications. 

Marner, Terrence St.John (1972).  Directing Motion Pictures. London: The 
Tantivy Press. 

Meyers-Levy, J & Peracchio, L. A. (1992), Getting an Angle on Advertising: 
The Effect of Camera Angle on Product Evaluations. Journal of 
Marketing Research, 29(4). Pp 454-461 

Mandell, L.M. & Shaw, L.S. (1973) Judging People in the News – 
Unconsciously. The Effect of Camera Angle and Bodily Activity. 
Journal of Broadcasting. 17(Summer) pp.353-362 



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Mascelli, Joseph V. (1965). The Five Cs of Cinematography. Hollywood: 
Cine/Graphic Publications. 

Roberts, Kenneth H. & Win Sharples, Jr. (1971). A Primer for Filmmaking. 
Indianapolis: Pegasus. 

SavaSamy, Nivetha (2017).  Retrieved 12th, July 2018 https://www. 
yaabot.com/28305/cinematography-and-psychology-how-the-
camera-decides-what-we-feel/  

Tiemens, R.K. (1970) Some Relationships of Camera Angle to 
Communication Credibility. Journal of Broadcasting. 14 (Fall) 
pp.483-490 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


