Low-angle shot

In cinematography, a low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis, often at knee height, looking up. This technique is sometimes used in scenes of confrontation to illustrate which character holds the higher position of power, and is a common element in the aesthetic texture of certain genres such as film noir.

Famous examples

*"M (1931 film)" (directed by Fritz Lang): Inspector Karl Lohmann is shot in low angle in his office, the camera sitting underneath his office desk. Also, two disputing men, one small and the other tall, are shot in low and high angles, respectively.
*"Citizen Kane" (directed by Orson Welles): there are many examples such as during the scene where Kane fires Leland.In fact, the scene where Leland confronts Kane after his defeat in the election is entirely shot in a low angle view.
*"Psycho" (directed by Alfred Hitchcock): the house where Norman Bates lives is usually shot from a low angle.
*"" (directed by George Lucas): Darth Vader is often shot at a low angle, for example, the first time we see his character as he is walking down a hallway.
*"Touch of Evil" (directed by Orson Welles): In this "film noir", Hank Quinlan is often shot in low angle to make him look menacing, large, and in-charge.
*"The Lady From Shanghai" (directed by Orson Welles): examples of low-angle shot are during the scene where George Grisby is confronted by Broome and he shoots him.
* Used while filming World Wrestling Entertainment interviews with André the Giant.

See also

*Camera angle
*High-angle shot
*Bird's eye shot