Practical-Camera Angles for a Chase Scene

When doing my practical for a chase scene, I wanted the time to be just before dark so that I could still get across a mysterious atmosphere which is common in horror films, as well as still be able to easily see what I was filming. I also wanted to show a variety of camera angles which could be used if we decided to do a chase scene.

Point of View

To do this, my brother held my camera facing forwards, whilst running, which is why the camera is so shifty. A point of view shot is good to use in supernatural horror films as we are able to change whose point of view the shot is from. (It could be from the antagonist or the protagonist). From the victim's point of view, this creates a panicky atmosphere as the shifty movements make it unclear as to where the victim is going. From the antagonist's point of view, it also emphasizes their unstable mental state (if they were being possessed)   As well as this, POV shots also heightens the tension as the audience follow whether or not victim is caught.

Low Angle

Most low angle shots in supernatural films are used to put emphasis on the vulnerability of the victim. An alternative to this, is to emphasis the powerlessness of the audience as if the victim were to be caught, the audience may feel sympathy towards them, however, still wouldn't be able to do anything. I lay my phone on the ground, with the camera facing up, as my brother jumped over my phone to create this shot. This shot also gives the effect that the person may actually be jumping, for example, over a wall.

Panning Shot

As well as this, I also tried to film a panning shot of my brother (the victim) running, as I felt that this would also be an effective type of camera movement when trying to build suspense during a chase scene. To film this, I recorded my brother running for across the road as I felt this would allow me to have more space to film. 

Mid Shot

In addition to this, I also thought it would be useful to do a mid shot of my brother running, as mid shots are very common in horror films. If we decided to use mid shots, it would be useful to include something significant within the frame to highlight the panicky atmosphere.

High Angle Shot

I also wanted to do a high angled shot which could also be taken from the victim's point of view as it highlights their vulnerability. To have the running feet in the shot further heightens tension. To film this shot, I ran alongside my brother, whilst facing the camera towards his feet.



The following is a final clip showing all the different shots put together.

Evaluation

Although I was able to get a wide variety of shots which we could use in our opening scene, I think that I filmed too closely to dawn, which meant that some shots couldn't be used as nothing could be seen. As well as this, I could have experimented with other camera movements, such as, tilting and zooming, as these are also commonly used in supernatural horror films, in order to give an even wider variety of camera angles as well as movements.