![Tilt head](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Tilt_head.JPG)
Tilting is a
cinematographic
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to foc ...
technique in which the
camera
A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...
stays in a fixed position but
rotates up/down in a
vertical
Vertical is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
* Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, up or down
* Vertical (angles), a pair of angles opposite each other, formed by two intersecting s ...
plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* ''Planes' ...
. Tilting the camera results in a motion similar to someone raising or lowering their head to look up or down. It is distinguished from
panning in which the camera is horizontally pivoted left or right. Pan and tilt can be used simultaneously. In some situations the lens itself may be tilted with respect to the fixed camera body in order to generate greater
depth of focus
Depth of focus is a lens optics concept that measures the tolerance of placement of the image plane (the film plane in a camera) in relation to the lens. In a camera, depth of focus indicates the tolerance of the film's displacement within the ca ...
.
The camera's tilt will change the position of the horizon, changing the amount of sky or ground that is seen. Tilt downward is usually required for a
high-angle shot
A high-angle shot is a cinematic technique where the camera looks down on the subject from a high angle and the point of focus often gets "swallowed up".
High-angle shots can make the subject seem vulnerable or powerless when applied with the c ...
and
bird's-eye view while a tilt upward is for a
low-angle shot
In cinematography, a low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera angle positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eye line, looking up.worm's-eye view
A worm's-eye view is a view of an object from below, as though the observer were a worm; the opposite of a bird's-eye view.
It can be used to look up to something to make an object look tall, strong, and mighty while the viewer feels childlike ...
. The vertical offset between subjects can reflect differences in power, with superior being above.
Tilting can be used as a
reveal as in tilting up from seeing the murder victim, to the weapon, to the identity of the killer. It can also be an
establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...
, tilting down from a tall landmark to the characters
or as in ''
Star Wars: A New Hope'' opening, tilting down from the stars, to the arc of the planet.
A tilting
Point-of-view shot
A point of view shot (also known as POV shot, first-person shot or a subjective camera) is a short film scene that shows what a character (the subject) is looking at (represented through the camera). It is usually established by being position ...
expresses either attention or head motion. Attention might convey a potential love interest with "elevator eyes" or concern with sizing up an opponent.
Head motion could show a nodding "yes". Combining tilt with camera position could show a face plant or tipping over backwards.
Minor tilting is used for reframing to maintain
headroom.
Extreme tilting would follow the subject past the zenith or nadir to a full 180 degrees, starting or ending with an inverted view of the world.
The
Dutch angle
The Dutch angle, also known as Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle, is a type of camera shot which involves setting the camera at an angle on its roll axis so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the f ...
, also known as Dutch tilt, is a head tilt to one side, is a type of camera shot where the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame, or so that the horizon line of the shot is not parallel with the bottom of the camera frame.
See also
*
Pan tilt zoom camera (PTZ)
*
Panning (camera)
In cinematography and photography panning means swivelling a still or video camera horizontally from a fixed position.
This motion is similar to the motion of a person when they turn their head on their neck from left to right. In the resulting ...
*
Tripod (photography)
In photography, a tripod is a portable device used to support, stabilize and elevate a camera, a flash unit, or other videographic or observational/measuring equipment. All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple wit ...
*
View camera
A view camera is a large-format camera in which the lens forms an inverted image on a ground-glass screen directly at the film plane. The image is viewed and then the glass screen is replaced with the film, and thus the film is exposed to exact ...
*
Zoom lens
A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length (and thus angle of view) can be varied, as opposed to a fixed-focal-length (FFL) lens (see prime lens).
A true zoom lens, also called a parfocal lens, is one ...
References
Cinematography
Photographic techniques
Television terminology
{{Filming-stub