5 dynamic camera shots you can shoot with a phone

Now that we’ve covered the very basics of framing and the types of shots fundamental for creating a video (and if you haven’t seen these go check them out) it’s time to move into the flashier stuff. Here are some of our favourite shots that go beyond the basics.

1. The close-up

One foolproof way to give your video some extra dynamism is to include close-ups. If you’re filming a person, a close-up generally shows them from the shoulders up.

Move in even closer and you get an extreme close-up. Extreme close-ups are useful for bringing visual variety to your video and highlighting details.

2. The POV

A POV, or point of view, shot shows the scene through the subject’s eyes. POV shots let your viewers feel like they are seeing or experiencing what is happening on screen first hand so these can be quite useful for engaging your audience.

To achieve this, let your camera act as the subject.

3. The match cut

When two shots are matched together by an action or by imagery, you’ve got a match cut. Match cuts are not only eye-catching, they can establish a relationship between two different things or create a visual metaphor.

An easy way to create a match cut is to get someone to do the same action in multiple locations or get two different people doing the same action, then when editing, cut one clip so that the action stops midway, then finish it with the second half of the action using the second clip.

4. The whip pan

Incorporating a Whip Pan into your video is a sure fire way to give it an extra bit of dramatic or comedic flair. They are a great way to give a sense of action to a scene or act as an exciting transition between two clips.

To shoot a whip pan, have a start and end point in mind, then swivel your camera quickly enough so that the image is blurred. If you’re using a whip pan as a transition, have the whip pan be the ending of your first clip and the beginning of your second clip.

5. The locked down shot

And for our final snazzy shot we have the locked down shot. A locked down shot is when the camera is fixed in one position while the action continues off-screen.

These are handy for adding either suspense or comedy, as they indicate to the viewer that something is yet to happen or that something is happening off screen.

So the next time you’re looking to add a little extra something into your video, why not give one of these a try?

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