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hi everyone. There are many ways to set up a shot while filming. Angle of view is
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highly important in deciding how you want the audience to be seeing your shot.
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Each cinematic angle has its own purpose. The norm is eye level to imply that we
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are standing or sitting at the same eye level of the characters. Low angle is
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used when one character is standing at an elevated space. High angle is the
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opposite where one character is shown at a depth than the other character. These
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angles are symbolically used to represent power or weakness of one
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character over the other as well
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in this video we'll be taking a look at how Japanese filmmaker yasujiro ozu
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manipulated the eye level shot to create a compelling composition
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Ozu usually places his camera at the level three feet above the ground which
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made it look like the eye level of person who is sitting in a Japanese
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tatami floor mat. That's why the shot got its name, Tatami shot. It's also called
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pillow shot. Most of his films were set in Japanese interiors where the
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characters used to sit on the floor. He used the tatami shot to make the
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audience feel close to the characters and a part of the scene. In most of his
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reaction shots Ozu made the characters look directly to the camera and talk
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which also made us a part of the whole conversation. The tatami level shot gave
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a very unique look to his films when added with very limited camera movements.
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Ozu rarely moved his camera. He would rather use the movement of his
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characters to add dynamism. Later Ozu started using the tatami shots for
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exterior shots as well which created some very appealing imagery -one of many
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things why Ozu is still considered a master in shooting people and spaces.