The Filmmaker's Eye

tilt shot

Tilt shots pivot the camera up or down while it remains stationary, mounted on a tripod or handheld; this move shifts the audience’s attention from one area to another, vertically extending the range of the visual scope of the shot. The dynamic frame produced by this vertical move is commonly used as an establishing shot, introducing a location by tilting the camera down to gradually reveal it to the audience. Sometimes the tilt ends on a character, showing her arriving or leaving. Another variation includes first showing a character, usually after an exchange with someone, then tilting the camera up to reveal the location, providing a context (i.e., comic or ironic) to their previous exchange. Like pan shots, tilt shots preserve the ...