There are different types of shots depending on the position of the camera: they will depend on where the camera is placed, how far the main object from the shot is, whether or not zoom is used … All this intervenes in the final result of the video or photography and it is one of the most important parts of the work.
There are a large number of types of shots depending on the position of the camera that are used every day by film and photography professionals. Of all of them, two stand out above the rest for their particularities and for the significant sensations that those who use them are capable of creating : they are the zenith plane and the nadir plane.
What is the zenith plane
Without a doubt, it is one of the most suggestive and enigmatic shots of all those used in photography and cinema. In short and in a very visual way, the zenith shot in photography and cinema would be as if the image were captured from the ceiling lamp in the room where the photo or video is taken or from the sky, if it is an exterior.
That is, it is a plane that is made by placing the camera just above the objects or people that will appear in the image at an angle of ninety degrees to the ground.
The result of the zenith shot in film and photography is that of images full of mystery and is named after the word zenith, that is, the climax of something, its highest point. A photograph or video using this camera position wants to offer the viewer a feeling that the protagonists of the photograph are being watched, they feel alone or they are having a moment of great anguish. Its use is also common when you want to cover large spaces with a lot of action, such as in the case of a battle.
Some of the great examples of zenith scenes are in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, director who used it at numerous times to create the oppressive sensations that his tapes convey. A different and very recent example is the scene from Game of Thrones in which Jon Snow is caught in a battle between hundreds of warriors : the zenith shot is opened to show the crowd of people among which the protagonist is.
Image source: wikipedia
Nadir plane
Defining the nadir plane is simple: it can be said that it is the opposition of the zenith plane, that is, those videos or photographs in which it is recorded as if the camera were a floor slab. Everything is seen from below, which offers images in which the perspective is deformed, also creating a feeling of overwhelm, oppression and anguish that are very successful.
It is one of the planes that works best in horror movies , although its use must be subtle and intelligent, otherwise it gives rise to crude scenes that are almost a caricature of the genre.
Are there directors who are fans of this type of shot? Of course! Tarantino is one of them: the usual boot scenes from his movies, in which the protagonists talk while they rummage through their car, from where the camera has been placed to record them, are already history of our cinema.
In cinema and in any audiovisual or photographic montage, the shots taken with the cameras of the different scenes are especially relevant. It is not just that it is beautiful and that what you want to show is clear: the choice of the types of shots serve to offer extra information and even to create sensations in the public.
