Right Angle
Module 2, Activity 3.8 - Camera Angles
Teacher Page
(student page for this lesson)

Introduction:

In advertising, how you sell a product is more important than the product itself. Advertisers use a variety of different techniques to entice consumers to buy their product. When a product is advertised on television, the advertiser has a whole separate element to consider. In this lesson, students will learn how to use camera angles for different effects and have the chance to apply their knowledge to improve work they have previously done.

Resources:

- examples of commercials
- Camera Shots Handout
- Camera Angles Quiz
- Camera Angles Quiz - Answer Key
- evaluation for commercial (.doc) or (.rtf)

Activities:

Task One - From Another Angle
Students were instructed to choose a product and create a simple, straightforward commercial for television, in the lesson on Selling the News. This lesson allowed students to review advertising techniques and audience appeal. Now, they will have the chance to see how they can improve that commercial through different camera shots and angles.

Have students watch a few commercials that use a variety of camera shots and angles along with different advertising techniques. Discuss why the camera angles are effective for drawing and holding the audiences' attention.

A great way to make this point might be to move from one corner of the classroom to other while you are speaking. This can be an effective example in two different ways:

1. If you move from one end of the class to the other the entire time you are talking, it will be difficult for the students to focus on you.
2. If you move while you are making an important point - perhaps to point to something in the room that helps you illustrate your point, your students will focus on your movement and its importance.

Task One - Continued . . .

After, the students can complete the Media Awareness Network's Quiz on Camera Angles.

Students will need examples of each of the different camera techniques. The quiz provides these examples for the students. Alternatively, you may choose to have students generate their own examples of each techniques creating their own reference page. Correct the quiz as a class.

Task Two - Hit Me with your Best Shot
Students should look again at the commercials they created in Selling the News.

Give students specific guidelines, such as the ones listed on the student version of this page and an idea of how they will be evaluated. Encourage them to be creative while reminding them that too much movement can mean loss of viewer attention. Students must hand-in:

• a copy of their original commercial
• a copy of their improved commercial
• a description of the camera techniques they used to make the improvements
• an explanation as to why they think these changes improve their commercial

The explanation at the end will help students to see that they must have a purpose for the decisions they are making, rather than simply adding techniques to satisfy teacher requirements.