The Hunger Games - Workshop One, Camera Shots and Angles

How do camera shots and angles enhance the story?

President Snow speaking at the Tribute Parade

• Over the shoulder shot - Brings audience into conversation (A)
• High angle - Used to show the subject is of importance/has a high amount of power (A)
• Extreme wide shot - Gives perspective of the size of the space they are in (S)

Theme- Power and control

- Extreme wide shot shows that Snow has the power to get the attention of thousands of people, everyone looks up at him.

- The tributes are at the bottom, showing they are weak and vulnerable in comparison to Snow. The tributes are at his feet, below both Snow and the audience - kind of like rats in a trap.

In 'The Hunger Games', camera shots and angles are used effectively to portray the theme of power and how it is imbalanced. This can be seen during the scene where President Snow addresses the audience at the Tributes Parade. During this scene, director Gary Ross uses a combination of extreme wide shots, over the shoulder, and low angle shots to demonstrate Snow's immense amount of power and control over the people of Panaema. This serves the purpose of introducing the antagonist character of the film, establishing the power and control he has over everyone - including our protagonist, Katniss. Coinciding with this, the aspect of lighting, which is focused on both the tributes and Snow, shows that they are the most important characters in the scene whilst not taking away from the fact Snow has supreme power. This can be juxtaposed to the scene near the end of the movie where tributes Katniss and Peeta make a suicide pact, agreeing they'd both rather eat the nightlock berries and die then give Snow what he wants.

Katniss on the stage after volunteering for Primrose

• Low angle shot - Shows that Katniss has gone from being just like everyone else, to being a character of importance. This is because she is the very first person in the history of her district to volunteer. (A)
• Dutch tilt - Used for dramatic effect, showing something about this scene isn't right. (A)
• Mid shot - The use of a mid shot helps the audience to understand that Katniss has just singled herself out, also making us feel like we are watching it happen. (A)