Week 4 - TV Show Angles

Review of Camera Angles from Season One, Episode One of 3% (2018)

Producer: Pedro Aguilera 

         I chose to do my camera angle assignment on this television show based on the understanding that this show takes place in a future society, thus I hoped to see interesting camera angles used in an attempt to convey the way society works for this time period. Luckily, I was not disappointed by this, as there were many different camera angles applied in this show that showed the viewer how this society functioned, which in turn created emotions for the viewer on the new, foreign world.

The first camera angle that I chose was a full shot, showing the leader of "The Process" standing among a large screen that shows him how the participants of The Process are getting along in their testing. Full shots show the subject's whole body, and in this scene it is very symbolic that the leader's full body is so minute compared to the large screen, showing how his world has become consumed by The Process and how for many in the society, The Process is a very big deal. Thus, this scene conveys a sense of severity for viewers in terms of The Process for the members of society.

     This is both an over-the-shoulder shot and a high angle shot. A high angle shot films subjects from high above, where in this case the subjects are being spoken to by the leader of The Process. Thus, compared to the largeness of the leader developed through the over-the-shoulder shot, the subjects appear very small as they are so far away. The leader ultimately has control over the destiny of these individuals, thus his largeness and highness compared to the small subjects gives him a sense of superiority and control to viewers, whereas the subjects appear vulnerable and insignificant as they have little to no control over their lives.

This is a cameo shot, meaning that the scene was shot using a neutral background. In this case, the background is pure white, where it should be recognized that white symbolizes purity, and in the case of these individuals, they are on their way to begin intense training to see if they qualify to be in the 3%. This training will likely be psychologically and physically draining, and many will be rejected from the opportunity to join the 3%. Thus, through seeing the individuals pass through the white corridor on their way to begin The Process, it is symbolic of the current state of their innocence which may soon be ripped from them.

This is a two-shot, meaning that it is a close shot for two people. In this case, the woman is confronting the man about him cheating the system of The Process. Due to this shot showing the two on an equal level, viewers see the woman's attempts to become mentally level with the man after he tried to show dominance in the group of people. Thus, the comparison of the two in size helps show the woman's strength and the man's submission to her, which helps us see into the characters more.