High Angle – is often used to make a character look smaller, vulnerable, diminished. (looking down)
Low Angle – is often used to make a character look dominant and over-powering. (looking up).
Example of a Low Angled mid Shot is of Boone and the other coaches standing in the diningroom of the football camp demanding that every footballer will get to know another member of the team from another race. Boone is placed at the centre with Yoast and the assistant coaches placed either side of him. The camera is looking up slightly. This gives the impression that the coaches have “clout” or authority over the boys that are listening to them. The camera’s perspective is taken from that of the boys seated at their dining tables. Why do you think that Boone is at the centre of this mid shot? What is the message to the viewer: about Boone? About the coaches relationship with the boys?
Example of a High Angle shot looking down on the boys after they have re-established their team’s spirit and significant and unique quality. This is in the gym when the team players called a special meeting. They were feeling the pressure of being back in the “real world” of segregation and racism and were finding it all too hard to maintain the team spirit and confidence. Louis Lastic and the Rev call upon the team to remember to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to rise above all these barriers. They start singing gospel music. This is an example of when the directors combine the visual techniques of shot, angles with sound and verbal to bring about a strong message to the viewer. The message being: to Think high…elevate…to a higher force than they are, to overcome the barriers to their success as a racially integrated football team. Gospel and “SOUL POWER” is used to reunite the team while the High Angle shot down on