Shots and Angles in Modern Film

The final piece of the X-Men movie series that premiered in 2000, "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" was composed of a majority of high-action shots with memorable usage of special effects as two groups of "mutated" humans entered into a battle for control and the fate of the human race. While the intensity and sheer amount of action sequences the occurred throughout the film may at a glance appear to live little room for the more subtle usage of camera angles and shots, even here the techniques Professor Ramirez-Berg described in lecture are present. Within a single scene in the movie, three appear, as show in depth below:

As X-Men member Shadowcat (Ellen Page) flees from her attacker, the Brotherhood's Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones), much power is lent to the mammoth man's character, as his main feature is his unnatural strength and power to the point where he is smashing walls behind those that she runs through (her defining ability being able to pass through objects) during the chase. A sudden turn of the tables occurs as both of them suddenly sink into the floor however. It is here where an ironic use of the low-angle shot occurs. Usually meant to signify a character's power, here it takes a sarcastic look at a character that is usually incredibly powerful throughout the series as, though the viewer feels as if he or she is looking up at the Juggernaut, the expression of struggle on his face takes away that power thanks to the pairing of close-up shot that helps reveal the emotions there.

There is then a shift to a medium shot that reinforces the Juggernaut's loss of power, as he is now stuck in the floor. A movement from the low-angle shot to the eye-level shot also emphasizes that he is losing control of the situation in question.

Finally, through reverse-order shot progression, the viewer is able to gain the details of who has gained the power that the Juggernaut has lost. Another usage of the low-angle shot, this time more literal in meaning, gives the strength to Shadowcat as she stands over her would-be assailant. 

It is these subtle usages of shot and angle within the film that send messages to viewers that would otherwise be lost from live-to-film translation.

"X-Men 3: The Last Stand" movie stills courtesy of: Screencap Paradise