Camera angle

The camera's point of view when it is set up for shooting. The relative depth, height, or width at which an object or an action is photographed.

The variety of camera angles is almost infinite. There are no strict rules regarding the exact position of the camera relative to the subject photographed.

The choice of camera angle affects the progression of the plot but also the aesthetic quality of a scene and the psychological attitude of the viewer.

The angle from which the camera views the subject determines not only what will be included in any particular shot but to a large extent how the audience will view it — from near or far, from above or below, subjectively or objectively, etc.

Over the years, directors and cameramen have established a set of conventions regarding the technical, aesthetic, and psychological properties of the various camera angles.

The eye-level, high, and low angles are just broad categories, as are the side view angle (which tends to give an object added dimension), the so-called "Dutch" angle/canted framing (which presents an object in a highly effective diagonal tilt), and the many other camera positions that have been discovered and utilized over decades of filmmaking.

Eye-level angle

It is supposed to provide the normal viewpoint and is usually shot from a height of four to six feet, with no distortion of vertical lines. The eye level of the performer, not the cameraman, determines camera height. 
The eye-level angle is considered the most lifelike but least dramatic. It is supposed to provide the normal viewpoint and is usually shot from a height of four to six feet, with no distortion of vertical lines. The eye level of the performer, not the cameraman, determines camera height, and is especially crucial in close-up shots. Because of normal viewpoint, the eye-level shot is considered useful in establishing situations and providing audiences with a frame of reference. (See point-of-view shot, eyeline match.)

High-angle shot

The camera looks down on the subject It is a shot taken from an elevated position looking down on the subject or the action. Such a shot will tend to slow the action and to reduce the height of an object or a person. It may produce psychological side effects, such as giving an audience a sense of superiority over screen characters.
Technically, it may allow a director to cover much ground and action in deep focus.

Low-angle shot

The camera looks up at a subject. It is a shot taken from a low camera setup with the camera tilted upward. Often used for dramatic impact because it makes people and objects seem tall and overpowering. The effect is often dramatic, producing a distortion of perspective and composition. It tends to speed up action and to attribute stature and strength to characters.  

The low-angle setup was dominant in Orson Welles's CITIZEN KANE to suggest the titanic dimension of the tycoon protagonist. To permit the frequent use of the low-angle, Welles had to build his sets complete with ceilings, and the omnipresence of ceilings in the background is one of the many unusual features of CITIZEN KANE. By merely shifting camera angles, a director can suggest not only the ups and downs in a character's fortune but also the attitude an audience should adopt toward any personality or action in the film.

Reverse angle shot

A shot taken from an angle opposite the one from which the preceding shot has been taken. The reverse angle technique is frequently employed in dialogue scenes to provide the editor with alternate facial shots of the actors speaking.

Wide-angle lens

A lens of shorter-than-normal focal length and magnification power which covers a large field of view (in excess of 60 degrees) and tends to exaggerate perspective, making an area appear larger than it actually is, particularly useful in obtaining establishing shots and other long shots and for shooting action in confined areas. Shots taken with a wide-angle lens are often merely called "wide-angle shots."

Crane shot

A shot achieved by attaching a camera to a power-driven lifting device such as a construction crane or a cherry picker.