Cinematography

In the opening sequence of the film 'It' we often see the dolly shot being used to follow the boy's character, giving the audience a sense of setting. As the boy is running down the street there is a bird's eye view shot used which helps to establish setting and narrative as the audience is shown that he is chasing his boat. During the character running after his boat there is also a point of view shot used just before the character bangs his head - this is to put the audience members in the shoes of the character, helping to develop narrative and character perspective. In this opening sequence high and low angles are manipulated and used in a different way - in this case the low angle shot is used on the victim where as the high angle shot is used on the villain. This is to establish the setting - the clown is in the sewers under ground so shot from a high angle compared to the boy who is on the pavement overground. During the conversation between the clown and the boy close up shots are used for both characters, focusing on their facial expressions which allows the audience to make a judgement about what may happen. Most of the beginning of the opening is shot in long shot to establish the character of the little boy. In the opening sequence we are only ever shown a close up of the clown which may be because the audience is yet to be introduced to his character so we only get a glimpse of him during the opening. 



This still image is a medium long shot taken from a low angle. The use of a medium long shot allows us to see the character and a proportion of the setting which gives the audience a feel of what is going on in the scene and where it is set. The low angle is effective as it makes the character look more dominant, suggesting to the audience that he is a powerful character.

This image is a long shot taken from a high angle. The long shot allows the audience to see both characters in the shot as well as the setting and what is going on in the scene. The high angle shot is used to make the character whose face we can see look more vulnerable and less powerful.

This image is a long shot take from a low angle. This is an interesting use of a low angle as in this case it does not make the character seem dominant or powerful. Instead it makes him appear more vulnerable as we are unable to see what lies beyond him, creating fear and suspense.

This image is a close up shot taken from a slightly high angle. The use of a close up allows the audience to focus on the emotions of the character, drawing attention to her eyes - she appears to have tears in her eyes which shows the audience that she is distressed and feels negatively. Being shot from a slightly high angle makes the character appear weaker and more vulnerable, also bringing focus to her eyes and the fact that she is crying.