The camera's capacity to organize space within a “frame” produces the fundamental unit of movie making: the shot.

Dramatic Effects with a Movie Camera is a practical guide to the visual storytelling potential of different camera techniques, demonstrating how they can produce compelling shots and sequences. By exploring how a close-up shot of a character's face can help the viewer share their fear or joy, or how a moving camera can reveal plot points, connect objects and characters in space or give clues to their state of mind, Gail Segal and Sheril Antonio show how choice of shot can dramatically affect your narrative.

With detailed analysis of clips from 45 films, from 30 countries, this is a unique window into how movie-making masters have made the most of their cameras – and how you can too.