Bird's Eye View

A bird's-eye shot refers to a shot looking directly down on the subject. A director may use this as the perspective is very foreshortened, making the subject appear short and squat, this shot can also be used to give an overall establishing shot of a scene, or to emphasise the smallness or insignificance of the subjects. These shots are normally used for battle scenes or establishing where the character is. It is shot by lifting the camera up by hands or by hanging it off something strong enough to support it. When a scene needs a large area shot, it is a crane shot.