Undershot

An undershot is when the camera is positioned directly beneath the subject, looking up. Given that this is an unusual and extreme angle, it’s not used often in film and television. Looking up at actors or objects from this vantage point can be used to convey extreme power.

In The Shining (1980), director Stanley Kubrick uses an undershot of the increasingly violent and irrational Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) when he’s trapped inside the pantry.

This style of shot is often used as a point of view shot, showing a character’s perspective as they look up at something – whether it’s the ladder in a sewer tunnel or a crowd of people standing around them after they have passed out.

Need to convey extreme power? Want to show the perspective of a character as they look up towards something? An undershot might just been the camera angle you’re looking for.