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Frog's-eye view

A ground up view of a brown mushroom on a narrow stem looms in the centre, against a forest backdrop of large trees
Example of a "frog's-eye view" photo of Coprinellus sp. Mount Lemmon, Santa Catalina Mountains, Pima County, Arizona (2006)

Frog's-eye view is another name for a single point perspective low-angle camera view. The camera's point of view is angled looking up from just above the ground or low on the vertical axis of the shot's composition. With this single point perspective objects will loom and tower above the subject. Objects appear larger than they are. The psychological effect of this camera may encourage feelings of physical vulnerability and smallness.[1] A frog's-eye view is synonymous with a worm's-eye view. A frog's-eye view is the opposite point of view to a bird's-eye view.

Examples of a frog's-eye view can be found in the experimental film "How the Frog's Eye Sees" (1984) by animator Skip Battaglia, which includes a soundtrack by Brian Eno. [2] The first examples of a frog's-eye camera view are found in Russian avant-garde photography and filmmaking from the 1920s Constructivist period, the 1930s Socialist-Realist period and World War II. [3][4]

References

  1. ^ Arnheim, Rudolf (1957). FILM AS ART. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS. p. 38, 104.
  2. ^ Robinson, Chris (2010). Animators Unearthed: A Guide to the Best of Contemporary Animation. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 0826429564.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ "A "Russianesque Camera Artist": Margaret Bourke-White's American-Soviet Photography". Panorama. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  4. ^ Arnheim, Rudolf (1957). The Art of Film. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS. p. 38.

See also