The OCA study guide states that ‘The choice of frame defines the viewpoint of the audience. Where we appear to be looking from alters our interpretation of what we see.’ This section is dealing with choices that the director makes in terms an objective or subjective shot (3rd or 1st person storytelling).[pg 19]

I think that the concept of an objective or subjective shot should not be confused with an objective or subjective point of view (POV). Although the POV and the shot are related, there is a difference between, for example, a subjective POV and a subjective camera shot.

An entire movie could be shot from the POV of one character. In this case, the character will be in every scene and irrespective of how the narrative is constructive, the viewer will only have as much information as the character has. The viewer will share with the character what they experience, when they experience it and what they see and hear. However, this does not mean that every camera shot is seen through the ‘eyes’ of the character. In many instances, the camera shot will show the character in a situation. The subjective camera shot is typically used as a technique when it is important to allow the viewer to ‘see’ through the eyes of the character.

There are very few movies that use a predominantly subjective camera shot.  The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a movie that makes extensive use of the subjective camera shot. The main character, Jean-Do has a stroke and wakes up in hospital unable to speak and is completely paralyzed. The only part of his body that he is able to control is his left eye. The subjective camera shot is used to allow the viewer to experience the narrow, restricted vision that Jean-Do experiences and to feel the frustration that he must surely feel at not being able to do anything other than observe what comes into view.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [feature film extract, online] Dir. Julian Schnabel. Pathé Renn Productions, France 3 cinema, France, 2008. 2min 7 secs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGPhtOMOCcg (accessed 06.03.2016)

More typically, the subjective camera shot is used more sparingly in movies in the following sequence:

• You see a shot of the character looking in a certain direction
• Then you see a shot of what the character is looking at, through the characters eyes
• Then you see the reaction of the character to what they have seen

The shots can cycle through the above sequence a number of times depending on how quickly the situation is changing. There is a compilation on YouTube of how Alfred Hitchcock used various special effects in his movies. At 1min 54secs there is a great example of a series of switches between subjective camera shot and the character (Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman in Notorious 1946) when she has been poisoned and her vision is starting to blur.

1927-1958 Alfred Hitchcock – Special Effects P.O.V. Compilation [online] magicmotionmuseum. 3min 22secs.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlgaF6WZSkA (accessed 06/02/2016)