Riverdale’s Camera Angles

Saoirse Bowe

I chose to use an episode from the TV series Riverdale to discover the different camera angles used throughout the show. Throughout the show a lot of different things happen at once so the scenes often change multiple times throughout one episode. As the scenes change, different angles are used to portray different moods in the show. 

This is a choker shot because it is somewhat close-up, only showing the subjects face. This shot is useful in solely focusing on the mood of the subject, and not including any background or environment to deter from that purpose. In this scene, Jughead Jones was scolding one his gang members for selling illegal drugs. Here, we can see that Jughead’s reaction is upset and disappointed. The cameraman used a choker shot to clearly show Jughead’s mood in this scene.

This next shot is an establishing shot, which in fact the episode opened with. This sets the scene for what’s about to happen. An establishing shot is used to show the environment and surrounding objects of a scene often before showing any people at all. In this scene, there is a cabin-like house that looks to be in the middle of a forest surrounded by tall trees, great for hiding. Shortly after this image was shown, the scene cut to Archie Andrews inside the cabin with a dog. He was in hiding from his ex-girlfriends father who was trying to get him either arrested or killed. The establishing shot showed where he was hiding and the fact that it was very secluded. 

This shot is a cameo shot because the subject is shown with a neutral backdrop. In this case, the background was black, which forced the audience to focus on the main character of the scene, Veronica Lodge. Cameo shots are good when the conversation or actions of the subject are more significant than the environmental surroundings. In this scene, Veronica was having an important business conversation with her father about his attacks on some of her crucial employees. Since this conversation was essential to the plot of the episode, the director chose to have a cameo shot. 

 The next shot included two pictures because it was a reverse-angle shot. These shots are used when two people are having a conversation so the camera is pointed at whoever is talking throughout the scene. This shot is useful for focusing specifically on the person who is talking, their body language as well as dialogue. In this scene, Veronica and Jughead were discussing the safety of Veronica’s speakeasy business, and Jughead was trying to convince her to hire his gang for protection from her father. Since this conversation is crucial to the plot, the director chose to do a reverse-angle shot. 

The last shot I chose to include was a low angle shot. This shot makes the object in the scene seem more powerful and superior. In this scene, Josie McCoy is the subject and she is singing at the speakeasy. The angle makes her seem very superior which is ironic because later in the episode she is attacked by a gang. The director does this to create climax and anticipation in the story and to keep the audience on their toes.