I read a lot of Episode Community Stories. I mean, a lot. And I think Community writers would benefit from having an understanding of film studies techniques and how they can use them in their stories.
Let's go over different "camera" angles and how you can use them to create different emotions.
Extreme Wide Shot (or Extreme Long Shot)
This type of angle is used to establish the setting the characters are in. Can you tell there's a person standing by the doorway? Did you notice them at first?
Your subject (the character) feels small compared to their surrounding in a way they wouldn't in a more familiar setting, like their bedroom. This shot can be used a few different ways, whether it's to show the character feeling overwhelmed or perhaps to show their distance from the viewer emotionally. Think about a king at the front of a crowd. Before you can understand them as a person, you can understand the massive difference in them when compared to you as the viewer.
Wide Shot (or Long Shot)
With a wide shot, it becomes much easier to see the character, but they don't fill up the screen. You still see the surroundings dominating the scene.
With a wide shot, you can make it clear that the character is there and is important, while still emphasizing where they are and the connection that location has to how they're feeling.
Full Shot
A full shot shows the entire character from head to toe. It lets you show the character's whole body and range of movement. They can enter and leave. It's a pretty relaxed field of vision.
It's not especially emotional or dynamic, so it's best for establishing shots and introducing people.
Medium Wide Shot (or 3/4 Shot)
A medium wide shot frames the character from the knees upward. The character is very clearly the focus of the frame, even though you can still see the background. It's important to understand that these shots are still called the same names even when you're seeing the character from behind.
Cowboy Shot
A shot from mid-thigh up is known as a "cowboy shot" because it's just low enough to show a gun holster in a cowboy movie. It's very common in Westerns, but not exclusively. The use of it is fairly similar to the medium shot described below.
Medium Shot
A medium shot is framed from roughly the waist up. It's a pretty standard film shot for focusing on a character or a couple. When you are doing a dialog between two characters, instead of having them both in frame and zoomed out, you can jump back and forth between each of them in a medium shot so the viewer can see each character's emotion during the exchange.
In my example to the right, the character is looking at herself in the mirror and thinking about her sadness while she gets ready. You see close-up how her face looks, but you can still see just a hint of her surroundings.
Close Up Shot
A close up is perfect for revealing even subtle emotions in a character. The moment isn't about the setting at all. It is all about reaction. This framing is very effective, but you want to be careful not to over-use it, because it takes away the impact. For tense moments, directors like Steven Spielberg will do a slow zoom into this shot so the emotion can build in the viewer over time.
Extreme Close Up
An extreme close up represents the most you can fill the screen with your focus. You are drawing attention to a specific feature of a character or characters in a way that lets the viewer feel the emotion internally. It can be intense. A hand stealing an object. An eye peeking through a keyhole. A mouth as it speaks devastating words.
Over the Shoulder Shot
The purpose of an over the shoulder shot is to focus on one character, using the perspective of another character. It shows how the two characters are connected, how close they are placed together, whether one is standing over the other, etc. This is a common one for conversations.
Over the Hip Shot
Similar to the over the shoulder shot, this one has the focus character further back. You can really see the power difference here, with the girl looking so small and far back, coming across the scene.