The Sideways Shot?

Posted: March 18, 2009 | Author: flomu | Filed under: Uncategorized |2 Comments »

Well, I was watching School Days (I finally got around to starting it >_>), and I was shocked at all of the [what I like to call] sideways shots in the anime.

What I mean:

And et cetera.

Though embarrassing to admit, I often find myself tilting my head sideways to see Katsura and those other less important people the other characters better.

So I was just sitting here, with my head tilted to the right and looking at Katsura when I suddenly thought, “Wait.  What’s the point of these shots?”  …And thus this post was born.  Well, something like that, anyway.

So why is this done?
Frankly, I don’t really know, but I do have a few implausible responses.

1. To show moar of the character.

Obviously, you can see more of Katsura when the camera is flipped 90 degrees.

This then raises the obvious question, “Why not do a diagonal shot, then?”
[Diagonal = even MOAR character!]

Well, rarely are sideways shots done not-diagonally.  Just take a look at this pictar:

If you tilt your head to the left, you’ll see that the ground ain’t flat.
The shot is already done in a diagonal fashion! Omg!

Yeah, so you get to have a bettar pictar ofar charactar(s).

An even more obvious example of a diagonal shot would be…

And this is basically a 45 degree shot, so it’s literally a smaller pain in the neck to tilt your head to see HARUHI!1

An interesting thing about this shot is that it utilizes the entire screen to display Haruhi.  Her arms are outstretched, and we can see both hands.  Not only does the diagonal shot allow maximum height, but it also allows maximum… width?  x-variable?  sth. like that.

2. To put emphasis on a scene.

In the shot above, Katsura is worried after Makoto tries to kiss her, but accidentally leaves with a moving train.
The sideways shot represents her confused state of mind, as well as her reaction to the asshole’s Makoto’s action.

Another example of this would be [from Hayate no Gotoku]…

Nagi’s luffluff happy vision of Hayate is emphasized by a sideshot?

3. “Other” reasons

Indeed, those melons are very prominent!

It’s pretty hard to not look at her chest when she says this line, since it’s so close up and in-your-face.
Not only that, but her boobs are also at the top of the screen (usually, they don’t appear there, you know!), which is unusual and draws viewer attention!

Having the breasts at the top makes it easier for the viewer to identify their size, since the outline (the clothes on the blurry background) is very distinct, and horizontal as well.  This horizontal line (or rather, curve) gives Katsura’s breasts a very clear shape, and thus, approximate size.

4. I don’t know, damn it!

Seriously, why are these side shots even here?!

There’s no common theme to them, and School Days seems to just chuck ’em at me every few seconds.

One thing I found weird, though, was that most of the sideshots I viewed were… er… turned <— that way.
As in… (pardon my Paint skills):

 

Frequency (A) >> Frequency (B).

Is it easier to tilt your head to the left or something?
Well… I dunno.

It’s much easier to tilt your head to the left when your right hand is on the mouse (your head isn’t going into your left shoulder since only your right hand is on a desk?), so I guess (A) appeals to right-handed people?
…And (B) is better for left-handed people?

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