Effect of Camera Angle on Perception of Trust and Attractiveness

Abstract

Film theories have long proposed that the vertical camera angle influences how the scene and the character in it are interpreted. An elevated camera (high-angle shot) should diminish the qualities of the actor, whereas a lowered camera (low-angle shot) should elevate the actor in perspective as well as in the viewer's opinion. We were interested in how this holds up for the impression of trustworthiness and attractiveness that the spectator receives of the actor. We filmed 12 actors in a scenario inspired by a TV show called Split or Steal, which features a one-time version of the prisoner's dilemma. Subjects had to rate trustworthiness and attractiveness of the actors, and also judge if the actors would lie or tell the truth. We found that actors were rated as most trustworthy when filmed from eye-level, and less so when the camera was lowered or raised. Camera elevation had no effect on attractiveness. Also, personality ratings of the actors were not altered by varying camera angle. We conclude that context plays an important role in how camera angle interacts with actor perception.

Taking the Perfect Selfie: Investigating the Impact of Perspective on the Perception of Higher Cognitive Variables

“…In contrast to our hypothesis, we did not find any effects of elevating or lowering the camera, neither for male (lowering the camera) nor for female faces (elevating the camera). However, this is in line with recent research by Baranowski and Hecht ( in press ) who did not find such an effect in faces of (unknown) actors.…”

“…This conclusion is supported by findings that elevating the camera plus rotating the camera is generally preferred for taking selfies (Yeh and Lin, 2014 ; Kalayeh et al, 2015 ). An elevation within pure frontal depictions had no effect on attractiveness ratings at all what is in line with Study 1 and findings by Baranowski and Hecht ( in press ). However, there was a slight (but non-significant) decrease in perceived attractiveness.…”

The Effect of Camera Height, Actor Behavior, and Viewer Position on the User Experience of 360° Videos

“…The effects of camera position and angle have also been studied in the domain of film research in various experiment settings, often related to psychological factors, such as perceived social status, attractiveness, and trustworthiness (e.g., [3] and [15]). Camera angles have also been detected to affect dominance in video-mediated communication [8].…”

“…This is useful because many effects can be achieved by changing the camera height (referred to as camera angle in traditional filmmaking). For example, experiments in film studies have shown that the camera angle can be used to convey feelings such as trustworthiness, attractiveness [3] [15], and dominance [8]. In 360° videos, camera height may affect the viewer's perception of self [16] [17], and may affect how content and the actors within this content are perceived [3]…”

El ángulo de la cámara en la publicidad impresa de zapatillas de baloncesto en España

“…Es más, hemos de considerar un continuum en las diferentes localizaciones de la cámara, por lo que en la práctica hay una gran cantidad de posiciones entre el mayor y el menor ángulo posible desde arriba y desde abajo, respectivamente (Maathuis, 2010), lo que hace que exista una gran heterogeneidad entre los ángulos de cámara empleados. Así, Baranowski y Hecht (2018), citan varios estudios realizados con ángulos que van desde los 9º a los 40º, comentando precisamente que esa diferencia en los ángulos utilizados complica aún más la interpretación de la evidencia empírica.…”