Dutch angle
Skewed camera shot
A Dutch angle is a camera shot tilted on its axis so the horizon appears diagonal rather than level.
The technique creates visual unease, suggesting disorientation, psychological tension, or a world off-kilter: The thriller used Dutch angles throughout the interrogation scene.
Common in horror films, noir, and music videos.
Also called Dutch tilt or canted angle.
- cinematographerPerson capturing screen visuals
- uneaseMild persistent worry
- dolly zoomSimultaneous zoom and track
- art directorVisual design supervisor
- disorientationLoss of spatial awareness
artistic direction · composition · storyboarding · German Expressionism · The Third Man · horror film · perspective · visual metaphor · steadicam · visual storytelling · camera work · depth of field · psychological tension · mise-en-scène · rule of thirds · director's vision · tracking shot · visual symbolism
- cinematographycamera, lens, shot, shots, lighting
- camera shotsclose-up, close up, helicopter shot, medium shot, crane shot
- framing techniquesrule of thirds, leading lines, negative space, focal point, cropping
- DutchHolland, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Rotterdam, Utrecht
- Avant-Garde Filmexperimental cinema, underground film, art film, art house, avant-garde cinema