Point Of View

The Point of View is the style of shot that determines who the viewer identifies within a scene. It works with other graphical and editorial techniques such as framing - which determine the level of involvement a viewer has with the character on screen.

The point of view throughout a narrative film often changes, and is usually, if done with the right technique, largely invisible to the audience. The accumulated effect of these changes profoundly affect the way in with the audience may interpret any scene of your film. 

There are three different types of narration in film in regard to point of view:

First-Person Point of View

Third Person Point of View

Omniscient Point of View

FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW

This style of P.O.V takes the narration of a film and moves it completely into the interior of one character. In first person, the story is sometimes told by the character themselves.  As an audience we see through the character's eyes - the 'I' of the story. 

Here are two examples I found, not from a film but a music video. The entire video takes place in first person, which to me makes it more intense and allows me as an audience member to have full involvement in the situation. 

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW

This style of P.O.V presents the action of the film as seen by an ideal observer. This is one of the most popular/common styles used in mainstream Hollywood cinema, but rarely used on its own throughout a film. It's usually combined with the selected use of omniscient and subjective passages. 

OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW

Omniscient point of view allows the audience to know what the characters are thinking. This is usually achieved through narration, voice-over or graphics. A good film example of this is shown above, Mean Girls, where we have a range of shots which are explained by the main character as we proceed through the story. We're in the characters' head, therefore allows us to feel more involved.