Tilt

A movement where the camera stays in one spot and only turns up or down. Like nodding your head, the frame sweeps vertically across the space. The camera height stays the same; only the viewing angle changes. Turning up is a tilt up, turning down is a tilt down.

Camera seen at an angle from above. It stays in place while its view drops toward the feet and then rises above the head.

Camera view. The ground and feet show first, then the frame rises past the face to the sky.

How it feels

Scale
Grandeur
Height
Reveal
Introduction

When to use it

Sweeping a big tree or building from bottom to top to show its height
Introducing a character by rising from their shoes to their face
Moving attention from a character’s face to a letter in their hand
Showing a vertical relationship or social distance between two people

In the movies

Jurassic Park (1993) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

Besieged 1998
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Yale’s film analysis guide explains that tilts show the social distance between a maid and her employer.

Not to be confused with

Pedestal: In a tilt the height stays the same and only the angle changes. In a pedestal the camera stays level and its height itself rises or falls.
Low Angle: A low angle is a camera position held for a whole shot. A tilt is a movement, the camera raising its head during the shot.
Dutch Angle: It is also called a "Dutch tilt", but it rotates around the lens axis to lean the frame sideways, a different axis from a tilt that turns up and down.

Prompt

Keyword

slow tilt up

Descriptive

Slow tilt up. The camera stays in place and pivots upward from the character's feet to the face.

Try these combinations

Low angle + tilt up: the height of a giant tree
Low angle, slow tilt up a massive tree trunk to the canopy, morning light
Close-up + tilt down: revealing a letter in hand
Close-up, the camera tilts down from the character's shocked face to the letter in their hands