From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A worm's-eye view of the Tokyo Skytree

A worm's-eye view, also known as a frog's-eye view is a description of the view of a scene from below that a worm might have if it could see. It is the perspective inverse of a bird's-eye view.[1]

It can give the impression that an object is tall and strong while the viewer is childlike or powerless.[2]

A worm's-eye view commonly uses three-point perspective, with one vanishing point on top, one on the left, and one on the right.[3] The camera's point of view is angled looking up from just above the ground or low on the vertical axis of the shot's composition. With this single point perspective objects will loom and tower above the subject. Objects appear larger than they are. The psychological effect of this camera may encourage feelings of physical vulnerability and smallness.[4]

Examples of a frog's-eye view can be found in the experimental film "How the Frog's Eye Sees" (1984) by animator Skip Battaglia, which includes a soundtrack by Brian Eno.[5] The first examples of a frog's-eye camera view are found in Russian avant-garde photography and filmmaking from the 1920s Constructivist period, the 1930s Socialist-Realist period and World War II.[6][7]

A tree from a worm's-eye view

• Bird's-eye view
• Low-angle shot
• Plan (drawing)

1. ^ "Point Of View In Photography". Student Resources. 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
2. ^ "Camera Work: What's Your Angle". Videomaker.com. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
3. ^ Teacher, The Helpful Art (2011-01-12). "The Helpful Art Teacher: THREE POINT PERSPECTIVE... WORM'S EYE vs. BIRD'S EYE VIEW". The Helpful Art Teacher. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
4. ^ Arnheim, Rudolf (1957). FILM AS ART. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS. p. 38, 104.
5. ^ Robinson, Chris (2010). Animators Unearthed: A Guide to the Best of Contemporary Animation. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 0826429564.
6. ^ "A "Russianesque Camera Artist": Margaret Bourke-White's American-Soviet Photography". Panorama. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
7. ^ Arnheim, Rudolf (1957). The Art of Film. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS. p. 38.