Definition:
Most shots observe a character. The POV shot becomes them. It is a shot filmed from the perspective of a specific character, placing the camera at their eye level and showing the audience exactly what that character sees, collapsing the distance between viewer and subject entirely.
What It Means in Movies:
The POV shot is the most immersive tool available to a director. It does not show a character watching something. It puts the audience inside the act of watching. Used strategically, a sustained POV can create identification so strong that the audience loses track of the boundary between themselves and the character.
Why It Matters:
POV shots control audience identification with a precision that third-person shots cannot match. They are particularly powerful in horror, where placing the audience behind the eyes of a threat removes the safety of the observer position and makes complicity unavoidable.
Example:
The opening sequence of Halloween is filmed entirely as a long POV shot from the killer's perspective. The sustained POV creates identification with the wrong character, and that identification is the horror.