Point Of View Technique

Point of view means from our own perspective, sight and look. Point of View shots have been around for many years, this technique is used to show the viewer what we can see, this can give a sense of how the character/actor is feeling, what they can see and how they see it from there point of view. There are many different type of point of view shots, such as filming over someone shoulder, this gives the same point of view feel but keeps the character still in shot. There can also be joint point of view shots which is a shared view of what can be seen by more than one character.
Point of view shots are more well known in video games, as you play most games through the eyes of a character, this helps the person playing the game feel more involved in the game and gives a sense of them being there in real life.
Many films use the point of view shot so that the viewer watching can't see who the actor is, this is usually then revealed later on in the film. A good example of this can be seen in the film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a large part of the film is viewed through Jekyll's eyes until he begins to speak which is where his identity is first revealed to the audeince.

The Technology:
Usually point of view shots are taken with mounted cameras, this is so that they do not have to be hand-held. Many people have been known to use these cameras in cars and even on helmets etc. As technology has continued to get smaller and smaller over years, this has led to manufacturers being able to make tiny self-contained cameras that can be mounted in many places and be very reliable.