ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the point-of-view shot (POV) shot embodying animals’ gaze and reflects upon how images and narratives oscillate between our symbolic projections on animals and their perceptions or biological realities. After sketching a brief history of the ways in which the animal POV shot has been codified and discussing the foundational role of the POV shot in film editing, I highlight some recurrent patterns. By means of several examples—ranging from early British scientific documentaries to more recent movies, such as, Almodovar’s Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto, Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant, or The Simpsons episode “Bart’s Dog Gets an F”—this chapter identifies the main functions that can be assigned to the animal POV shot: the animal as an actual threat to humans’ lives (as it is shown in horror films), the animal as a full gazing-subject, whose unfamiliar sensory system challenges human certainties and perceptions of reality, and finally the animal as a “careless witness,” whose point of view serves to decentre humans from their own narratives.
