Film lore says a low angle means power, and in 1987 picture stories, characters shot from below did read as stronger. But in a small filmed trust test, published in 2017, twelve actors spoke straight to the lens from about 30 degrees below, at eye level and from about 30 degrees above. 34 students rated how much they'd trust each one.

Eye level was trusted most (5.03 out of 9). From below, clearly less (4.27). From above, 4.57, a difference too small to call. Their looks were rated the same from every angle.

It's mixed: a 1977 TV study found a higher camera made a speaker seem more credible, and a 2006 study found low angles only looked powerful when the pictures stayed in story order. A low angle can make someone look strong. That isn't the same as believable.

The ring, the stand-ins and the lens are our own, built and lit in code.

Who would you trust: the fighter from below, or at eye level?

Sources: Baranowski and Hecht, Empirical Studies of the Arts (2018, online 2017); Kraft, Memory and Cognition (1987); McCain, Chilberg and Wakshlag, Journal of Broadcasting (1977); Sevenants and d'Ydewalle, Psychologica Belgica (2006).
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