Shot type glossary

Extreme long shot (ELS)-

·         The subject is not clearly visible.

·         The purpose of the shot is to show the subject’s surroundings.

·         Particularly evident when being used as an “establishing shot”- the first shot of a new scene, designed to show the audience where the action is taking place.

·         It is also useful in scenes where the action is very spread out, for example, in war movies an extreme long shot will show the scale of the action.

Long shot (LS)-

·         The subject takes up almost the entire frame, for example, feet being at the bottom and head at the top.

·         Can be used to show a character in their environment.  

Mid shot MS)-

·         The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject.

·         Like seeing a person “in the flesh”. If you were having a conversation, you would not be paying any attention to their lower body parts, so that part of the picture is unnecessary.

·         Useful to show a subject is speaking without too much emotion.

·         Works well when speaker is giving information e.g. television news presenters.

·         As well as being an emotionally neutral shot, the mid shot allows room for hand gestures and a bit of movement.

Medium close up (MCU)-

·         The medium close up is half way between a mid-shot and a close up.

·         Shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.

Close up (CU)-

·         A certain feature or part of the subject takes up most of the frame. A close up of a person usually means a close up of their face.

·         Useful for showing detail.

·         A close up of a person emphasizes their emotional state. The viewer is drawn into the subject’s personal space and shares their feelings.

 

Extreme close up (ECU)-

·         The extreme close up gets right in and show extreme detail.

·         You would normally need a specific reason to get this close. It is too close to show general reactions or emotions in very dramatic scenes.

·         This shot can show important detail on an object.

Cut away (CA)-

·         A cutaway is a shot that’s usually of something other than the current action. It could be a different subject (e.g. a cat when the main subject is its owner) or just about anything else.

·         The cut away is used as a “buffer” between shots (to help the editing process), or to add interest/information.

Two shot-

·         Good for establishing a relationship between subjects. If you have two sports presenters standing side by side facing the camera, you get the idea that these people are going to be the shows co-hosts. As they have an equal prominence of the frame, the implication is that they will provide an equal input.

·         A two-shot could also involve movement or action. It Is a good way to follow the interaction between two people without getting distracted by their surroundings.

Over the shoulder shot-

·         Such shots can be framed from behind one person who is looking at the subject. The person facing the subject should usually occupy about 1/3 of the frame.

·         This shot helps us establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other’s point of view.

·         It’s common to cut between these shots during a conversation, alternating the view between the different speakers.

Noddy Shot-

·         Common in interviews, this is a shot of the person listening and reacting to the subject. In fact, when shooting interviews with one camera, the usual routine is to shoot the subject using over the shoulder shot and one-shots) for the entire interview, then shoot some noddies of the interviewer once the interview is finished. The Noddies are edited into the interview later.

Point of view shot-

·         Point of view shots show a view from the subject’s perspective. It is usually edited in such a way that is obvious whose point of view it is.

Low angle shot-

·         Shots are taken from below the subject, looking up at it.

·         Gives the subject a sense of size, power and authority. Puts the viewer in a helpless/ inferior/ position.

High angle shot-

·         Shots are taken from above the subject, looking down at it.

·         Gives the subject a sense of helplessness, lack of power and inferiority. Puts the viewer in a position of power and authority.

Pan-

·         The camera moves from right to left (or L to R) following a subject.

·         Gives a sense of moving with the action or speed.

Tracking shot-

·         Camera mover on a dolly to follow the subject.

·         Gives sense of speed and moving with the action.

Tilt-

·         Camera pans vertically- up and down.

·         Can give a sense of height and size.

Canted/Dutch angle shot-

·         Camera position is not straight towards the subject.

·         Can give a sense of chaos, insanity or things being out of the ordinary.

Zoom in/out-

·         Camera focuses zooming in or out on a key detail.

·         Can highlight significant objects to the audience.

Steadicam/ handheld camera-

·         The camera moves around with the action.

·         Gives the viewer a sense of realism- of being part of the film.

·         Can create tension/ excitement when used in chase/ suspend scene.

Crane shot-

·         The camera takes a high angle shot looking down on the subject. Crane can track, pan and tilt.

·         Gives a sense of scale; of how the subject fits into the setting.

Aerial shot-

·         The camera is positioned in a plane or helicopter to get an extreme long shot high angled shot.

·         Gives a sense of location/ scale/ size.