Camera Shots

All of these different camera shots have a purpose or significance of being used. This means that all shots should be carefully considered before deciding which shot to use.

Establishing Shot

This shot shows the audience the current location/setting within the movie or the exterior of the setting, also known as an exterior shot.  Depending on the angle of the shot it could imply to the audience whether it is a good or bad place if either a low or high angle shot. Often this shot is often extra wide shot in order to fit the whole of the location in, yet if suitable a wide shot will be used instead. 

Wide Shot

A wide shot is often used to establish the surroundings of a building or characters within a shot. This therefore has no specific focus within the shot and allows the audience to explore the whole shot. In this image there is no focus, but the wide shot allows the audience to see the surroundings of two characters which doesn’t necessarily mean that the focus is on the characters.

Long Shot

A long shot often focuses on a specific object or character as well as allowing us to see some or more of the surroundings in the shot also. This shot therefore has the purpose of us noticing the main focus in the shot as this could potentially be of great significance to the whole movie or an important factor. In some cases long shots background may be significant but this isn’t always necessary. 

Medium Long Shot

This shot is used to show the characters body from the knees upwards to the head and not the whole body. The purpose of this is to allow the audience to see the actions of the characters more clearly and also to see if the character is holding or carrying anything, which may be relevant. This shot is often used to bring the audience closer to the film and draw them in making them feel more intrigued and interested. A medium long shot does not show much of the surroundings, and if so it will only be a very brief amount.

Medium Shot

A medium shot unlike a medium two shot is focused on the characters waist to their head. This allows the whole focus of the shot to be on the character with no background being shown or any thing else to distract the viewer’s focus. This shot able’s the audience to see anything that the character is holding or any gestures that they are making as well as being able to view the characters facial expressions.

Medium Two Shot

This shot is similar to a medium shot however a medium two shot is when there is two people in the shot. Again this shot will usually show from the waist to head with both characters being the main focus of the shot. It will also able us see the hand movements and the body positioning in the shot which may be significant to the audience. The framing of this may be either in a tight a loose frame but the main focus will remain on the two characters in the shot.

Medium Close Up

A medium close up shot will show the characters appearance from their shoulder to the top of their head which includes the hair also. This shot will able the audience to clearly view the characters facial expressions as well as the position the face is in. e.g. whether the character is standing at an angle.

Close Up

A close up shot will shows the characters face to the audience. For example this will be from the chin up to the tip of the head and sometimes may include the characters hair in the shot. The purpose of this shot is to show the audience the characters emotion and facial expression. Often this shot is used to show an extreme emotion within the scene of the movie and is intended for the audience to realize this.

Big Close Up

This shot will not include the character full face and will not include the characters hairline. Often this shot will just show the characters chin to forehead and again is used to show extreme emotion. This shot will highlight the emotion on the character face and also show the audience the features of the characters face.

Extreme Close Up

This shot is used in order to show a specific segment of a whole shot. For example on the face of the characters the shot may focus on the eye or nose of the characters as this may be significant. Furthermore, a shot of a handle of a door would be an extreme close up to show the door handle’s significance. This shot can also be referred to as a tight shot.

Over The Shoulder Shot

The over the shoulder shot is used often when there is conversation between two characters. This is often a mid close up shot also and the audience will be able to see the other characters head over the shoulder of another character. Another shot associated with this is the reverse shot when the shot changes over the following character in the same position.

Overhead Shot

This shot is similar to a bird’s eye shot and means that the shot is taken from above the characters. For example it is facing downwards from the top of the setting. This will give make the character look distanced although this may not be the purpose in all of the shots.

High Angle Shot

A high angle shot is when the camera shot is pointing downwards towards a character from an angle. This will therefore make the character look weak and vulnerable as the audience will be looking down on them.

Low Angle Shot

A low angle shot is when the camera is facing the up towards the character at an angle. This purpose of this shot is to make the audience look up to the character in the shot making them seem superior and have the power in scene.

Deep Shot

A deep shot is often when there is high density in the foreground yet the focus in on a character or object in the centre of the shot. This will therefore allow the audience to focus on the middle of the shot.