shot types

ooooo close up

The Close Up Shot shows a detail of the overall subject or action- ie. the head or hands if it is a person. Close ups of characters are a good way to engaging the audience into the character emotionally. We should also note, as we get closer to the character, we begin to lose the background information, therefore emphasising the subject, rather than the background.

The convention of the Medium Shot , is (when framing a person) approximately half of their body is in shot, ie. from waist up. More subtle perfomances and detailed actions can be seen. The Medium Shot is a good framing for conversation scenes between characters, especially if hand movements are part of the performance.

Aerial shots are usually done with a crane or camera

attached to a special helicopter to view large landscapes. This sort of shot would be restricted to exterior locations. A good area to do this shot would be a scene that takes place on a building If the aerial shot is of a character it can make them seem insignificant or vulnerable.

In the wide shot, the subject takes up the full frame. In this case, the chiefs feet are almost at the bottom of frame, and his head is almost at the top. Obviously the subject doesn't take up the whole

width and height of the frame, since this is as close as we can get without losing any part of him. The small amount of room above and below the subject can be thought of as safety room — you don't want to be cutting the top of the head off. It would also look uncomfortable if his feet and head were exactly at the top and bottom of frame.

2 shot

There are a few variations on this one, but the basic idea is to have a comfortable shot of two people. Often used in interviews, or when two presenters are hosting a show.

In the Extreme Long Shot, also known as the Wide Shot (WS), the subject is small in the overall image. This framing is sometimes referred to as an Establishing Shot and is perfect for emphasising the background and environment the character is against, especially as the first shot within a sequence. When shooting at this kind of distance, it is hard to see the subtle dramatic performances of the character - (so gestures may need to be played big if this wide framing is to be continued for a long length of time).

check out this Longshot!

In a Longshot In the Long Shot the whole subject is in frame. The usual convention of the Long Shot is the character's head and feet

are nearly touching the top and bottom of frame. As we are now closer to the subject, it is easier to identify aspects of the character and their performances, but also retain the audiences' awareness of the overall environment they are in, which makes the Long Shot a good framing for action scenes and observing social groupings.