Glossary of Shots

Sunday, March 30, 14

LONG SHOT (LS)

• Typically shows the full human body filling the frame and some of the surroundings.

Sunday, March 30, 14

MEDIUM SHOT (MS)

• Shows the human body from the waist up, either standing or sitting.

• Proximity without intimacy

• Provides more detail than a Long Shot

Sunday, March 30, 14

CLOSE-UP (CU)

• Fills the frame.

• Focuses attention on a detail;laughter, tears, beauty, horror.

• Shows subtle emotion on an actors face.

• Actor can just raise an eyebrow to convey a thought without saying words.

Sunday, March 30, 14

EXTREME CLOSE-UP (ECU)

• Tighter version of the CU focused on one small but important detail

Sunday, March 30, 14

MEDIUM LONG SHOT (MLS)

• Looser Medium shot, framing from the mid-leg to above the head.

Sunday, March 30, 14

MEDIUM CLOSE-UP

• A cross between the medium and close-up shots.

• More intimate than a medium shot.

Sunday, March 30, 14

Glossary of Angles

Sunday, March 30, 14

EYE LEVEL

• The camera is positioned so that the eyes of the character are just above the mid-point of the frame, similar to how another person might see them in real life.

• This is the most neutral of all camera positions.

Sunday, March 30, 14

HIGH ANGLE

• The camera is positioned above the subject and looks down on it, conveying a feeling of helplessness or insignificance.

Sunday, March 30, 14

LOW ANGLE

• Positioned below the subject looking upward, making the subject seem powerful and impressive

Sunday, March 30, 14

DUTCH ANGLE

• The camera is tilted so that the horizontal plane crosses the frame on a diagonal.

Sunday, March 30, 14

POINT OF VIEW (POV)

• From the point of view of one of the characters - we are seeing what they see

Sunday, March 30, 14

OVER THE SHOULDER (OTS)

• This shot captures the spatial relationship of the characters and allows both to be in the frame while facing each other

Sunday, March 30, 14

ESTABLISHING SHOT

• Shows an entire location.

• Often used as an establishing or scene ending shot.

Sunday, March 30, 14