Establishing Shot: This is where the action takes place. It is usually a long shot in a film used at the beginning of a sequence to establish and overview of the scene that follows.

Master Shot: This is where all of the persons body is shown on the screen plus all of the scene.

Close-Up: This shot tightly frames a person or an object.

Mid-Shot: This is where half of the body is shown. It is good for shooting conversations.

Long Shot: This shot focuses on the background and it doesn’t focus on the things up close.

Wide Shot: It is basically the same as a long shot.

Two-Shot: This shot shows two people together, normally having a conversation.

Aerial Shot: This is a view from above looking down upon the scene.

POV Shot: This shot shows what someone is looking at from their personal point of view.

Over the Shoulder Shot: This is where dialogue is shown between two people.

Establishing Shot Master Shot Close-Up

Mid-Shot Long Shot Wide Shot

Two-Shot Aerial Shot POV Shot

High Angle: This is where the camera angle is located above the eye line. The camera looks down on the subject and makes the subject seem vulnerable and powerless. This angle makes the moment more dramatic.

Low Angle: This is where the camera angle is positioned low on the vertical axis, which is below the eye line.

Canted Angle: This is where the camera is tilted off to one side so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame.

High Angle Low Angle Canted Angle

Zoom in/out: Altering of the focal length of the lens to make the subject of the frame appear bigger/smaller. Used to help the audience focus on one subject in the frame, or to show the bigger picture.

Pan: Rotation on a horizontal plane from left to right.Camera does not move.Used to show a wide view of an area.

Tilt: Rotation on a vertical plane upwards/downwards.Camera does not move.Used to portray someone as more powerful/powerless.

Tracking: The camera is mounted on a wheeled platform which is pushed on rails.This technique is used to follow a subject of a frame (such as an actor or vehicle).This causes a swift, smooth movement.

Dolly: Specialised piece of film-making equipment. Camera is mounted on the dolly – the camera operator usually rides on the dolly when operating the camera. Used to make smooth camera movements. Can move in all directions – more flexible than a tracking movement.

 

Crane: The camera is on a crane or a jib. This allows the shot to rise vertically (Rise Up) or move vertically downwards (Fall Down). It can also move side to side in the air.

Steadicam: This is a brand of camera stabilizer which mechanically isolatesthe camera from the operators movement. It is used to give a smooth shot, even when moving quickly overan uneven surface.

Hand-held: Camera is held by person – no tripod or other equipment is used. This causes a shaky effect – can be seen as unprofessional. However, is used in documentaries as it adds a realistic effect.

 Framing is: The arrangement of objects in a shot. Used to aid the narrative. Used to make shots/figures in the shots to stand out. Used to give the viewer more information. Used to highlight extra texture/detail.

Rule of Thirds: Points of interest in the frame are placed along these lines: Used to make a more interesting and aesthetically pleasing shot. Used to direct a viewer to a desired object or character.

Depth of Field: Shallow focus: This incorporates a small depth of field, and in this technique one plane of the image is in focus, whilst the rest is not. It is normally used to allow the viewer to focus on one part of an image.Deep focus: This incorporates a large depth of field, and in this technique every plane of an image is in focus.It is used to allow the audience to focuson everything in the frame.

 

1. Why is a pan used?2. Rotation on a vertical plane – is this panning or a tilt movement?3. Which movement is often used in documentaries?4. Why is the rule of thirds technique used?5. Name one reason why framing is used.6. What is a establishing shot?7. Why is a canted angle used?8. Give the definition of a two-shot.9. What angle is used to make a shot seem more dramatic.10. “This is where all of the persons body is shown on the screen plus all of the

scene.” What camera shot is this?