Can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie.

Establishing Shot

This is a broader shot, showing perhaps parts of the set or externals – To emphasise size, scale, the dramatic or epic.

Wide shot

Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air. A crane is a useful way of moving a camera - it can move up, down, left, right, swooping in on action or moving diagonally out of it.

Crane Shot

An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration.

Aerial Shot / Birds eye view

This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a detail of mise en scene. This shot magnifies the object and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. This shot takes us into the mind of a character. so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character.

Close Up

As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes.

Extreme Close Up

This is a shot were we see what the actor sees through their own eyes –identification/ sympathy with the viewer or a sense of discomfort/ tension if the point of view is hostile.

Point of view

This is a shot were we see what the actor sees but not through their own eyes – This puts the viewer in the scene, but as an accomplice to the action.

Over the shoulder

This shows a conversation/ link or reaction between 2 characters or hero/ villain / antagonist/ protagonist – a connection, relationship or conflict.

Two Shot

Is where one character is shown looking (often off-screen) at another character, and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer unconsciously assumes that they are looking at each other (the 180 degree rule).

Shot reverse shot

A movement which scans a scene horizontally. The camera is placed on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as the camera is turned, often to follow a moving object which is kept in the middle of the frame.

Pans

A movement which scans a scene vertically, otherwise similar to a pan.

Tilts

This shot looks down on the action from a superior position - The observer dominates, power, higher status.

High angle shot

This shot looks up at the action from below, an inferior position – the observer is vulnerable, weak and lower in status

Low angle shot

This is when the camera gets closer to or moves away from the action in a very quick movement.This can suggest surveillance, voyeurism and intense observation.

Zoom/reverse zoom