Establishing shot:
- It is wide enough to establish the (big picture)
- geography
- time of day
- scale of subject in relation to environment
Master shot:
- It establishes location and geography of the scene.
- It also clarifies which characters are in the scene and where they are in relation to each other.
Wide shot:
- It positions subject far from the camera to visually represent their relationship to the environment.
- It is distinct from Establishing shot which is about location. But this is about subject.
- It can be used to make subject appear lost or overwhelmed or comment on the relationship of the subject to the environment.
Full shot:
- When a subject entire body reaches from the top to the bottom edges of the frame, the shot is defined as full.
- Use it when you need to make statements about a subject’s physicality and present a character in all their glory.
Medium full shot / Cowboy:
- When you want to show a subject as confident, dangerous or confrontational.
Medium shot:
- Above the waist and below the chest and ends just above the head.
- Its a neutral one. It captures the subject in a size similar to how we interact with people.
- Use it when you need to dig into a subject’s eyes without loosing their physicality or environment.
Medium close up:
- Mid chest to just above the head.
- It is about reducing distractions and prioritising story and character details.
- Use it when you need to get intimate with the subject without loosing their physicality.
Close up:
- The most powerful visual weapon for highlighting a change in emotion or dramatic beat on screen.
- They are most often arranged at eye level.
- Better to dig into the windows of the soul.
- The close up is about empathy and illustrates how dramatically effective it can be in a time of decision or anxiety.
Extreme close up:
- It frames a subject to isolate a specific area.
- Insert shots:
- To highlight and isolate something crucial to the narrative.
- Its a tool for emphasis. It is the most intimate, dramatic and potentially startling of all.