Shot sizes

Establishing shot: [ES] Usually the first shot of a scene, this is used to establish the location and
environment. It can also be used to establish mood and give the audience visual clues regarding the time
(night/day, year) and the general situation. Because they need to provide a great deal of information,
Establishing Shots are usually Extreme Long Shots or Long Shots.
Long Shot: [LS] Frames character from head to toes, with the subject roughly filling the frame. The
emphasis tends to be more on action and movement rather than a character’s emotional state.
Medium Long Shot: [MLS] Intermediate between Long Shot and Medium Shot. Shows subject from the
knees up.
Medium Shot: [MS] Shows part of the subject in more detail. For a person, a medium shot typically
frames them from about waist up. This is one of the most common shots seen in films, as it focuses on a
character (or characters) in a scene while still showing some environment.
Close-Up: [CU] Fills the screen with part of the subject, such as a person’s head/face. Framed this
tightly, the emotions and reaction of a character dominate the scene.
Big Close Up: [BCU] A variant of a Close-Up, this shot frames the subject’s face from above the
eyebrows to below the mouth.
Extreme Close Up: [ECU] Emphasizes a small area or detail of the subject, such as the eye(s) or mouth.
An Extreme Close Up of just the eyes is sometimes called an Italian Shot, getting its name from Sergio
Leone’s Italian-Western films that popularized it.
Two Shot: A shot in which two subjects appear in the frame.
Cut-In: Similar to a Cutaway, but shows a Close-Up shot of something visible in the main scene.

Cutaway: A shot of something other than the subject and away from the main scene. It is usually
followed by a cut back to the first shot and is useful for avoiding a jump cut when editing down a section
of dialogue, or editing together two separate takes.
Shots indicating camera angle/camera placement

In addition to subject size within a frame, shot types can also indicate where a camera is placed in
relation to the subject. Here are some commonly used terms:

Eye Level: Shot taken with the camera approximately at human eye level, resulting in a neutral effect on
the audience.
High Angle: Subject is photographed from above eye level. This can have the effect of making the
subject seem vulnerable, weak, or frightened.
Low Angle: Subject is photographed from below eye level. This can have the effect of making the subject
look powerful, heroic, or dangerous.
Dutch Angle/Tilt: Shot in which the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so that the horizon line is not
level. It is often used to show a disoriented or uneasy psychological state.
Over-the-Shoulder Shot: A popular shot where a subject is shot from behind the shoulder of another,
framing the subject anywhere from a Medium to Close-Up. The shoulder, neck, and/or back of the head
of the subject facing away from the camera remains viewable, making the shot useful for showing
reactions during conversations. It tends to place more of an emphasis on the connection between two
speakers rather than the detachment or isolation that results from single shots.
Bird’s-Eye View: A high-angle shot that’s taken from directly overhead and from a distance. The shot
gives the audience a wider view and is useful for showing direction and that the subject is moving, to
highlight special relations, or reveal to the audience elements outside the boundaries of the character’s
awareness. The shot is often taken from on a crane or helicopter.
Point of View Shot: [POV] Shot intended to mimic what a particular character in a scene is seeing.
Looking at the cinematic world from the character’s eyes.

Reaction Shot: Shows a character’s reaction to the shot that has preceded it.

Reverse Angle Shot: A shot taken from an angle roughly 180 degrees opposite of the previous shot. The
term is commonly used during conversation, indicating a reverse Over-the-Shoulder Shot, for example.
SOUND
Diegetic Sound – sound that can be heard by the characters within a scene. The sound is part of the film
world. Any sound presented as originated from a source within the film’s world.

Non-diegetic Sound – sound that the characters cannot hear and is not part of the imaginary world of
the story. This includes a musical soundtrack or a voiceover (however this excludes a narration by a
character within the story – referred to as an internal monologue and is diegetic).

Score – The musical component of a programme’s soundtrack, usually composed specifically for the
scene.

Sound Effects – sounds that are added to a film during the post-production stage.

Sound bridge – a type of sound editing that occurs when sound carries over a visual transition/cut in a
film. A sound bridge can help lead in or out of a scene/shot, such as when dialogue or music occurs
before or after the speaking character is seen by the audience.
Sound perspective - refers to the apparent distance of a sound source, evidenced by its volume, timbre,
and pitch. This type of editing is most common in how the audience hears film characters’ speech. Sound
perspective can also give us clues as to who and where is present in a scene and their relative
importance to the film’s narrative.
Synchronous sound – Helps to illustrate verisimilitude. The sound is matched to what is happening on
the screen.

Asynchronous sound – Not matched to or with what we are seeing on the screen. The sound we are
hearing is from something different than that which we are seeing.

OTHER KEY TERMS

Convention – a frequently used element which becomes standard.

Disequilibrium – the period of instability and insecurity in a film’s narrative.

Enigma – the question or mystery that is posed within a film’s narrative.

Equilibrium – a state of peace and calm, which often exists at the beginning of a film’s narrative.
Framing – the selection of elements such as characters, setting and iconography that appear within a
shot.

Genre – a system of film identification, in which films that have the same elements are grouped
together.

High-key lighting – a brightly lit shot in which more visual detail is obvious. The mood is more upbeat,
cheerful.

Low-key lighting – less light is used, therefore the audience sees less visual detail. Use of shadows and
high contrast.

Iconography – the objects within a film that are used to evoke particular meanings.

Intertextuality – reference within a film to another film, media product, work of literature or piece of
artwork.
Mise en scene – a French term, which literally means ‘put into the frame’. When analysing a sequence
the term refers to everything you see in the frame (props, costume, lighting, colour, makeup etc.)

Verisimilitude – the construction of a plausible, believable world. The appearance of being real or true.