2. Long (Wide Angles)
• Extreme Wide Shot: Extreme wide shots are far removed from the subject and often shot
with a wide-angle lens. They may show the subject in the distance, but the emphasis is more
on showing the subject in his or her environment.
• Very Wide Shot: Very close to an extreme wide shot apart from the subject is now a lot more
visible but the emphasis is still on their surroundings.
• Wide Shot: Wide shots (also known as long shots) provide an overall view of the whole
scene. If the shot contains a person, the whole body is shown.
• Medium Shot: The waist up medium shot is ideal when you aren’t focusing on smaller detail
but when a character or person is speaking e.g. a monolgue
Medium Shots
3. Close Ups
• Extreme Close Up (ECU): Any shot that zooms in very close to a
particular part of a subject is known as an extreme close up. They vary
considerably but usually focus on a particular part of a person—the face,
mouth, eyes, hands, etc—object, or animal. These shots can create a feeling
of intimacy in your video, and to convey a mood or emotion.
• Close Up: Close up shots typically contain just the face and shoulders of a
subject, with a little head room above. These shots are the most common of
all as they can convey a real sense of emotion and help the audience to
connect with the subject.
4. Creative Shots
• Over the shoulder shot (OSS): These shots are filmed from just behind a person. They tend
to show the back of a person’s head (often cutting off the frame just behind the ear) and
sometimes one shoulder.
• Reaction Shot: Also known as noddy shots, these shots show a person’s face listening or
reacting to something. Reaction shots are common in interviews and are also often used to cut
into a sequence and hide jump cuts.
• Point of View Shot (POV): Also called a subjective shot. The camcorder adopts the
perspective of a character. We see what a character sees and therefore identify with him/her.
The person whose point of view it is should never be seen in the shot. These shots are often
used to add drama in chase scenes.
• Cutaway (CA): Placed between the main shots, a cutaway is usually of something other than
the current action. These shots are used as transitions between main shots, or to add interest or
information. For example, a typical CA shot could be a close up of the subject’s mouth or
hands—also known as a cut-in (CI), or a shot of an entirely different subject.
5. Angles
• Eye Level Angle: Because this is the perspective most familiar to us, the eye-level angle is
one of the most commonly used shots. If you want to shoot at this angle, however, bear in
mind that ‘eye-level’ refers to your subject’s eye level—not yours.
• High Level: In these shots, the camcorder looks down on the subject making it appear smaller
and less important. High angle shots are often used to make a person appear vulnerable.
• Low Level: In low angle shots, the camcorder looks up at the subject. Use these shots when
you want to make your subject appear larger, imposing, or more important to the viewer.
