Shot Types
Learning different types of shots and the reasons why we use
them. There are many more shots that could be included but these are the commonly in films.
Indicates:
Location
- Establishing shots may use famous landmarks to indicate the city where
the action is taking place or has moved to, Empire State Building or the Statue
of Liberty to identify New York, the London Eye or the Elizabeth Tower
(commonly referred to as Big Ben) to identify London the Eiffel Tower to
identify Paris
Time
- Sometimes the viewer is guided in his understanding of the action. For
example, an exterior shot of the night then a cut back to the action inside
portrays the conversation is occurring at night.
Relationship
- An establishing shot might be a long shot of a room that shows all the
characters from a particular scene. For example, a scene about a murder in a
college lecture hall might begin with a shot that shows the entire room,
including the lecturing professor and the students taking notes.
Establish
a concept - For example, a shot of rain falling could be an establishing
shot, followed by more and more detailed look at the rain with individual
raindrops falling.
A prime example of this can be seen in the TV
show 'Friends' an establishing shot will be used to show they viewer the
location which is Central Perk, before the cut to the action inside.
Close up- Show a lot of detail to the
audience, such as characters' emotions, or some intricate activity with their
hands. Major characters are often given a close-up when they are introduced as
a way of indicating their importance.
Leading characters will have multiple
close-ups. An example of a close up can be seen in the film “Jonny English” it
depicts Jonny’s facial expression as soon as he gets hurt. Another example is
from “Harry Potter” as Harry prepares for the final battle with Voldemort.
Extreme Close Up-The
shot is so tight that only a detail of the subject, such as someone's eyes, can
be seen. An extreme close up can be used to make an object appear larger than
life. A prime example of a use of an extreme close up can be seen in 'Kill Bill
Vol. II', where the mosquito can be seen on the skin of Black Mamba (Uma
Therman).
Two shot- frame
encompasses a view of
two people (the subjects).
The subjects do not have to be
next to each other, and there are many common two-shots which have one subject
in the foreground and the other subject in the background.
It is often used to
show conversation between two characters. The two shot can show harmony or
disharmony depending on the scene. It is
usually filmed from the mid-chest up.
Over-the-Shoulder Shot- Occurs
when the camera is placed behind the shoulder of the character. This makes the
characters head and shoulders visible, ensuring the audience knows that they
are there, but making sure the main focus is on the other character or object
in the shot (most often the second character is the subject of interest).
In
this way the characters are “married” into the frame. It can be used to suggest
tension, intimacy, desire or hatred.
Point of view
shot- Intended to represent the subjective view of the character (the
subject).
The camera lens is physically placed at the eye level of the
character whose point of view we are seeing. In this way the audience see’s
what the character sees. Usually established by being positioned between a shot
of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction.
POV provides the audience an exaggerated sense of intimacy with the character.
High Angle shot- occurs when the camera is placed above a subject with the lens pointing down. This makes the subject appear small and powerless/vulnerable.
