Shot types

Shot types are a range of different types of ways to film with.

These include Extreme long shot, long shot, medium shot, close-up
shot, and so on. These shot types are commonly used in TV series and
movies and are usually used to focus on a specific or multiple thing
within a scene.

 Extreme Long Shot

 Shows all elements in a scene including location, weather,
etc. This makes the character(s) blend in with the scene and
focuses on more than one specific thing, usually including
foreground, middle ground and background.

 Long Shot
 Shows the scene slightly closer to the action and focuses
mainly on what is most important in the scene. The characters
are shown from head to toe but doesn’t always fit the frame.

 Medium Shot
 This shows the characters from torso up. This helps isolate
and enhance the main focus of the scene.

 Close-up
 This only shows a character’s face and usually is used to
convey a certain emotion, usually scared or to convey a sense
of suspense.

 Extreme Close-Up Shot

 This only shows a part of a character’s face, usually the
eyes. For example, a tear could be seen falling from
somebody’s eye telling us that the character is sad.

Cross-cutting
Cross cutting (or parallel editing as it’s commonly known as) is a
technique commonly used in movies that show more than one narrative
happening at the same time. For example, if the same event is taking
place in 3 different places, then the 3 places would all be filmed
then put together in post-production, generally footage would be put
collectively in this order – Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3, Clip 1, Clip 2,
Clip 3, and so on if there were 3 pieces of footage.

Montage
This is a method used to convey a lot of detail in a short amount of
time. This method is used a lot in TV series and movies, especially
those with a lot of action. Montages usually last around 10 shots.
Example: a two-hour event can be condensed to a minute and can still
convey the same detail because the most important shots are left in
the final edit.

Match on Action
This is a method used to switch to different camera angles whilst
maintaining the rhythm and pace of the scene. The shots should flow
well and keep track of what is happening, so there are no continuity
errors in a film or tv episode. It also helps to see what the set
and people looked like in the previous take and keep it as such.
This method is usually used in running scenes and interrogation
scenes.

180-degree rule
This method is used in usually interrogation scenes, the camera
remains on one side of the set and should remain that way. The 180
rule can be broken by putting cameras on the other side. In theory,
the 180-degree rule should remain throughout the entire scene if in
use. This method is used to create a tense atmosphere for an
interrogation scene.

Mise en Scene
This is the setting within the frame. The main elements of Mise en
Scene are: Settings, Props, Costume, Hair, Make Up, Lighting,
Colour, Performance and Composition. Props you could find in a
specific genre are largely related to the genre itself. For example,
for horror movies you’d be more than likely to see a knife as a
prop. The two main types of lighting for Mise en Scene are Low Key
Lighting and High Key Lighting. For a dark and tense movie, Low Key
lighting would usually be used. As for something happier and perhaps
comedy, High Key Lighting would be used.