CAMERA SHOT SIZE

1. Establishing shots

An establishing shot is a shot at the head of a scene that clearly shows us the location
of the action. Establishing shots have no rules other than helping to build tone and
context, but they're not required to be wide or from a drone or to be accompanied by a
screen-sized title card.

2. Extreme Wide Shot (EWS)

An extreme wide shot (aka extreme long shot) is a camera shot that will make your
subject appear small against their location. You can also use an extreme long shot to
make your subject feel distant or unfamiliar.

3. Wide Shot (WS) or Long Shot (LS)

The wide shot (aka long shot) is a camera shot that balances both the subject and the
surrounding imagery. A wide shot will often keep the entire subject in frame while giving
context to the environment.

4. Full Shot (FS)

A full shot is a camera shot in film that lets your subject fill the frame, head to toe, while
still allowing some features of the scenery.

5. Medium Wide Shot (MWS)

A medium long shot (aka medium long shot) frames the subject from roughly the knees
up. It splits the difference between a full shot and a medium shot.

6. Cowboy Shot (CS)

A variation on this is the cowboy shot, which frames the subject from roughly mid-thighs
up. It’s called a “cowboy shot” because it is used in Westerns to frame a gunslinger’s
gun or holster on his hip.

7. Medium Shot (MS)

Let's move onto camera shots that reveal your subject in more detail.

The medium shot is one of the most common camera shots. It's similar to the cowboy
shot above, but frames from roughly the waist up and through the torso. So it
emphasizes more of your subject while keeping their surroundings visible.
8. Medium Close Up (MCU)

The medium close-up frames your subject from roughly the chest up. So it typically
favors the face, but still keeps the subject somewhat distant.

9. Close Up (CU)

You know it’s time for a close-up shot when you want to reveal a subject’s emotions and
reactions. The close-up camera shot fills your frame with a part of your subject. If your
subject is a person, it is often their face.

10. Extreme Close Up (ECU)

An extreme close-up shot is a type of camera shot size in film that fills the frame with
your subject, and is so close that we can pick up tiny details that would otherwise be
difficult to see.

This camera shot size often shows eyes, gun triggers, and lips. Extreme close-up shots
are sometimes shot with a macro lens for greater detail.

CAMERA FRAMING

1. Single Shot

When your shot captures one subject it’s known as a single shot: Single shots can be
set and framed in any shot size you like, just as long as there is only one character
featured within the frame.

Now, why did I say featured rather than simply in the frame?

The reason is because you can have an over-the-shoulder single, also known as a "dirty
single" that technically has more than one person in the frame, but the character in the
foreground isn't featured.

2. Two Shot or 2-Shot

A two-shot is a camera shot with two characters featured in the frame: Two shots are
often really useful for allowing performances to play out in a single take, which can be
especially useful for comedy.

3. Three Shot or 3-Shot

A three-shot features three characters in the frame: Three shots are really important in
adventure films, or really any film that has a group of characters, because it is an
enormous time drain to shoot 3 singles just to show every character, not to mention
jarring.

4. Over-The-Shoulder Shot (OTS)

Another element of camera shots to consider is the perspective of the shot. An over-the-
shoulder shot shows your subject from behind the shoulder of another character.
Because it emulates perspective, it’s common in conversation scenes.

- It connects your characters

5. Over-The-Hip Shot (OTH)

An over-the-hip shot is similar to over-the-shoulder in that the camera is placed with a

character's hip in the foreground, and the focus subject in the plane of acceptable focus.

You'll gain a similar effect from an over-the-hip shot as you would an OTS, but if you
have one character standing, and the other sitting, kneeling, or any other configuration
that places the subjects on "uneven terrain" it will often suggest a power imbalance.
This is the benefit of blocking and staging your actors and camera.

6. Point of View Shot (POV)

Now let's talk about choosing camera shots that show the point-of-view (or POV) of one
of your characters.

CAMERA FOCUS

1. Shallow Focus Shot (Shallow DOF)

In shallow focus shots, your subject is in crisp focus while the foreground and
background scenery is out of focus. This limits your depth of field to create emphasis on
your subject.

2. Deep Focus Shot

In a deep focus shot, everything in your frame is in focus. This is when you need your
audience to feel the scenery or particular scene elements.