Camera types

Shot size

● Extreme wide shot/extreme long shot : This shot is used to show

the subject and the entire area of the environment they are in.

● Wide shot/long shot: It’s used to focus on the subject while still
showing the scene the subject is in.
● Medium shot: This shot shows the subject from the knees up, and is
often referred to as the 3/4 shot.

● Medium close-up shot: The subject fills the frame with this shot, and
it is somewhere between a medium close-up and close-up.
● Close up shot: This shot shows emotions and detailed reactions, with
the subject filling the entire frame.

● Choker shot: A typical choker shot shows the subject’s face from just
above the eyebrows to just below their mouth and is between a close-
up and extreme close-up.

● Extreme close-up shot: This shot shows the detail of an object, such
as one a character is handling, or person, such as just their eyes or
moving lips.
● Full shot: A full shot is similar to a wide shot except that it focuses on
the character in the frame, showing them from head to toe.

● Cowboy shot: This is similar to the medium shot except that the
character is shown from the hips or waist up.
 ● Establishing shot: This is a long shot at the beginning of a scene that
shows objects, buildings, and other elements of a setting from a
distance to establish where the next sequence of events takes place.

Shot framing

● Single shot, where the shot only captures one subject.

● Two shot, which has only two characters.
● Three shot, when three characters are in the frame.
● Point-of-view shot (POV), which shows the scene from the point of
view of one of the characters, making the audience feel that they are
there seeing what the character is seeing.
● Over-the-shoulder shot (OTS), which shows the subject from behind
the shoulder of another character. It connects the two characters,
whereas a single shot would disconnect them.
● Over-the-hip (OTH) shot, in which the camera is placed on the hip of
one character and the focus is on the subject.
● Reverse angle shot, which is approximately 180 degrees opposite the
previous shot.
● Reaction shot, which shows the character’s reaction to the previous
shot.
● Weather shot, where the subject of the filming is the weather.

● Lead room: the amount of space between the character and the sides
of the frame.
● Head room: the amount of space between the head of the character
and the top of the frame.

Depth of field
● Focus pull, where you focus the lens to keep the subject within an
acceptable focus range.
● Rack focus, where the focus is more aggressively shifted from subject
A to subject B.
● Tilt-shift, where parts of the image are in focus while other parts are
out of focus. Usually done with a tilt-shift lens.
● Deep focus, when both the subject and the environment are in focus.
● Shallow focus, where the subject is crisp and in focus while the
background is out of focus.

Camera placement

● Eye-level shot: This is when the camera is placed at the same height
as the eyes of characters.
● Low angle shot: This shot frames the subject from a low height, often
used to emphasize differences in power between characters.
● High angle shot: This is when the subject is framed with the camera
looking down at them.
● Birds-eye-view shot/overhead shot: This is a shot taken from way
above the subject, usually including a significant amount of the
surrounding environment to create a sense of scale or movement.
● Aerial shot/helicopter shot: Taken from way up high, this shot is
usually done from a drone or helicopter to establish the expanse of the
surrounding landscape.

● Shoulder-level shot: This is where the camera is approximately the

same height as the character’s shoulders.
● Hip-level shot: The camera is approximately at the height of the
character’s hips.
● Knee-level shot: The camera is approximately at the same level as
the character’s knees.
● Ground-level shot: When the height of the camera is at ground level
with the character, this shot captures what’s happening on the ground
the character is standing on.
● Dutch-angle/tilt shot: This is where the camera is tilted to the side.

● Cut-in shot: This type of shot cuts into the action on the screen to
offer a different view of something happening in this main scene.
● Cutaway shot: As shot that cuts away from the main action on the
screen, it’s used to focus on secondary action and add more
information for greater understanding for the audience.
● Master shot: A long shot that captures most or all of the action
happening in a scene.
 ● Deep focus: A shot that keeps everything in the screen in sharp
focus, including the foreground, background, and middle ground.
● Locked-down shot: With this shot, the camera is fixed in one position
and the action continues off-screen.
● Library shot: Pre-existing film of a location that’s pulled from a library.
● Matte shot: A shot that incorporates action in the foreground with a
background that is created on a computer.
● Money shot: An expensive shot that is designed to startle or wow the
audience.
● Top shot: A shot that looks directly down at a scene. Also known as a
birds-eye-view shot.

Camera movement

Camera movement is a technique for changing the relationship between

the subject and camera frame, controlling the delivery of the narrative. It
helps to give additional meaning to what’s happening on the screen.

Basic camera moves

● Zoom Shot, which involves changing the focal length of the lens to
zoom in or out during filming.
● Pan shot, which involves moving the camera from side to side to show
something to the audience or help them better follow the sequence of
events.
● Tilt shot, similar to a pan shot, except moving the camera up and
down.
● Dolly shot, where the camera is attached to a dolly that moves on
tracks and can possibly move up and down.
● Truck shot, where you move the entire camera on a fixed point and
the motion goes from side to side.
● Pedestal shot, where the entire camera is moved vertically, not just
the angle of view, and is often combined with panning and/or tilting.

Other camera moves

● Static/fixed shot, where there is no camera movement and the shot

emphasizes the movement of the subject in the environment.
● Arc shot, where the camera moves in an arc pattern around the
subject to give the audience a better perspective of their
surroundings.
● Crab shot, a less-common version of tracking a subject where the
dolly the camera is on goes sideways.
 ● Dolly zoom shot, where the position of the camera and focal length
are changed simultaneously.
● Whip pan shot/swish pan shot, which is used to create a blur as you
pan from one shot to the next.
● Tracking shot, where the camera follows the subject, either from
behind or at their side, moving with them.
● Whip tilt shot, which is used to create a blur panning from one shot to
the next vertically.
● Bridging shot, which denotes a shift in place or time.
● Sequence shot, which covers an entire scene in one sweep without
additional editing.

Camera mechanisms

A camera mechanism refers to camera equipment that you use to obtain

or change a shot. They affect the look and feel of your filming but also the
prep time and budget, so it’s important to select camera mechanisms
carefully.

● Sticks/tripod: This piece of camera equipment is frequently used for

simple pans and tilts as well as static shots.
● Wire shot: Attaching a camera to a wire or cable, you can get for
smooth camera movement for action sequences.
● Drone shot: These small, remote-controlled airborne vehicles allow
you to attach a camera to capture aerial shots or to fly alongside or
over a subject.
● Slider shot: This piece of equipment allows the camera to slide
smoothly on a horizontal or vertical axis.
● Handheld shot: This is when the camera operator simply holds the
camera to follow an action scene that is moving too unpredictably or
quickly for the camera to be on a tripod or dolly.
● Steadicam shot: Use a stabilizing device, like a harness, that attaches
to a person operating the camera to ensure the filming remains
smooth and stable.
● Crane shot: A robotic crane can sweep over the top of a scene.
● Jib shot: This involves a boom device with a camera on one end that
operates similarly to a crane, but with less range.
● Gimbal shot: Use a handheld stabilizing device that can conveniently
fit through small spaces for smooth, stable filming.

Source: Types of Film Shots: 80+ Shots You Must Know - NFI