TYPES OF SHOTS

Normally, a fairy tale begins with “Once upon a time, in a land far, far
away, there lived a… and so on and so forth.” That sounds too elementary,
but that is the basics to start a story: tell the place and time and introduce
the characters, and the rest will follow. Now, it would be awkward to have
somebody narrate that for you, that is why visuals need to be properly
executed to tell a story effectively.
Sometimes, a single picture is more than enough to tell a story. However, a
series of pictures can be used also, as in the photo essay, which is a series of
photos that tell a story, and in film, which is practically a series of frames
also. To achieve this, you must remember that capturing visuals is not just a
matter of point and shoot. Shots must be planned and well-framed to
contribute well to the story. A single frame may give so much meaning
already, so if you add other frames, then you can get much more. Here is a list
of the types of shots (Contis, 2019).
 EXTREME WIDE SHOT / EXTREME
LONG SHOT

This reveals to the viewer the world where the story takes place.
Through this shot, the audience must have a feel of the time and
place of the story – whether it is morning or evening, hot or cold,
wet or dry, and so on.
The subject may be shown on a small scale in order to picture
his/her relation to the scene.
EXTREME WIDE SHOT / EXTREME
LONG SHOT
 WIDE SHOT / LONG SHOT

This shot establishes the character and how he/she is

related to the scene. The characters can be seen from head
to toe. Because of its wide coverage, the wide shot can also
be used as an establishing shot. This can also be used as a
master shot, which introduces a new location or scene
WIDE SHOT / LONG SHOT
 FULL SHOT

Like the wide shot, the full shot also shows the
character from head to toe, but this time around, the
character is already the focus. Through this, you can
clearly see what the character looks like as a whole or
what he/she is doing.
FULL SHOT
 MEDIUM SHOT
The character is seen waste up. This is
often used in dialogue scenes, because it is
wide enough to show two or more
characters but close enough to show
details.
MEDIUM SHOT
 MEDIUM CLOSE-UP

This shot rests between the medium shot and the

close-up, with the subject framed from shoulders
up. Through this shot, more body language can
complement the facial expressions to show
emotions.
MEDIUM CLOSE-UP
 CLOSE-UP

This frames the character’s face and provides

emotional clues that cannot be effectively shown
with the medium shot. Other things may be
shown up close – shaking hands, tapping feet, etc,
CLOSE-UP
 EXTREME CLOSE-UP

This is a tighter frame that highlights the

facial features or any subject more. It can be
highly detailed, much more intimate,
emotionally heightened, and even
uncomfortable to view.
EXTREME CLOSE-UP
 CAMERA ANGLES AND POINTS OF
VIEW

Establishing the angles of your shots will also help in

providing the desirable meaning on visuals. Through
this, you can suggest a specific emotion, establish
strength or weakness, or take the story from the eyes of
a character. Here is a list of shots based on angles and
points of view (Ricart, 2018).
 BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
Bird’s-eye view is the name given to the type of shot taken from
an elevated point. As its own name indicates, it offers a
perspective similar to that which birds see while flying.
Drones may be used to capture this type of shot, such as the
picture on the left. However, you can still do this shot as long as
you strategize your location, like shooting a subject while you are
standing on a bridge.
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
 HIGH ANGLE
A high angle shot is taken pointing the
camera down on the subject. As a result,
the subject is seen as vulnerable and
powerless.
HIGH ANGLE
 EYE LEVEL
The eye level shot is considered the most natural camera angle.
Capturing the shot at eye-level offers a neutral perception of the
subject. Because it is the way in which we usually see people, this
camera angle can help the audience connect with the subject.
EYE LEVEL
 LOW ANGLE

A low angle shot is taken from below

the subject’s eye line, pointing
upwards. This camera angle makes a
subject look powerful and imposing.
LOW ANGLE
 WORM’S-EYE VIEW
The worm’s-eye view camera angle looks at an object
or subject from below. It is commonly used to capture
tall elements in the scene, such as trees or skyscrapers,
and put them in perspective. This type of camera shot
is mostly taken from a subject’s point of view.
WORM’S-EYE VIEW
 OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT

Also called OTS or third person shot, this is

created by placing the camera at the back of
one character while facing the other character.
This is used to highlight the relationship of
characters in a dialogue.
OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT
 DUTCH ANGLE

Also called Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique

angle, this shot is noticeably tilted or tipped. This
is used to signal to the viewer that something is
wrong, disorienting, or
unsettling (Lannom, 2020)
DUTCH ANGLE