Media Techniques - Shot Types

Media Techniques - Shot Types

Each different shot type is used with a different purpose in mind, and to make the audience focus on specific details. Listed below are some of the different shot types and what they would be used for.

1- Establishing Shot / Extreme Wide Shot

This would be used to introduce the audience to the location and setting of the film.

2- Wide Shot 

This is used to show the whole of a person, alongside the location.This helps to get an understanding of what is happening to the character, as you can see the body language of the character and what is happening around them.

3- Medium Shot

This is usually used to show a character, but not a full shot of them. It is used to have a better focus on the upper body language and facial expressions to help to tell the story. However, it is still far enough to see part of the setting around the character to get an idea about what is happening while the scene is continuing. 

4- Medium Close Up 

this focuses on the head and shoulders of a character, this is used to show more details, including facial expressions. Yet, it is still far enough away to get an idea of the surroundings and parts of the character, to allow the audience to have a context to the scene.

5- Close Up

This is used to highlight the facial expression of the character, it also doesn't focus on things around it. This shot may not necessarily be used on somebody's face, it could be used on objects also, so there is a better focus on that item.

6- Extreme Close Up

This is used to look at one particular feature, it draws attention to only that feature as there is nothing else that is in that shot that would be distracting to the focus.




7- Two Shot 
It shows two people within a frame together, it can also show surroundings also. A two shot could also be a medium shot, close up or long shot. This type of shot can help the viewer to see the relationship between two characters alongside what is happening between them. 


8- Over the Shoulder Shot
It can be used to make it clear to show what character is talking throughout a conversation. This shot helps the viewer to know who is involved in a conversation. 



9- Point of View (POV) Shot
To show exactly what the character is looking at and it helps to place the viewer in their position. It gives the viewer a deeper understanding of the character and what is happening in the scene. 

Camera Angles

Camera angles are used to add to the different shot types as well. There are many different angle types which some are listed below:

1- High Angle

It is used to look down on a character or an object. This camera angle can be used to show someones perspective to make a character to look potentially weak.

2- Low Angle

It is at a low angle to show a characters power or might, for example if it was used to portray a villain. It can however be used to show other things in different perspectives. This can be used to show or exaggerate the height of something within a frame or a scene.

3- Tilted Angle

The camera is placed in a tilted position, it can be used to show panic and it used to show action happening in a scene. It shows the chaos that would be occurring if the viewer was a part of the scene.

4- Bird's-eye View

this can be used to show a large amount of what is happening in the scene, such as the characters and the setting. this allows the viewer to get some sort of an insight into what is occurring in the plot. 

Camera Movement

Pan- Moving the camera from side to side from a fixed position to allow the viewer to get a perspective on the setting in a scene.

Tilt- This is moving the camera up and down from a fixed position to allow the viewer to look at the height of something.

Track- A smooth motion that the camera would move in, the camera is put on a track to create smooth motion. This can usually be used to follow something within a scene.

Crane- A crane shot is where the camera is put on a crane and is moved high up in order to get a high point of view for certain angles.

Zoom- This is used to zoom in or zoom out for a shot, it can be used to emphasise something or draw attention to something.

Handheld- Where the camera is held by a someone, rather than it being in a fixed position. It creates a rugged, unsteady shot, it puts the viewer in the scene further.

Additional Terminology

Foreground / Background - When filming you need to keep in mind what is happening in the foreground and the background of the shot.

Framing - Keep the Rule of Thirds in mind when designing your shot. the views eye is drawn to the cross sections of a frame, this is where your action should be taking place. this is not to say that things do not break this rule, but it is usually just used to crate a particular dramatic effect.

Deep and Shallow Focus - Depth of field is the front-to-back range of focus in an image - that is, how much of it appears sharp and clear. In deep focus the foreground, middle-ground and background are all in focus. Shallow focus is a camera technique incorporating a small depth of field. In shallow focus, one plane of the image is in focus while the rest is out of focus. Shallow focus is typically used to emphasise one part of the image over another.