Shot types

Shot types and Sizes

Medium shots-

Medium shot shows the character from the head to the waist. A medium shot will show some background; it shows the body language of the characters. Medium shots are meant to show us what the characters are doing and how they feel.

Extreme close up-

The extreme close up shot focuses on a part of the face usually the eyes or the mouth. It is used to convey / show the emotion of the character to the audience. Example if the story focuses on the eyes of a crying person you could tell the character is obviously sad. Extreme close up shots are often used at key points in the story.

Long shot-

Long shots show full body of the character unlike the medium shot. This also shows the location of the characters and shows the relationship between the characters. Long shots are often used as a first shot at the start of a particular sequence.

High angle shots-

In a high angle shot the camera is positioned above the character or the place. This makes the character look vulnerable. High angle shot is meant to make the audience side with the characters in shot.

Low angle shot-

Unlike the high angle shot the low angle shot is the opposite the camera is placed below. Low angle shot makes characters and object look important, big, and powerful.

Pan shot-

Pan is short for panoramic. The camera moves in an arc from a fixed point. We all have this in our phones and panoramic shots are used to mainly to show the view or the landscape of a place.