Basic shot types

A short film describing the use of different camera shots to create a film story. For more information on Shot Types, visit http://www.littlefilmschool.com/2010/02/basic-shot-types/

Shot types - Extreme close up

Extreme Close-Up

An extreme close-up is when what is being viewed is very large, usually this is a part of someone’s face. In this sequence from Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York (2002), the camera shoots an extreme close-up of Bill the Butcher’s (Daniel Day-Lewis) left eye. It is made of glass and the pupil is in the shape of an eagle. Bill has this eye because he considers himself a patriot and a native to America, unlike the Irish immigrants who he is about to fight in the battle of the Five Points.
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Shot types - Close up

Close-Up

A close-up is when what is being viewed is quite large and takes up the entire screen, such as a person’s head. In this sequence from Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1972), the face of Alex (Malcolm McDowell) is practically all that can be seen on the screen. He has an evil smirk on his face as he sits in the milk bar while the eery music of the opening credits still plays. The close-up is the perfect way to introduce Alex because by simply looking into his face, the viewer can see just how terrible he is.
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Shot types - Mid shot

Mid shot

A mid shot is when what is being viewed is large and takes up most of the screen. In this sequence from Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Red (Morgan Freeman) is seen from the chest up sitting in front of the parole board. He is fed up with the process of parole and is making a long speech about the penal system while he is just about the only object in view on the screen.
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Shot types - Medium long shot

Medium Long Shot

A medium long shot is when what is being viewed takes up almost the entire height of the screen. In this sequence from Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967), Blondie (Clint Eastwood) is seen staring down Tuco (Eli Wallach), and Sentenza (Lee Van Cleef) right before they duel. Blondie’s gun is visible which is important for the viewers to see for a duel sequence. This is why the medium long shot was used for most westerns.
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Shot types - Long shot

Long Shot

A long shot is when the scale of what is being seen is small. In this sequence from Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (2008), Sergeant Thompson (Guy Pearce) takes up most of the screen when upright, and then less when he is knocked down due to the explosion. The entire background is dust and debris from the bomb that detonated, and the scale of the long shot gives the viewer the image that Thompson was very close to the point of detonation. This is important to see because the explosion ends up killing him.
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Shot types - Extreme Long Shot

Extreme Long Shot

An extreme long shot is when the scale of what is being seen is tiny. In this sequence from Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), the extreme long shot is being used as an establishing shot as Gandalf (Ian McKellen) enters the Shire. It was most likely shot from a crane or a helicopter, and it shows the viewer much of the fantasy world that is Middle Earth.
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