Film Shot Types

This week, on my film blog, I will be discussing different shot types and their purposes.

All the way from the macro, extreme close up to the widest, panoramic landscape shot, every way a shot is approached has a different purpose and a different effect on the audience. Below I list a number of different shots:

1. XLS – Extreme Long Shot – Used to establish large locales and provide a sense of space and serve as an explanation of the layout for the audience.

2. LS – Long Shot – The “Who, What, Where” Shot. Closer than the extreme long shot. Usually used to establish information on a person, a place or anything relevant for the storyline.

3. FS – Full Shot – It frames a human subject from head to toe. Usually used for fight scenes, embraces or physical comedy.

4. MLS – Medium Long Shot – Also known as the “Cowboy Shot”. Shot from the knees up. Usually used in Westerns. Designed to see the gun pulled out of the holster.

5. MS – Medium Shot – Shot from the waist up. Can include 2-3 characters. Reduces the background and enables the audience to read physical and psychological information in the faces of the characters.

6. CU – Close Up – It shows the subject completely. The background information is pretty much out of the shot.

7. XCU – Extreme Close Up – The frame is filled up by the fragment of a face or object. The shot can be dramatic or to show detailed information.