Glossary of Camera Shots A Types of Shots

Glossary of Camera Shots

A. Types of Shots B. Camera Angles C. Camera Movement D. Duration of Shots

A. Types of Shots

Long Shot l A shot taken from a sufficient distance to show a landscape, a building, or a large crowd

Medium Shot l shows a character's upper-body, arms, and head

Close-up Shot l Shows a character's face and shoulders. It is close enough to show subtle facial expressions clearly.

Extreme Close-up Shot l A shot of a small object or part of a face that fills the screen

B. Camera Angles

High Angle l The camera looks down at what is being photographed

“Eye Level” Shot l A shot that approximates human vision – a camera presents an object so that the line between camera and object is parallel to the ground

Low Angle Shot l The camera looks up at what is being photographed

C. Camera Movement

Pan l The camera moves horizontally on a fixed basis

Tilt l The camera points up or down from a fixed base

Tracking (Dolly) Shot l The camera moves through space on a wheeled truck (or dolly), but stays in the same plane

Boom l The camera moves up or down through space

Zoom l This is not a camera movement, but a shift in the focal length of the camera lens to give the impression that the camera is getting closer to or farther from an object.

D. Duration of Shots also vary in time: l Subliminal -a few frames l Quick - less than a second l Average - more than a second but less than a minute l Lengthy - more than a minute