An analysis of shot types and equipment used in TV Drams

1. Tom Smith

2. Wide shot
This shot shows 9 characters from the show. All
the characters are dressed normally except from
the one in the middle, who is covered in blood and
holding his hands up. All the other characters are
looking at him which might suggest he is guilty of a
crime such as murder. The way the characters
dress could also show some personality, for
example most of the guys are dressed pretty
normally which suggests that are nothing out of
the ordinary and no different to anyone else. One
of the girls is dressed up and looks like she`s
ready to go out somewhere and wants to make a
good impression, dresses to impress. Another one
of the girls is wearing something that highlights
that she is pregnant, possibly meaning she wants
people to know she`s vulnerable and needs
protecting.

3. Mid Shot/Two Shot
This shot two main characters, one with a snake on their
arm. The snake could possibly represent some kind of evil
where it manipulates the character to do something he
should not do, meaning he might be the bad person and
sometimes can`t control it or is being forced to do it. The
other character has the moon shining brightly behind his
head, suggesting some sort good nature and that he is not
a bad person, meaning that he could be the hero of the
show and the person everyone goes to when in need. The
lighting is generally dark, but there is front lighting
illuminating the characters, the lighting could represent the
mysterious evil behind the character with the snake,
where on the surface and in the light he is no different to
anyone else but when no one is around or its night it is
easier to show his dark side because during the night
most people stay inside. This possibly shows that he hides
his true self away from others.

4. Mid Shot
This shot shows one character, possibly main character
stood next to a police car and station. This suggests that
the character is involved with fighting crime, the fact he is
wearing formal clothing hints that he is a detective, the big
giveaway to this is that he is standing right next to a police
car.
He is also the only the character in shot which suggest
that he is the main character. The way he is standing and
the expression on his face suggest he is a very serious
and confident character, being involved with the police
those traits are very important, so his life revolves around
his work. We can also gather from this shot that he is
always ready for some action or the next case to come up
as he looks to be eagerly waiting to get called up. This
shot also makes him look very big, powerful and dominant,
the low angle enforces this. One side of his face is also
darker than the other; this could mean that he could also
have a dark side to him that gets shown and by making his
face darker are revealing he`s not all good.

5. Mid Shot/Two Shot
This shot shows two characters peering or about to walk
through a door. Both characters are wearing long coats
and suits, so straight away we gather they are of an
upper class and quite serious people. The age also hints
they are serious, middle age men of this time period
tend to be more serious about everything because they
live by certain rules that come with their class.

6. Master Shot
This master shot shows a character kneeling on a
counter with what looks like black smoke following. The
master shot is usually another name for an establishing
shot, as it covers most of the angles needed to see the
characters. In this shot the character looks over
dramatic whilst kneeling down, which draws attention to
the person and could suggest lots about their
personality. It could suggest that they like to be the
centre of attention, also the clothing is all black leather
which possibly symbolises that they are a villain or have
some dark habits. In addition to this, the black smoke
trailing gives a sense of the supernatural, as its not a
natural occurrence in everyday life its strange to see.

7. Two Shot/Establishing Shot
This two shot/establishing shot shows two of the main
characters from the TV show `Sherlock`. The two shot only
ever contains two people in it and can establish the relationship
between them, for example Benedict Cumberbatch is standing
closer the camera which suggests that out of the two
characters he plays a bigger role, as Martin Freeman is further
away its obvious that his role is still important but not as
important as Benedict Cumberbatch's.
From this shot we see that both characters are wearing long,
dark coats formally dressed underneath, this suggests that
some kind of detective work is involved with these characters.
The characters themselves look quite ordinary in terms of how
they dress and look, with the setting of London it would be easy
for them to blend in as business men so its not obvious to
others that they work in crime, also their physical appearance is
very ordinary, they look the people you find working in a shop.
Everything about this shot is dark and gloomy, the sky, the city
in the background and the characters. This possibly gives away
the kind if crime they are involved, being too mysterious or too
dangerous for normal detectives to work on, so they send the
best to solve it; it gives an idea that everything they do has a
darker side to it.

8. Long Shot
In this long shot we see the Doctor dominating the scene, and in a
very strange position. We see that the Doctor is pointing at something
behind the camera, which suggests that he might always be looking
for something no matter where he goes. The clothing he wears is very
dark which could suggest that beneath the surface or in the past he
has done something or is responsible for a significant event in his life,
and the dark clothes he wears is showing that this Doctor is more
aware and active about what happened. The age of the character
could suggests that he might be more laid back and less active than
previous Doctors, where we expected them to be very active and that
this one is tired of chasing and running and want things done quickly.
The pose also gives the impression that he is a very serious
character. The finger pointing leads to suggest that he is also very
curious and wants to be the first to point something out. In addition to
this, the placement of his left hand behind his back looks like he is
warning someone to stay away, suggesting that he is a protector of
people, very brave and always the first to investigate; which makes
him the hero.

9. Medium Long Shot
This medium long shot shows two characters
celebrating over what might be a wedding or party.
The clothing they are wearing makes them appear
very formal, but the setting and their actions prove
other wise as the street they are in looks quite run
down and not an area richer people might live, which
suggests they are ordinary people that are simply just
dressing up for an event. The way they are standing
makes them look like fun people to be around, as
they look welcoming and friendly. The man on the
right is older and looks happy, suggesting that his age
makes him more vulnerable and open to attack but
keeps that away by making friends with everyone.
The person on the right could also be vulnerable,
looking at the way she is leaning on the man maybe
she doesn’t like to be alone. Overall this shot conveys
everybody to be similar in most aspects, in wealth
and in general personality.

10. Balance/imbalance
Balance is a compositional technique that
allows images within a frame to come together
so that everything stands out the same, in this
photo three parts of it grab attention equally
because they are al big focus points for
example the wall with the sun dial fits in with the
sea because of the size and angle its shown at
and also fits in equally with the sky, almost like
they are split into thirds. The clouds in the sky
give something extra to look at without making it
too empty or too much to look at. This photo is
more dynamic because the main object, the sun
dial is off centre. There are two main techniques
to balancing, formal and informal. Formal
focuses more on symmetry, where as informal
requires more attention because it is less
obvious to spot.

11. Informal
Balance
Formal
Balance

12. Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is used to separate a into thirds
that are in horizontal and vertical, by using a 3x3
grid. This helps balance the shot by allowing people
to get people or objects in certain positions in the
frame and using the grid lines as a guideline to
where they can go. For example in the two photos
the main objects have been positioned on the grid
so they are perfectly in the middle of one of the
lines. This way the main object doesn’t completely
dominate the shot.

13. Static Composition
Static composition is when the
majority of the lines are horizontal or
vertical, because they are seen as
calm and soothing. Notice how in
this picture the main character in the
shot is at the back and perfectly in
the top middle of the frame, this
adds symmetry to the shot and
intensifies it.

14. Dynamic Composition
Often people will want make the scene
more dynamic so will move the
camera around, in motions like pan,
zoom, tracking, tilting and using a dolly
crane to make the scene better.
Dynamic composition is also when
something in the frame is not balanced
out of line, like the diagonal lines in the
picture looking out of place because
the camera is placed at a high angle
and slightly tilted.

15. Lead Space
Lead space is commonly used when an object
or person is moving, it shows that the space in
front of the person or object is soon going to
be filled. It also allows the viewers to partially
see what is happening beyond whatever is in
shot, because nobody is interested in what is
behind the character so they want to know
what might happen in front of them. An
example of this would be in football game,
were a player passes the ball up field and the
shot shows the player and the space in front of
him where the ball is going, and who it might
be going to.

16. Off Screen Space
Off screen space is where a character or
characters look or gesture towards something
that is not in shot because it is either behind or to
the side of the camera. This use of space gives
the audience the feeling that what they seeing
isn’t the whole picture, it leaves people wanting to
know what is happening in that space they cant
see, which is why directors use it because it
builds tension in the viewers because they fear
the unknown and feel as if they are missing out
on key moments in the film.

17. Dolly Crane
Dolly Cranes offer a wide variety of shot types and
angles. They also support different types of cameras,
depending on which model crane you have. Each
crane has a counter weight, which keeps the camera
steady and means that different angles can be
explored easily. For example in the picture below we
see the camera at a very low angle and hovering just
above the surface of the water, this is because the
dolly crane allows you to get difficult shots easier
with less risk of damaging the camera
Dolly cranes help get to high and low
angles quickly, but can also be used to
pan around and other steady camera
movement.

18. Zoom/Reverse Zoom
This shot technique is difficult to perfect. This is
where the main object or character gets
zoomed in on, and the background appears to
drop away or zoom out in the opposite
direction. In this shot from Jaws, it is done to
make the character look isolated and lonely
when the shark attacks, by making the
character appear lost in the scene. This
technique is commonly used when something
unexpected happens or when somebody sees
something that shocks them.

19. Steadicam – Hand held
A steady cam that is hand held a more even shot,
where you constantly on the same level as the people
in shot. This camera allows the cameraman to move
around freely while still getting his shots. For example
in a football match, you will often get cameramen on
the side lines with this equipment because it gives
the viewers at home the opportunity to see the action
up close and as if you are really there.
They can also be used for close ups, over the
shoulder shots, long shots, medium shots and
establishing shots. This piece of equipment can be
used for a variety of shots.