1. MEDIA SHOTS
A DOCUMENT DETAILING THE TYPES OF SHOTS USED IN DOCUMENTARY
PRODUCTION AND ANALYSE IF WE WILL USE THEM IN OUR DOCUMENTARY
2. EXTREME CLOSE-UP
This is a shot used to show a
specific area of importance such as
an individual’s eyes or an object
imperial to the plot/detail of a film
or documentary in the hopes of
alienating/highlighting its
importance to the intended
audience. A sequence of cuts is
unlikely to start with an XCU but is
more likely to end with it as more
information is given through the
dialog which requires more detail
from the camera.
3. EXTREME CLOSE-UP
Due to us having to use many different branded items such as Coca Cola cans,
Hollister Jeans or IPhone it is likely we will use this shot to give extra detail as the
dialog of the documentary continues throughout our documentary. By using this
shot it will enable us to link the on-screen images to the actual dialog allowing the
audience to completely understand the information displayed in the documentary. As
for use on people I don’t believe we will use this shot type when filming people. This
is because as we aim to have a non-bias documentary we don’t need to show
emotions eg- sadness or excitement (like you would in a film). Because of this I feel
the inclusion of a shot like this which its main purpose is to aluminate these emotions
by zooming into telling features would be unnecessary.
4. CLOSE-UP
This is a shot where the person/object is
framed very tightly in the hopes of giving the
feature (eg- a person’s face) extra significance
to the audience. A close-up shot is more
widely used in cinema or documentary’s than
an XCU as it gives more detail than an XCU of
the relationship between the object and its
surroundings. Despite this a CU is still a shot
which contains little information about the
environment the subject is in and drags all the
audiences focus to the object itself. A close-up
can either be used as a still shot or zoomed in
from a long shot/mid-shot to pull the
audiences focus to this specific detail, whilst
showing their relationship to the environment.
5. CLOSE-UP
I feel a CU is more likely going to be used in our documentary than an XCU.
This is because whist it pulls focus to the object it also isn’t as dramatic as a
XCU and also gives the audience extra information about the items (eg- Coca
Cola can) environment. Also I believe this shot achieves the objective we want
by giving detail to objects whilst linking with the voice over whilst looking
more natural to the audience watching the documentary.
6. MID-SHOT
This is a shot which is zoomed further out is
than a CU and is usually used when
displaying people speaking dialect as this
shot allows an audience to have a view of
the person and more information. This shot
usually contains the individuals face, neck
and shoulders and some background is
included. This allows the shot to remain
focused on the individual intended, but at
the same time gives the audience more
information about the relationship the
individual has to their surroundings.
7. MID-SHOT
I believe this shot will be used most of all. This is because in this documentary we aim to have
onscreen hosts. This means that in much of the information the main focus will be on the
hosts. At the same time by conducting the shots of the hosts like this it means the audience
can have some focus on the backgrounds, this will be important due to some of the locations
we plan on using when conducting the shots of the onscreen hosts. This shot will also likely
be used for vox-pops as it gives a natural view of the individual giving the opinion, whilst
giving them some context as to their location which will play a key role as if will subtly hint to
the audience why this person in appropriate to ask the opinion of.
8. LONG SHOT
In the process of film making a long
shot (Wide shot/full shot) is generally
used to illustrate the relationship
between an object/person to ones
extended environment which wouldn’t
be fully covered in shots such as MS,
CU or XCU. This is because a longshot
entirely frames the object itself creating
space for other objects, individuals or
factors to take focus from the audience.
9. LONG SHOT
I believe that this shot has potential use when producing our documentary. This is because
one of the main features in our documentary is the location and continence that branded
companies/products have. Because of this and the fact we are planning on using on screen
hosts I feel that we will be able to use these shots when the location feature of our
documentary feature is created as it will allow us to share the focus between our on-screen
hosts and the location they are in. This shot can also be used when capturing establishing
footage for our documentary to use in cohesion with the dialog. An example of how we can
use this is by capturing the general public walking through Solihull High Street (A pre-
selected location). This will allow us to give context to the public, that they are customers of
the shops in the area which is a key concept we cover in the documentary content and hence
will fit in nicely with the dialog planned for the documentary.
10. ESTABLISHING/EXTREME LONG SHOT
This shot is commonly used to open
segments in the production process with the
objective of setting the scene/location. This
shot is normally used to focus on specific
environments/surroundings as it aims on
framing a large area with the main focus of
the audience being on the environment
itself, rather than being a specific feature or
person.
11. ESTABLISHING/EXTREME LONG SHOT
I feel this will be a shot much used in the production of our
magazine. This is because I feel this is the best way to introduce a
number of locations in this documentary such as Solihull or
Birmingham. Also there are a number of locations which are too
big for them to be covered by any other shot other than an XLS
such as the Bullring shopping centre which is imperative in
representing the presence that brands have over the general
public.
12. TWO SHOT
This is a shot which is used to frame 2
individuals on screen together. This shot is
used to present the functional relationship
between the 2 individuals onscreen. This
shot usually resembles a mid-shot as the
shot normally contains the chest and head
of the two individuals. This shot is usually
common in film to represent that the two
individuals being on the same team or
having the same motives. In a documentary
this shot is usually used to cater to 2 on
screen hosts.
13. TWO SHOT
I believe due to our planned documentary having 2 on-screen
hosts to present the information this shot will be predominantly
used. By using this shot it means our 2 onscreen hosts can be
captured together allowing them to exchange lines without having
to use several cuts. This is beneficial as a large number of cuts in a
documentary could make it look messy or unprofessional.
14. OVER-SHOULDER SHOT
This shot is which is framed behind an
individual’s shoulder which faces the person
directly in front of the shoulder. This shot is
usually common in film production when
representing a convocation between the 2
subjects which can is supplemented by 2 over
shoulder shots, 1 over each of the individual’s
shoulders and using cuts this creates the
presentation of a convocational style as the
focus is shifted with alternating views between
each individual. In documentary production
this shot is usually used in the presentation of
expert interviews and vox-pops. This type of
shot is usually framed 1/3 of the individuals
shoulder and 2/3’s of the frame of the
expert/interviewee where the main focus is.
15. OVER-SHOULDER SHOT
I believe that this type of shot could but will be unlikely used by our group for the expert
interviews with Ruth Sharp and Lucy Stockton in favour of the conventional method of setting
up expert interviews, with a mid-CU shot with the expert sat down looking at the interview to
the side of the static camera. I this fits with the simplistic nature of our documentary and the
fact that this shot is very often used when the documentary is personal about someone’s life
as it gives a more personal touch to the documentary, this would not fit with our
documentary. Furthermore another reason why we wouldn’t use this shot because we
wouldn’t want to detract any audience focus away from the expert which would happen if the
interviewer was visible from the over-shoulder shot.
16. POV SHOT
A point of view shot is done to represent the
view of the camera person them self. This is
used in film production and its use depends
upon the genre of the film for example in a
horror film this can be used to represent a
character terror or panic to the audience. In
a documentary this differs as this can often
be used in undercover documentaries such
as Panorama where the to get the true
extent of an issue it must be seen by the
audience through the audiences eyes (See
Panoramas coverage of Amazons
Warehouse).
17. POV SHOT
I don’t believe we will use this shot in our documentary unless we decide to
capture a simpler type of undercover footage in certain shops to capture the
amount of brands in the store with the camera representing the view of the
public to help ethicise how surrounded the average consumer is by brands
which would help highlight the issue to the target audience who are in fact all
consumers themselves and the shot would aim to reflect their own personal
shopping experiences.
