This document defines and provides examples of different types of camera shots including medium shots, over-the-shoulder shots, close ups, establishing shots, and long shots. Medium shots show part of the background and subject's facial expressions to convey body language and context. Over-the-shoulder shots imply a connection or distance between conversing subjects. Close ups focus on facial expressions to show emotions or details. Establishing shots set the scene's location. Long shots show a character and background to establish tension through an unknown element.

1. CAMERA WORK &
SHOT TYPES

2.  Medium shot; ’A shot that gives a
partial view of the background and
also show the subjects' facial
expressions in the context of their
body language’
 A medium shot is used to show
subjects from the waist up with the
background partially showing. These
shots are used extensively in horror
film production as they portray the
audience’s perception of people. This
can support the viewers
understanding of the film. For
example, in all three print-screens we
can see a characters body language,
facial expression and setting all in
one shot.
MEDIUM SHOT

3.  Over-the-shoulder shot; ‘A shot where the
camera is positioned behind one
subject's shoulder, usually during a
conversation. It implies a connection
between the speakers as opposed to the
single shot that suggests distance.’
 These shots are used to show the
relationship between two characters.
As we can see by the print-screens,
the first shows two characters
hugging, suggesting that they have
strong relationship. The second
shows two characters shaking hands,
which suggests that they are just
starting a new relationship and have
not met before and the final print
screen shows two characters with
distance between them. This
suggests that there is a tension as
they are not close together.
OVER-THE-SHOULDER

4.  Close up; ‘A certain feature or
part of the subject takes up the
whole frame.’
 A close up shot is used to show
the facial expressions of a
character. This helps us to
understand any required details
and their emotions. For
example, the third print screen
shows blood pouring down the
characters face. This shows that
he has been attacked by
something or someone. The
second print-screen shows a girl
screaming, which shows that
she is scared and feels
insecure. It can also be used to
highlight an important feature
of a scene, such as a weapon.
CLOSE UP

5.  Establishing shot; ‘A shot, at
the head of the scene, that
clearly shows the locale the
action is set in’
 An establishing shot is used to
show the location of which the
scene is taking place within
the movie. This shot is also
used to create a
representation of a certain
area. For example, an
establishing shot could be
used to show poverty within a
slum, or the wealth of a busy
city. The establishing shots
I’ve found all use the same
representation. It shows the
viewer where the scene is
taking place, and also shows
that the buildings are all very
secluded, potentially enclosed.
ESTABLISHING SHOT

6.  Long shot; ‘A shot that depicts an entire
character or object from head to foot.’
 A long shot is used to show a character
from head to toe whilst also showing a
large amount of background. They
establish the scene whilst showing a
characters body language. These can be
used to show costume of a character if it
should be noticed. It also depicts the
unknown, creating fear as you don’t know
what is about to happen. Long shots tend
to be fairly long in duration to create this
tension.
LONG SHOT