Film Study Terminology SHOT

SHOT Shot is a single piece of film, long or short, without cuts, exposed continually.

SHOT: Character depiction Close-up. A shot of the face only. Detail shot. A more magnified shot than a close-up (an eye, a mouth). Full shot. A shot of the subject that includes the entire body and not very much else. Medium shot. A shot intermediate between a close-up and a full shot. Over-the-shoulder shot. A shot used in dialogue scenes in which the speaker is seen as well as part of the head and part of the shoulder of the listener.

SHOT: Reaction and Interaction Point of view shot. A shot showing the scene from the point of view of a character. Follow shot (tracking shot). Follows the subject as it moves. Reaction shot. A shot which cuts away from the main scene in order to show the reaction of a character to it.

SHOT: Function Insert shot. A detail shot giving specific information needed to understand the scene (ex., a letter, the face of a clock, a tell-tale physical detail). Bridging shot. A shot used to cover a jump in time or place, or other discontinuity. Stock shot. 1) A shot borrowed from the library (ex., from documentaries); 2) A common, unimaginative, typical shot.

SHOT and SCENE Scene. A series of shots or one shot taking place in a single location and dealing with a single action. Establishing shot. A long shot showing the general location of the scene which follows. Master shot (cover shot). Single shot of the entire scene taken to facilitate the assembly of the component closer shots and details. Pull-back shot. A tracking or a zoom shot which moves back to reveal the context of the scene.

SHOT: Camera position Sequence shot. A long complicated shot including complex camera movements and action. Dolly shot. A shot that uses a dolly to move a camera. Tilt shot. The camera tilts up or down, rotating around the left-right axis of the camera head. Crane shot. A panoramic shot taken from a crane.