CHAPTER 7 ESSENTIALS
Every film finds its own visual language to convey character, story, and emotion. Mastering basic shots is essential for understanding filmmaking grammar and telling stories well.-
The camera can be positioned at different angles, with each angle revealing different information and helping to progress the story in a unique way.
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Good shots are aesthetically pleasing because they are well composed. You must take shot composition into account when your camera is stationary and when it is in motion.
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When you’re capturing images, you are striving for photographic continuity, and you must provide options for editing. Therefore, get plenty of coverage, and grab inserts and cutaways.
KEY TERMS
| 180-degree rule (“the line”) | Full shot | Pan |
| Close-up (CU) | Headroom | Point-of-view (POV) shot |
| Composition | High-angle shot | Profile shot |
| Continuity | Insert shot | Reverse shot |
| Cowboy | Lead room | Rule of thirds |
| Dolly shot | Long lens close-up | Three shot |
| Dutch angle | Low-angle shot | Three-quarter back shot |
| Establishing shot | Master shot | Tilt |
| Extreme close-up (ECU) | Medium close-up (MCU) | Tracking shot |
| (Big close-up [BCU]) | Medium shot (MS) | Two shot |
| Extreme wide shot | Negative space | Wide lens close-up |
| Eye-level shots | Overhead shot (bird’s eye view) | Wide shot (WS) |
| Eye room (Look room) | Over-the-shoulder (OTS) |