A/V Production
Shot Composition:
How to Frame a Shot
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The 5 Basic Shots

Extreme Long Shot (ELS)
A shot that includes the talent and the
surroundings
 Generally used to help set the scene for the
audience
 Also known as an
Establishing Shot
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The 5 Basic Shots

Long Shot (LS)

A shot that includes the talent from head to toe
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The 5 Basic Shots

Medium Shot (MS)
A shot that includes the talent from around the
waist to the top of the head.
 News reporters are often seen reporting from an
accident or crime scene with a medium shot.
 Normally used in
dialogue scenes,
or to show some
detail of action
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The 5 Basic Shots

Close Up (CU)
A shot that includes just the head and shoulders
of the talent
 Notice in comedy shows that close ups are used
to capture the expressions of the comedians and
accentuate their craziness.
 Magnifies the object and
shows the importance

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The 5 Basic Shots

Extreme Close Up (ECU)


Full face or closer
An example of this would be in movies when they
show only a person’s mouth while they are talking
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Other Shots Designations

Bust Shot


A shot that includes the talent from the upper
chest to the top of the head
Knee Shot

Framing of a person from the knees up.
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Other Shots Designations



Two Shot –includes two people
Three Shot – includes three people
Over the Shoulder Shot ( OTS )

A shot in which the camera looks over a person’s
shoulder at another person or an object
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Shot Composition

Background



Should not distract the audience
Can add to depth, feeling, interest
Mergers
Background objects
that appear to be joined
to the people or a person
in the shot
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Shot Composition

Closure



How our imaginations fill in spaces we can't
actually see on the screen
Shot will look awkward if you don't supply enough
visual information for your viewers to project what
lies outside the frame.
Natural Cut Off Lines


Should be avoided
Shots should include the area slightly above or
below these natural body joints.
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Shot Composition
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Depth

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More appealing that flat images
Create depth by including objects in the
foreground, middle ground and the background.
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Shot Composition

Rule of Thirds



Divide the screen vertically and horizontally into 3
equal parts.
Put the subjects on these lines where they cross
By locating your main subject at one of the four
intersections you give the subject more emphasis
than if it was in the middle of the picture.
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Shot Composition

Rule of Thirds
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Shot Composition
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Rule of Thirds
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Shot Composition
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Leadroom- The space left in front of a person
looking toward the edge of the screen
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Shot Composition
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Leadroom- The space left in front of a person
looking toward the edge of the screen
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Shot Composition

Headroom

The space left between the top of the head and
the upper screen edge
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Shot Composition
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Perspectives
Objective- The camera watches
the scene. The talent acts as if
they are not in front of the camera
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Shot Composition

Perspectives

Subjective: The camera is used as the eyes of
the talent. It allows the audience to see what the
talent is seeing. (Point-of-View Shot)
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Shot Composition

Angles

High Angle - The camera is elevated above the
action using a crane to give a general overview.
High angles make the object photographed seem
smaller, and less significant
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Shot Composition

Angles

Eye Level - A fairly neutral shot; the camera is
positioned as though it is a human actually
observing a scene, so that the actors' heads are
on a level with the focus.
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Shot Composition

Angles

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Low Angle -helps give a sense of powerlessness
within the action of a scene.
Height of the dominating object helps to inspire
fear or insecurity in the viewer.
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Shot Composition

Angles
Bird’s Eye View -directly overhead; higher than a
high angle view
 This shot can put the
audience in a godlike
position, looking down
on the action.
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