GLOSSARY OF FILM SHOTS
Boom shot. A shot taken from a crane.
Close shot. Also known as "CS". (1) Unlike the far shot, a shot in which the camera is (or thanks
to a long lens, appears to be) near the subject. (2) A shot whose field of view is slightly broader
than that of the close-up; in terms of the human figure, the head and upper chest might fill the
frame.
Close-up. A shot whose field is very narrow: in terms of the human figure, a face or hand might
fill the frame.
Establishing shot. (1) A long shot, early in a movie or scene, that shows where action takes
place. (2) Any shot that introduces a location.
Extreme close-up. Also known as "ECD", "tight close-up." A shot with a very narrow field of
view; the camera appears to be extremely close to the subject. In terms of the human figure, an
eye or mouth might fill the frame.
Extreme long shot. Also known as "ELS." A shot with a very broad field of view; the camera
appears to be extremely far from the subject. A human figure might be less than one tenth the
height of the frame.
Far shot. Unlike the close shot, a shot in which the camera is or appears to be distant from the
subject.
Freeze-frame. A sudden cessation of movement created by the continual reprinting of the same
frame.
Full shot. Also known as "FS:' A medium long shot that offers a relatively complete view of the
set and shows the human figure from head to foot.
Long shot. Also known as "LS", "far shot." A shot that gives a wide, expansive view of the
visual' field; the camera appears to be far from the subject. In terms of the human figure, a person
might be less than half the height of the frame.
Master shot. A long take, usually a full or long shot, that covers all the major action of a scene
and into which closer or more specific views usually are intercut.
Medium long shot. Also known as "MLS". A shot whose field of view is narrower than that of a
long shot but broader than that of a medium shot. See "full shot."
Medium shot. Also known as "mid-shot," "MS." (1) A shot whose field of view is midway
between those of the close shot and the far shot. (2) More precisely, a shot whose field of vies is
midway between those of the close ... up and the full shot. In terms of the human figure, a view
from head to thighs might fill the frame.
Mise-en-scéne. The atmosphere, setting, decor, and texture of shot. The way a scene has been
designed and staged for the camera.
Pan. (1) To pivot the camera horizontally, turning it from side to side. (2) Also "panning show"
and "panoramic shot." A shot within which the camera pivots on a vertical axis, turning in a
horizontal plane.
POV shot. Point-of-view shot, also known as "subjective camera." A shot in which the camera
adopts the vantage point of a character's physical eye or literal gaze, showing what the character
sees.
Reaction shot. A cutaway or reverse shot, usually a close-up or close shot, that shows how one
or mere characters react to an off screen action, usually one that has been shown in the
proceeding shot.
Reverse-angle shot. Also known as "reverse shot". (1) A shot that reversed the field of view
over a cut, as if the camera had turn 180° to rear. (2) One is a series of alternating,
complementary views (a "shot/reverse-shot" pattern) whose angles are usually separated by 120160°; often used for conversations.
Scene. (1) A dramatic action or interaction that takes place in a single location. (2) A complete
unit of action that is capable of being covered in a single shot, regardless of how many shots are
actually used to cover it. (3) The shot( s) in which a scene is presented.
Shot. A continuously exposed series of frames, beginning and ending with a cut or other
transitional device. (2) A take. (3) In animation and special effects, a series of individual or
composite frames that gives the impression of having been continuously exposed.
Superimposition. Multiple exposure; printing or shooting one image over another.
Take. (1) An unedited shot, beginning when the camera starts exposing film and ending when
the camera stops. (2) An attempt to photograph a shot: the attempt that prove satisfactory
are·approved for printing.
Track shot. Also known as "tracking shot," "trucking shot." (1) A shot taken from a camera
platform whose steel wheels ride on steel rails ("tracks"); characterized by smooth movement
along straight lines and relatively gentle curves. (2) Any shot in which the camera moves
("tracks") forward, backward, to the side, diagonally, along a curve, or across the ground; the
term excludes shots taken from a crane or plane-as well as pans, tilts, and zooms, which are not
moving-camera shots. (3) A track shot taken from a dolly; often characterized by complex
movements it would be almost impossible to layout in steel and by the absence rails on the floor.
Also know as "dolly shot."
Two-shot. A shot of two people.
Wipe. A transitional effect in which one image appears to push another off the screen (the
moving boundary between the images is the "wipe line") or in which parts of one shot are
removed while parts of the next shot appear in their place.
Zoom. To adjust the focal length of a zoom lens while the camera is running; also a shot taken
while the zoom is being adjusted. As the focal length is shortened (a "zoom out" or "backward
zoom"), the lens behaves more like a wide-angle lens, exaggerating depth relationships,
decreasing magnification, and widening the field of view so that the camera appears to move
away from the subject; as the focal length is increased (a "zoom in" or "forward zoom"), the lens
behaves more like a telephoto lens, flattening depth relationships, increasing magnification, and
narrowing the field of view so that the camera appears to move closer to the subject.