Films are made up of sequences. Sequences are made up of scenes. And scenes are made up of shots. But we must understand the characteristics and storytelling value of each shot.
Don't be a... In this video, we'll begin with the big picture and work our way down. We're going to define the essential shot sizes in a filmmaker's toolbox and how to use the right shot at the right time to create memorable moments on screen. This is episode 1 of The Shot List.
Shot Size Shot choices help establish the rhythm, tone and meaning of a scene. Knowing which shot will be the most aesthetically and dramatically valuable for a given scene should be the highest priority for both a director and a DP. In this video, we'll be examining essential shot sizes. As we go, we'll populate a shot list in StudioBinder as a sort of cheat sheet the next time you need to create one.
Now, let's get to the shots. The most common visual element to open a scene or even an entire film is the establishing shot. It is It is typically wide enough to establish the geography, time of day, show the scale of subjects in relation to their environment and is often used to transition between scenes. With genres like science fiction, where entirely new worlds need to be introduced, the establishing shot is crucial.
Blade Runner 2049 opens with a series of establishing shots. We get the first impressions of near future Earth with industrial and futuristic farms outside the city. So remember, an establishing shot is a crucial introductory component of any scene.
It can mark a transition to a new location. or introduce crucial details about the location or world. The establishing shot is often followed up with the master shot or simply the master.
Like the establishing shot, a master shot confirms the location and geography of the scene. It also clarifies which characters are in the scene and where they are in relationship to each other."-Go on, sit down. Go ahead. Talk to each other." Sit down. Hey, Mr. Einstein. Here, we see a master from The Godfather Part II framing the Corleone family around a dinner table.
Hey, Sally, get in here. The majority of this scene is played in the master to emphasize the family's close... and a close-knit relationship."-Your country ain't your blood, you remember that. I don't feel that way."Until Michael dropped some devastating news."-Well, if you don't feel like that, why don't you just quit college and go to join the army? I did. I enlisted in the Marines. Michael, why didn't you come to us? What do you mean? I mean, Pop had to pull a lot of strings to get your deferment. I didn't ask for it. I didn't ask for a deferment. I didn't want it. But it also helps make Michael split from the family visual from this to this. And we feel the emptiness around him that much more. Remember, The master captures the scene playing out in its entirety providing the editor with something to cut out to if necessary. Moving on. Wideshot WS."-Let me tell you about my book."The wide shot positions subjects far from the camera to visually... represent their relationship to their environment. This is distinct from the establishing shot which is about location. The wide shot is principally concerned with the scale of the subject."-I'm finished."It can be used when you need to make subjects appear lost, lonely or overwhelmed or comment on a subject's relationship to their environment. In this wide shot from Phantom Thread, we can see the characters Alma and Reynolds dwarfed by a messy ballroom. Paul Thomas Anderson could have ended the scene with close-ups to capture their characters emotions. But by ending with a wide shot here, we can consider Alma and Reynolds together, yet isolated from the world around them. Use it when you need to establish the spatial relationships of the subjects. Make statements using distance, depth or size. Our next subject, full shot. When a subject's entire body reaches from the top to the bottom edges of the frame, the shot is defined as full. With a full shot, it's not necessary to put the subject in the center of the frame, but notice how often this is the case. You can see that Pierre did truly... This example is effective because it is tight enough to tell a story with the character's face, but wide enough to further the story by observing her entire body, posture and wardrobe. So remember, Full is composed head to toe and you can use them when you need to make statements about a subject's physicality and present a character in all their glory. Moving on. Medium Full Shot. Cowboy. The medium full shot is arranged from the top of the subject's head to just below their waist. It is sometimes referred to as a cowboy shot based on the height of gun holsters. Here we can see complementary angles from The Favorite composed in medium fulls. The cowboy angle on the character Lady Sarah is particularly strong and confrontational. This isn't a Western and features no holsters but it's hard not to think of cowboys when firearms are deployed like this. Use it when you need to present a subject as confident, dangerous or confrontational especially when weapons might be drawn. Moving on. Medium shot MS. Perhaps the most popular shot size in all of cinema is the medium shot. But why? Because it's more of a neutral shot. Neither dramatic like a close-up or distancing like a wide shot. It captures the subject in a size similar to how we interact with people. "-Will you hold still? "The typical composition of a medium shot starts above the waist but below the chest and ends just above the head. Shot sizes deployed in animated films function under the same compositional rules."-Oh!
"-Hello."Let's look at an example to better illustrate this."-Ah! In this scene from Coco, Miguel watches a film starring his idol. The medium shot composition accommodates quite a bit. The props from Miguel's shrine, the detail on the TV screen and Miguel's reactions to it. It's an intimate moment as we observe Miguel's joy along with the objects of his affection in a single frame."-Follow my heart. You know that feeling? So remember, the typical composition of a medium shot starts above the waist but below the chest and ends just above the head. Use it when you need to dig into a subject's eyes without losing their physicality or environment.
Or utilize a true middle ground approach that is neither jarring nor especially dramatic. Our next subject, medium close-up shot, MCU. When a shot frames a subject from mid chest to just above their head, it is referred to as a medium close-up.
Medium close-ups are about reducing distraction and prioritizing story and character details."-Why don't you start right now and get the fuck out of here?"Use it when you need to get intimate with a subject without losing their physicality."-Perhaps I treated you too harshly."Here the villainous Thanos snaps his fingers during the climactic moments of Avengers Endgame. With this shot size, we have room for the infinity gauntlet. And Thanos'look of cruel satisfaction in thinking he has won.
But when he fails, this medium close-up is designed to also capture his reaction. Remember, a medium close-up is roughly head to chest. Are you ready for it?
It's the close-up. See you. Here's Johnny! Of course, the most powerful visual weapon for highlighting a change in emotion or dramatic beat on screen. Close-ups are most often arranged at eye level.
Better to dig into the windows of a soul. In this shot size, we have a front row seat for a character's thoughts and feelings. Who is it? Will you help me? Yes, anything.
The close-up is about empathy and illustrates how dramatically effective it can be in a time of decision or anxiety. Our final category. Extreme close-up shot. ECU.
An extreme close-up or ECU frames the subject to isolate a specific area. This could be lips, ears or nose. But the eyes are typically the focus. Like here in Kill Bill Volume 1. As the bride is swarmed by the crazy 88, we cut back and forth between their entry points and her frantic eyes. When the function of a specific prop or an intimate detail is necessary, filmmakers will often rely on the insert shot.
Inserts are most commonly used to highlight and isolate something crucial to the narrative. So remember, an extreme close-up or an insert shot is one of the greatest tools for emphasis. It is the most intimate, dramatic and potentially startling of all shot sizes.
So, this is our shot list made in StudioBinder so far. It has all of the most common shot sizes you can reference the next time you need to create a shot list. You can find a link to the full shot list in the description.
If you're looking for shot listing software to automate the process, check the description for a link to StudioBinder. It's free to get started. In the next episode of this series, we'll explore framing and composition.
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