Camera Shot Terms

January 2, 2023

Shots are the building blocks to film and they have a significant impact on the way the audience views the media. Popular shots include the two shot, establishing shot, aerial shot, and the long shot. For my blog, I chose a long shot. A long shot shows images in “life size” between the cinema screen and the image. In films with characters, this usually contains a full body shot from head to toe. In my picture however, there is a picture of the entrance doors of our school and both the ground and sky. Because we are far enough away to capture a good portion above and beneath the school, this is a long shot. Long shots include a great deal of background which makes it hard for everyone to focus on the same thing. These wide shots show the subject or object from a distance which emphasizes both place and location. Long shots are often used to portray action and groups of people who may not have fit in a smaller frame. Because a lot of the background is shown, the characters are often compared to how they fit in the environment they're in and what it says about them. For example, this long shot shows my school which could indicate I was a student or a teacher. There is also a certain kind of tree that is shown which could indicate what state I'm in. The clouds are also showing which imply it is a cloudy and gloomy day. The floors of the courtyard also look worn which could tell the viewer that maybe the school was older in age.