Types of ShotResearch

Over the Shoulder ShotAn over the shoulder shot is taken from behind a person looking at an object or other person. The shot give a feel of being involved in the story that is happening in the video or film, which engages the audience more with the film.There are four types of over the shoulder shots:

1. Wide over the shoulder shots of short focal length - makes the character in the foreground look dominant

2. Wide over the shoulder shots of longer focal length -the use of the longer focal length reduces the difference in size between the shoulder and the main subject

3. Tight over the shoulder shots - both the actors are close together and the camera is much closer to one of the actors shoulders - gives a close-up, more intimate feel.

4. Over the shoulder shots with multiple object in the background - the main subject of the shot is in the middle of the shot, whilst there is only a small amount of the actors shoulder in the view - makes the shot more intimate as it is shown through a reduced opening.

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Point of View ShotA point of view shot is a shot which shows a view from a characters perspective. It allows the audience to supposedly look through the eye of a character.

The point of view is usually achieved by three shots:

1. The character looks (this shot is sometimes withheld and is only revealed after the actual POV shot)

2. The audience sees what they are looking at

3. We see the character's reaction (however, this shot is not always used)

The camera is positioned at the side of the subject who's point of view is being shown so the audience sees the view as almost being stood side-by-side with the subject.

Pan ShotA panning shot is a movement where the camera moves left and right horizontally. It allows an object to be tracked or follow any type of movement in a film. The panning shot can also allow the transition from one camera position to another. During a panning shot, the background is usually blurred and focused on the object in the centre of the screen. However, a panning shot can also be used to pan out a surrounding area and allow the audience to see the setting.

Whilst the pan shot can be done hand held, it is recommended that a tripod is used as this will steady the shot. The recommended way to make sure a panning shot is to keep the feet still and rotate the top half of their body. The background should be kept quite dark as this will not allow ghostlike effects in the image.

Tracking ShotA tracking shot usually involves the camera being mounted onto a camera dolly and pushed along whilst a picture is taken/filmed. The tracking shot is usually used to track a subject as they move across an area. Tracking shots can be at any speed and travel in any direction; vertical, horizontal, diagonal, circular or random directions.

There are many types of tracking shots for example:

1. Camera focusing on a subject standing still -lets the action itself tell a story

2. Tracking-in shot - impression of finding something and a sense of intimacy

3. Tracking-away shot - impression of abandonment

4. Tracking shot alongside a moving object - allow the audience to have the same perspective as the subject .

There are three types of close-up shots:

1. Medium Close-Up - in this shot, the face of an actor is shown more clearly without getting extremely close to the actor

2. Close-Up - a certain part of the actor (usually the face) take up most of the frame. A close-up is usually used to empahsise an actors emotions. Close-ups are very useful for showing detail.

3. Extreme Close-Up - this is where the camera zooms right into a selected point on an actor face to show extreme and specific detail. This is only suitable when being used in a dramatic scene

A close-up shot should usually have the actor in the centre of the the frame as they are the focus of the shot, however in a medium close-up the actor can be towards the the sides of the frame as the camera is not so zoomed in on them. However, the background is usually blurred and the actor is the main focus of the shot.

Close-Up Shots 1

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