extreme long shot (ELS)

Framing landscapes. Human figure is barely visible

long shot (LS)

A shot that shows a character at a distance, spanning their whole height but leaving an area above and below them This focuses the audience’s attention on the character and their surroundings

medium shot (MS)

Also known as a mid shot, this shows a character from the knees or waist up or a full length seated figure. Most effective for showing the interplay between two characters and bridging the gap between a long or wide shot and a close-up

close-up (CU)

Used to show extreme detail or facial expressions. A character is framed from just beneath the shoulders with space left above the head. This shot is effective for showing an audience a character’s emotions and reactions because it focuses their concentration on only one thing on the screen

extreme close-up (ECU)

This shows only part of the head, the area from the lips to the eyes, and is often used for highly emotional shots to increase dramatic effect

over-the-shoulder shot

A shot made from over-the-shoulder of a character, focusing on what he or she is seeing

point-of-view (POV)

A shot seen from the character’s point of view

two shot

A shot with two characters in it