SHOT SELECTIONS & CINEMATIC LINGUISTICS TO A THRIVE

Deciding which shots to implement in each sequence is attuned to the visual, psychological, emotional impact you wish to create and impart to your audience.

Different camera angles used in different scenes to convey the kind of energy you wish to create in the dynamics of your visual expositions.

The human psyche is a phenomenal experience and when you can break down how to impart visual information to a human’s experience, through the use of how you display what you convey to them, it proves a thrive and supportive tool to engaging, visual storytelling.

SHOT SELECTION CHOICES

The basic list of shots available to choose from:

This basic selection below lends itself to determining the composition and impact of your frame. The shot selection refers to the camera’s location relative to the subject and at which camera angle the shot is taken from.

It has been my experience in all projects that the variations of shot selection springboard from three basic shot selections which are:

1. Wide Shot

2. Medium Shot

3. Close Up Shot

HERE IS A LIST OF THE MOST COMMON SELECTIONS OF THE 3 BASIC SELECTIONS ACCOMPANIED BY A VISUAL FRAME FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SHOT CHOICE

Extreme Wide Shot (EWS): This shot is a good choice to show a location or environment. The establishing shot of a scenery is where most EWS are implemented. Any characters will be minuscule and blend in with the scenery due to the extreme widened perspective of this shot selection.

Wide Shot (WS): This is a similar selection to the EWS and is a good pick to place characters in your scene but is still quite wide and expanded that their motions and animations are not read with great clarity thus not a heavy focus on their movement more so than their placement. It is a hybrid of being wide enough to convey an expansive environment at the same time how the character(s) are resonating within it. The Wide Shot may also be referred to as a Long Shot (LS)
Full Shot (FS): The full shot is a tight frame that enables your audience to perceive from head to toe the entirely of the character. This is a useful shot to exemplify broad or expanded animated movement from a character in their entirety.

Medium Shot (MS): A Medium Shot is the selection of shot that frames the character from the top of the head to the their hips. This enables character acting which enables the expressions emanating from their facial expressions as well as including broad action in gesture and movement given the upper part of the torso and arms are fully able to animate.

Close Up Shot (CU): The close up shot provides an intimacy feel for the viewer as it frames the top of the head to the neck. This kind of selection can impart an important personal emotion or character trait or state of condition in terms of impact and absorption of the character.

Extreme Close Up (ECU): This shot lends itself to intensity and drama as it proves to really hone in and objectify the subjects face magnifying the eyes of the Soul.
Over the Shoulder Shot (OTS): This shot is self explanatory. It places the camera over the shoulder of the character in the foreground. Implementation of this shot selection can throw down in a Medium Shot or Close Up Shot. It is useful to keep an element of the characters head and/or shoulders which establishes and fortifies the OTS dynamic of character interactions.

Point of View Shot (POV) The POV shot selection is reflective of the characters point of view in the scene.

Reverse Shot: A reverse shot is just as it sounds. It is a complete reverse shot of the previous shot. Being aware of your screen direction is a key component in effective visual storytelling, and the reverse shot is a fun shot to embrace as it enables you to encompass both aspects of your brains hemispheres, expanding your acumen of creative prowess and keeping you mindful to the visual conveyance you are imparting.

Reaction Shot: Just as you spin the stories in your own life, the stories that are bred in visual storytelling are all based on relationship. Being able to convey and gauge a characters emotional attachment or reaction to something can prove imperative to pivotal and expositional storytelling. The use of this shot is especially useful to reveal information about a characters true motivations and intentions as it relates to their role in the story,

Insert Shot: This shot inserts itself into a scene to expose information pivotal to the plots development and/or the characters relationship to events/circumstances/people with who they are in relationship with. It is a good feel to insert this where new information is needed in a scene. See this handy link here to learn further about INSERT SHOTS.