Long, Medium and Close-up Shots

Welcome back,

     Let’s jump right in! The three most basic shots that make up all film scenes are the long, medium and close-up shot.

     The long shot (or wide shot) is mainly used to give the viewer context by showing what’s going on around the subjects. For example, if you want to film a soccer match, you’d most likely want to include a few long shots that encompass the whole game, instead of following around just one player. 

     The long shot is often used to set up a location so the audience is aware of where the upcoming scene will be taking place. This is called an establishing shot. Think of all the times you’ve seen shots of the exterior of Monk’s Café from Seinfeld or the Central Perk coffee house from Friends. These are all examples of long, establishing shots.

     An extreme long shot, which can be shot from distances of over a quarter of a mile away, are used to emphasize the vastness of a region or show large-scale action scenes. One of the best examples of this is in Lord of the Rings, which is compromised of many long shots to show not only massive battles sequences, but also to show the enormity of the landscape in comparison to the size of the characters:

     Medium shots are by far the most common shots in film. While it can be difficult to distinguish between a medium shot and a close-up shot, the general rule of thumb is that a medium shot shows the full-length view of the subject. These shots are often used in simple dialogue scenes between characters and to emphasize body language.

     Here is an example (from one of the best movies of all time!) of a medium shot to help you gauge what the proper distance should be between the camera and the subject:

     Close-ups are used mainly used to express emotion during a dramatic scene. In this case, the emphasis is on the character. Close-ups can also be used to emphasize something of great importance in a scene. These shots mainly appear mere inches from the subject and are called extreme close-up shots. This is the cue to the audience that this object will be significant to the plot.

     For example, in Lord of the Rings, the camera does many extreme close-ups on the ring to bring the reader back to its importance. Here is an example of a scene from Requiem for a Dream with shots ranging from regular close-ups to extreme close-ups. Note how the emphasis is on the characters and the emotion between the two:

     If you have any questions or thoughts feel free to comment or email me at ljm7686@truman.edu. Tune in next Friday at 7 p.m. to learn all about tracking shots!