Name
Description
Establishing Shot
Shot establishing the location,
time, concept or relationship of the
characters or story.
High Angle Shot
Shot depicting the subject as seen
from above, but not directly above.
Low Angle Shot
Shot depicting the subject as seen
from below, but not directly below
Master Shot
Shot of the entire scene, start to
finish, showing all the characters,
and used to fill gaps in editing
Over-the-Shoulder
Shot
Shot depicting one subject over
the shoulder of another.
Two-Shot
A shot that encompasses two
characters; they do not need to be
directly next to one another
Example
Name
Description
Example
Trunk Shot
Shot from the trunk of a car
Point of View Shot
(POV)
A subject seen from the point of view of one of the characters;
usually shows the character, then what they’re looking at
Reaction Shot
A shot that shows a character’s reaction to something that just
happened
Forced Perspective Technique that makes things
look taller or farther than they
really are
Freeze Frame
Shot when one shot is printed several times in order to make an
interesting illusion of a still photograph
Long Take
An uninterrupted shot which lasts much longer than the
conventional editing pace. It can involve movement and several
characters, but the shot is never broken.
Crane Shot
Shot that begins eye level with the subject, then the camera
moves up and away (accomplished by using a crane)
Track-Back-Zoom-In Shot where the camera moves back while zooming in, used to
Shot
unsettle the viewer
Tracking Shot
The camera moves forwards or backwards on a dolly or with
the camera operator
Zoom Shots
The camera lens moves in or out, but the camera itself does
not move (similar to tracking, but has a flattening effect)
Panning
The camera moves left or right on it’s axis
Whip Pan
The camera moves left or right on it’s axis so fast that a blur is
created
Rack Focus
The lens changes focus from something in the foreground to
something in the background or vice-versa
Name
Description
Example
Tilting
The camera moves up and down on it’s axis
Walk and Talk
Characters are walking and talking (possibly being joined by
other characters), while the camera moves backwards as they
walk.
180-Degree Rule
When the shots are edited, each shot should be facing one
another, never breaking 180 degrees; ensures the viewer
understands the connection between the two shots.
Shot Reverse Shot
The characters are shot in a mirror image of one another,
ensuring a fluid conversation