Shooting language Basics
The starter session is to teach you the basics of operating the camera and to cover some health
and safety stuff. You really learn how to use the camera when you take it out and start trying to
shoot a drama or documentary.
When that happens you also find out about style decisions and certain ‘rules’ about creating an
imaginary 3D world- which is what a piece of moving image tries to do.
These ‘rules’ are not unbreakable, and once you have had more practice you will find that
breaking them creatively can give great and sometimes unsettling effects. But when you start
shooting you will see why they exist and why most filmmakers abide by them.
I will discuss a few of the ‘rules’ later, but right now I’m going to outline some useful terms that
will help you to plan, execute and discuss your filmmaking, both with other filmmakers and in
assessments.
Some Basic Shots:
WS- Wide Shot. eg. A landscape, a building, a street or a whole
room and everyone in it.
MW- Medium wide eg. A kitchen table and people sat round it.
Two-shot- eg. Two people in frame, often head to chest depending
how close they are to each other/ different heights etc.
OS- Over shoulder shot eg. In a conversation, you can see a bit of
one character’s shoulder and the other person’s head and
shoulders.
POV- Point of view shot eg. Imitating a character’s point of view.
MS- Mid-shot eg. A person from their head to their middle, with
some background.
MCU- Medium Close-up eg. Someone’s head and shoulders
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