Cinematography: Camera angles and composition: An Open Learning Guide

A shot is the basic unit of a film and refers to one length of continuous (unedited) action.

While shooting, a shot is created when you turn the camera on (begin recording) and then turn it off. Often, a director will record multiple takes (attempts) of each shot in order to get one perfect take to be edited into the final film.

A shot can be as short as a single frame of film (1/24th second) to many minutes long -- both extremes are uncommon. Action sequences tend to use many short-duration shots to increase the sense of excitement, while dramatic scenes tend to use longer-duration shots.

The components or elements of a shot can be divided into two categories: cinematography and mis-en-scene. Cinematography is the way the shot is recorded by the camera, including such factors as lens selection, focus setting, depth-of-field, zoom, camera movements, etc. Mis-en-scene refers to everything seen or heard within the shot: the performances, lighting, the set or environment, wardrobe, etc.

A scene is action that takes place at a certain place and time in the story. If a film starts with a conversation in the kitchen and then cuts to the subway, the kitchen is one scene and the subway is another. A scene can be composed of one shot or any number of shots. When shooting, a director will often record a master shot which captures the entire scene in a single shot, and then record additional shots (e.g., close-up's, cut-ins and cut-aways) to be edited into the scene.

When a number of scenes can be considered as a unit where the action continues or progresses along each of the scenes, then it is considered a sequence.

Scene and shot are sometimes used interchangeably. This will mean that in the script, individual shots may be referred to as scenes. Production staff may refer to a single take as a shot but refer to the shot by its scene number. So don't be too confused when production staff flip back and forth when describing a scene or a shot.

As opposed to subjective, objective shots are not seen from anyone (or anything's) eyes, but rather from an 'observer's' point of view. This supposed observer is, as far as the narrative is concerned, not actually there; that is, the characters cannot see or interact with the camera. (It can therefore, for example, pass through the glass of a window without hindrance, though this would require special effects.) The majority of shots taken in film are objective.

Subjective shots are taken from someone or something's point of view. It might, for example, display what one of the characters can see. Truly subjective (rather than Point of View) shots are rarely used, as they can be disorientating or alienating to the audience, especially if a character looks at or speaks to the camera. They are, therefore, generally only used when the effect it creates is explicitly desired.

A popular device in horror films is to use subjective shots from the monster or adversary's point of view. This makes it possible to let the audience know what the monster is doing, without revealing any information about the nature of the adversary, which heightens the tension.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Movie Making Manual/Cinematography/Camera angles and composition by Wikibooks contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. This adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.