~Shots Techniques~

Extreme long shot (XLS) 

XLS usually establishes the scenery and what exactly is going in in the surroundings. Of course not everything is in definition but the viewer can then see other crops and just the character but in a more dramatic way.

Medium long shot (MLS) 

This cuts off the characters legs so we can see more of his/ hers body language and ultimately shows the full subject. At this shot, we now know what is essential in the shot from what isn't so important i.e. extras and other props. we would clearly see the main attraction thanks to this type of shot.

Long shot (LS) 

This Shot exposes no more than the characters head to feet, so we can get a clearer image of what the character looks like and take in finer detail that what we wouldn't have seen in the XLS. Unlike the XLS we
can focus now on fewer things so we can get a better feel of whats going on in the actual shot.

Medium shot (MS) 

Medium shot doesn't establish the scenery but the characters. This shot is used in films for when some people (commonly two people) may be having a conversation and you want to see everyones reactions and movement. This shot cuts the character in half as well.

Medium close up (MCU) 

This focuses more on one character and we can capture more of specific facial features down to the tear. this shot is usually implemented when the scene is about to change and the character who's at the end of the scene has a certain expression i.e. he/she is happy and they show a smile. This shot mostly cuts of everything from the chest downwards. On this image we see Matt Parkman from the TV Drama Heroes. We can see his quite serious facial expression and this is why we use this shot, to get close enough.

Close up shot (CU) 

This shot is implemented as a follow up shot in the sense that to get to this shot usually in dramatic scenes, they zoom into the persons face by using this shot. Everything from the shoulders downwards is cut off. This shot can be also used if a conversation gets more interesting. You shall notice that the shots become more up and personal. A deaf person could tell things are getting serious just from the shots and how certain shots are implemented. just like this shot.

Extreme close up (XCU) 

This is rarely used but is commonly used in thrillers and horror films to give it that dramatic effect. The main point of this shot is so we can see every fine detail on the persons face. Things we may not see from a close up shot prospective e.g. Someones upset but doesn't look like their crying in a close up shot but if we use a extreme close up shot we can then see that his/her eyes are starting to water, suggesting that's she/he is more upset than they actually are. This shot is also used when someone in a show or film is when something happens to someones pupils; they may get broader or they eye may change colour. This shot is commonly used in Manga and anime to show the seriousness of the atmosphere. The image next to the sub title is of the sharingan in the manga/anime series Naruto. As you can see the shot helps build up the tension along with the colour red in his eye. We can see his face is screwed up a bit. From this, we can tell he's angry and this current situation is tense.

Low angle (Shot type) 

This shot angle is commonly used to show someones superiority over someone else. This makes them look bigger than they actually are, suggesting that they are powerful in some way. This sis usually used in super hero comics/films/shows to show us as the viewer that the super hero is always the bigger person both physically and mentally.

Eye level (shot type) 

You could say this is similar to a close up shot because it is. the only thing that separates the two is that this one is more like a portrait and is used in more true story based films so we can capture that long term emotion that the character feels.

High angle (shot type) 

This is the contrast of low shot because unlike that shot, this shot is commonly implemented to show someones inferiority and just how weak they are in the current situation. they don't necessarily have to be up against someone but they could feel insignificant to the circumstances. In this pictures case this shot is showing us how small iron man is to the world but simultaneously showing us that he is capable of being the odd one out in the sense that he's special.

Worms eye view (shot type)

You could call this an enhanced version of the Low angle shot type because this makes the object look even bigger, as you can see on the image i provided ( img1)these flowers look inhumanly gigantic, and this is all thanks to the worms eye shot. By putting us in the 1st person prospective we feel what the
metaphorical worm would feel. It is used also when the hero of a certain movie gets a huge burst of courage. However this could portray a "bully" or someone bigger than the hero. Lucas in ant bull is a lovely way to show us how this shot can be used to make any character or place more bigger than it seems.