Five Basic Shots for Beginning Filmmakers

After watching a one or two-hour film, you are left wondering what made you stick for that long to watch pictures? You may think that the piece of art was achieved by just picking up a camera, taking a shot or pressing start and stop on the record button. You are wrong. Filming needs art and techniques.

If you are wondering the type of skills need to begin filming, you are at the right place since we are here to give you detailed information on the types of shots and how to have fun with 5 basic shots in a film.

Establishing shot

As a filmmaker, you have to show your viewers the setting and context of your film. A wide shot showing a city, a house before going closer into the action will create a visual introduction to the eye watching.

Viewers can identify the set of your film from your establishing shot. A shot showing a hospital will create an environment and even characters before the film emphasizes details on what’s going on.

Although you can use many shots as establishers, we recommend an extreme wide shot for the purpose since it gives more information compared to others. Make sure to apply camera movements such as pan to create the mood and spectacle.

A still shot that may seem boring to the eye. Have in mind that this shot will attract or chase away your audience since it introduces your film!

Medium shot

A frame showing a character’s waist upwards is standard in many films. You require the skill of applying this type of shot. You can decide to show background details or not by regulating the depth of focus. You have to consider the kind of actions in the background how it relates to the subject to decide.

We need this shot since it creates a close relationship with the audience as if they are talking to the character on the screen. Usually, medium shots are still, and they interchange depending on the number of characters on set. Use this shot mostly in dialogues and scenes with fewer actions.

Close up shots

The need to show more details on the characters or actions performed should be in your mind when filming. Close-ups give details of what’s happening. When an antagonist and a protagonist meet, you need to show their facial expressions and emotions before at each other.

Be sure of why you need this shot, the type of mood needed and how it influences your audience. As a beginning filmmaker, we suggest you use close-up shots to show reactions and results of an action such as a bullet hole on a face to make the audience believe and be emotionally attached to the film.

Point of View

Sometimes the camera plays the role of a character’s eyes. When shooting a vigorous action scene, you need to break the monotony of showing an action and a character in the frame. A camera can be used to show what a character is looking at or doing.

This shot enables you to show details of an action and create emotions and anticipation to the audience. There is also a smooth connection between the character and the action. Make sure that the camera movement compliments what the character’s movement to enhance continuity.

Cutaway shot

You need this shot since it helps you to draw the audience to your film as it breaks down the monotony of watching a character for too long. You may also need to get rid of unwanted scenes in your film, a cutaway shot will help to conceal by placing action in between the dialogue scene.

A cutaway shot enables the story to flow and brings realism to the film. Imagine watching an actor or actress speak for two minutes in a single shot? it is going to be boring. But by showing the listener’s shot, your audience will stay glued since there is visual diversity displayed.

There are other several shots that are required to make the film interesting. But the mentioned shots are very vital when beginning your film career. Take time to learn them and how to have fun with 5 basic shots in film and make a film worth watching!

Remember film is a visual way of talking with your audience hence the need to specialize, understand and apply the necessary filming skills.