Extreme Wide ShotIn an extreme wide shot, the
view is so far from the subject
that they aren't even visible to
the audience. The point of this
shot is to show the surroundings
the subject's in. The EWS is
often used as an "establishing
shot" - the first shot of a new
scene, designed to show the
audience where the action is
taking place. In an interview, a
shot like this would be used as a
cutaway if someone is talking
about the place being shown.
Very Wide Shot
A very wide shot is a lot closer to the subject than in a extreme wide shot, but still much further away than a wide shot. The subject is visible here but only just.. The emphasis is very much on placing him in the environment and making the environment visible and stand out.
Wide Shot
In a wide shot, the subject takes
up the full frame. The subjects
feet are at the bottom of the shot
and the subjects head is at the
top of the shot. The small
amount of room above and
below the subject can be
thought of as safety room — you
don't want to be cutting the top
of the head off. A shot like this
would be used if the narration
was talking about this subject.
Mid ShotA mid shot shows some part of
the subject in more detail, as its
a closer shot, whilst still showing
enough for the audience to feel
as if they were looking at the
whole subject. This is how much
you would see a person "in the
flesh if you were having a casual
conversation. A mid shot allows
room for hand gestures and a bit
of movement. This is the typical
shot used for vox pops and
interviews.
Medium Close Up
A medium close up is half way
between a mid shot and a close
up. This shot shows the face
more clearly, without making the
subject feel uncomfortable with
the closeness. This shot is also
used in interviews, with the
background suited to the person
and the topic in discussion.
Close Up
In a close up shot, a certain part
of the subject takes up most of
the frame, which is usually the
face of a person. Close-ups are
obviously useful for showing
detail and emotion. A close up
exaggerates a facial expression.
The viewer is drawn into the
subject's personal space and
shares their feelings.
Extreme Close Up
An extreme close up shows
extreme detail. It is usually a
close up of a specific feature on
someone's face. You would
normally need a specific reason
to get this close, it must imply or
back up something.
Cut In
A cut in is like a cut away but
specifically refers to showing
some part of the subject in
detail. It can be used purely as
an edit point, or to emphasise
the emotion the subjects feeling
or the emotion they want the
audience to feel.
Cut Away
A cut away is a shot that's of
something other than the current
thing being spoke about. It could
be a different subject but it has
to be related to the same topic.
The cutaway is used to help the
editing process. This would be
used when interviewing
someone, the cut away would
be something linking in with
what the interviewee is speaking
about.
Over-the-Shoulder ShotThis shot is taken from behind a
person who is looking at the
subject. The person facing the
subject should usually take up
about 1/3 of the frame. This
helps the audience get a feel of
looking at one person from the
other's point of view. It's
common to cut between these
shots during a conversation
(interviews in documentaries) to
make the interview a bit more
interesting for the audience.
Mise en sceneWhat the interviewee is wearing, their make up, props around them, the lighting and the setting is all important in an interview for a documentary. For example, we plan to interview a college counsellor called Julie Maitland for out documentary, therefore we plan for her to wear casual clothes like her everyday look, shuttle make up, and for her to be sat in her office, in her natural setting where she works. This then makes the interview look professional and not fake. Therefore making the audience more drawn to what the interviewee is saying as they trust them more as it professional.
Our DocumentaryResearching and becoming familiar with the different shot types used
and conventions for interviews makes me more aware of what we
are going to need to do when we are filming interviews for our
documentary. Doing this research has helped me understand the
different shot types, when they are used, what emotions they imply,
why they are used, which has broadened my understanding further.
The same with conventions, it has helped me get a generalised view
which I can apply to our filming. All the information I have learnt from
this task can be taken away to when we film, helping make our
documentary fit the codes and conventions, making it look
professional.