Typical Camera Shots in Documentaries

Extreme Long Shot• An extreme long shot will often be used at the very

beginning of a documentary, this is done because it immediately creates an understanding of the location to the viewer.

• However, it is not used for all documentaries, this would typically be used in documentaries that aren’t based in a studio, they are more based out in the environment in which the documentary is based.

• This shot is also sometimes named an establishing shot. And will most likely feature an outside landmark.

Long Shot• A long shot will generally show the full body of

a character, with a small amount of space above and below.

• This allows for the character to be featured in the frame, but it also doesn’t disregard any other background occurrences.

• For example, in the image above, we can see the cowboy holding a gun, but we can then also see that he is walking in a barren location, from the dried out tree and dusty ground in the background.

Medium Shot• A medium shot will normally contain a figure from

the waist upwards. • This shot will mostly be used during dialogue scenes

and/or to show action scenes.• The background of the image will often not be

relevant and slightly blurred out. The reasoning behind this is because the location of the scene will have already been portrayed earlier.

• A medium shot is also related to an Over The Shoulder shot. This is a shot taken from behind the shoulder of a figure, normally depicting another figure, character or action scene.

Close Up• A close up shot will show only a face of a

character, or a specific part of a scene. • This will also tend to blur out the background,

making the viewer feature their attention on what the film maker wants them to.

• The film maker will use this type of shot to either make the audience feel comfortable about an individual, and make them trust them. Or to make them feel uncomfortable about them, and create a form of tension and uneasiness.

Extreme Close Up• This shot is another extent to a close

up.• It normally will only frame a feature

of a characters face, such as the eyes, or the mouth.

• There will be absolutely no background detail.

• This kind of shot tends to only be used to create a dramatic effect.