There are a variety of traditional shot types which use shot size and camera movement to achieve a practical or narrative aim in a video. These include:

Establishing shot

This is usually a wide shot (WS) or long shot (LS) which shows the location in which the action is occurring and allows the viewer to orient themselves. Not every scene needs one, but they can be useful for cutting back to, as a cutaway (see below) to cover jump cuts, change perspective or create comedic effect. The example below is from our video on the 180-degree rule and jump-cuts.

Establishing shot

Full video after the establishing shot

Two-shot and three-shot

A two-shot involves two people framed on screen together. It's a common way to introduce a conversation or journalistic interview, as it shows the spatial relationship between two people. The shot size is typically mid-shot (MS) or medium close-up (MCU). Three people together on screen is a three-shot.

Two-shot

Three-shot

Over-shoulder shot

This shot has often been used to capture a conversation and has become a cliche, although this doesn't stop it being used. As the name suggests, it's framed over the shoulder of one of the participants, with the other person's face taking up about 2/3 of the screen. It can be framed to include the back of the other person's shoulder, or just the back of their head. It establishes the spatial relationship of the speakers and gives the audience a view of the speaker which is similar to that of the listener, keeping us close to what's happening on screen. In journalistic interviews, over shoulder shots keep the interviewer on screen and add some editing options.

Over-shoulder shot

Noddy or reaction shot

Noddy or reaction shots are often used in current affairs interviews, but they can also be used when filming a scripted conversation. Their purpose is two-fold. In an interview, they show the interviewer, keeping them on screen, and they can also be used to cover cuts, so that the interview can be edited down and parts removed. In a scripted conversation they allow for the listener's reaction to be shown to the audience, and serve a specific narrative purpose.

Reaction shot

Point of view shot

A point of view shot (POV) can be any shot size. What makes it a POV is that it shows what one of the on-screen characters is looking at, imagining or remembering. In other words, it directly illustrates their point of view, allowing the audience to share this.

Point of view

Cutaway

Cutaways are used extensively in documentary that relies on interviews, but they also allow drama editors to maintain 'continuity' in a scene. In documentary, cutaways are also known as B-roll and either directly or metaphorically illustrate what's being discussed, while covering jump-cuts. In scripted video, cutaways act as buffers between two shots to cover a jump-cut or awkward cut, or add interest to the scene.

Documentary cut-away

Edited interview without a cutaway

Cut-in

A cut-in is similar to a cutaway, except that instead of showing something additional, they show a close-up of something happening in the scene or environment. In an interview, they might show someone's hands or eyes to illustrate their state of mind as well as covering cuts made to the interview. In a scripted scene they take a similar function. Cut-ins and cutaways can be POV or noddy shots, depending on how they are included in the edit.

Cut-in 1

Cut-in 2

Rack/Pull-focus

A focus pull involves the camera operator moving a short depth of field from one person or object to another, to follow the narrative.

Rack or pull-focus

Trombone/dolly zoom

A dolly zoom creates an unsettling effect where the camera dollies away from or towards a subject while at the same time the zoom is used to keep the framing on the subject the same. This creates continuous perspective distortion, manifested on screen by the size and framing of the subject staying static while the background appears to change size relative to the subject. It's most often used to indicate an emotional or mental disturbance in one or more of the characters on screen.

See an example from YouTube

Handheld

Handheld video creates a number of effects. In Hollywood, it's often used quite subtly to indicate that the shot is showing what someone is looking at, with the slight onscreen movement making the shot more organic and human. A handheld shot in a Hollywood film that doesn't correspond to a specific POV, especially if it's some distance from the subject of the shot, can indicate a predatory view, especially in horror and thriller films. Handheld can also indicate that the sequence is a home movie. In documentary, handheld camera is often a practical choice if someone is following a story in real time.

In student videos hand-held camera often looks amateur. It is particularly inappropriate for recording action where the camera stays in one place for any period of time. Do not use it for recording presentations or sequences of actions which will be viewed continuously. Under these circumstances it is almost always better to position the camera on a tripod.

Below is an example of hand-held footage from horror movie The Blair Witch Project (1999). This gives a point of view, home-movie feel to the footage.

The Blair Witch Project

Example of documentary-style handheld