TYPES OF CAMERA SHOTS By Shot Size

If you don't use all of the different types of cinematic shots in film, how can you signal anything to your viewer without shot size contrast.
 

An extreme long shot (or extreme wide shot) make your subject appear small against their location.

 The long shot is the same idea make your subject appear small, but a bit closer. your subject is a person then his or her whole body will be in view — but not filling the shot. 

Full Shot (FS)

Django Unchained is also a tracking shot — meaning there is camera movement featured throughout the shot. In this particular case, the film shooting camera slowly moves (or tracks) towards Django.

So, technically, this movie shot begins in a wide shot, moves to full shot (seen below), and eventually ends in a cowboy shot 

full shots can be used to feature multiple characters in a single shot, like this full shot size example from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

Medium Wide Shot (MWS)

A medium long shot (aka medium long shot) frames the subject from roughly the knees up. It splits the difference between a full shot and a medium shot.

Cowboy Shot (CS)

A variation on this is the Cowboy Shot, which frames the subject from roughly mid-thighs up. It’s called a “cowboy shot” because it is used in Westerns to frame a gunslinger’s gun or holster on his hip.

Modern cowboy shot film examples

We could make an entire post showing you nothing but photos of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, and while initially helpful, that wouldn’t be exciting, or current.

Instead, we'll show you modern cowboy shots that are used outside of the western genre. And hopefully, inspire some ideas for your own shot lists.

Here is a cowboy shot in Pulp Fiction.

"Cowboy" shots in cinema are a great way for filmmakers to tell a story, especially when those stories deal with heroism and confident characters. 

Medium Shot (MS)

The medium shot is one of the most common camera shots. frames from roughly the waist up and through the torso. So it emphasizes more of your subject while keeping their surroundings visible. 

A medium shot can often be used as a buffer shot for dialogue scenes that have an important moment later that will be shown in a close-up shot.

Medium Close Up Shot (MCU)

The medium close-up frames your subject from roughly the chest up. So it typically favors the face, but still keeps the subject somewhat distant.

The medium close-up camera shot size keeps the characters eerily distant even during their face-to-face conversation.

Close Up (CU)

close-up shot when you want to reveal a subject’s emotions and reactions. The close-up camera shot fills your frame with a part of your subject. If your subject is a person, it is often their face. 

Of all the different types of camera shot sizes in film, a close-up is perfect for important moments. The close-up shot size is near enough to register tiny emotions, but not so close that we lose visibility.

Extreme Close Up (ECU)

An extreme close-up is the most you can fill a frame with your subject. It often shows eyes, mouths and gun triggers. In extreme close-up shots, smaller objects get great detail and are the focal point.

Here is a shot list with every shot size organized from near to wide: