Types of Camera Shots

Instructions

This is a short introduction to common camera shots used in filmmaking. It explains how different shot types affect what the audience sees, what they focus on, and how they interpret a scene. The walkthrough covers a balanced mix of shot sizes, angles, framing choices, perspectives, and focus techniques. Each shot type includes its name, common abbreviation, and a brief explanation of how it is used in film. The goal is to show that camera shots are not just technical choices, but storytelling tools that can create emotion, show relationships, build tension, establish setting, or guide the viewer’s attention. Here are all the ones included in the studio: 1 Establishing Shot EST / EWS often Shows where the scene takes place. Helps the audience understand location, scale, mood, and context. 2 Wide Shot / Long Shot WS / LS Shows the full subject and surroundings. Good for action, movement, and showing how a character fits into the space. 3 Medium Shot MS A natural “conversation” shot. Shows body language while still keeping us close enough to read the character. 4 Close-Up CU Focuses on emotion, reaction, and important details in the face. Makes a moment feel more intimate or intense. 5 Extreme Close-Up ECU Shows one tiny detail, like an eye, hand, mouth, object, or clue. Creates tension, importance, or obsession. 6 Two Shot 2-shot / TS Frames two people together. Shows relationship, distance, chemistry, conflict, or teamwork in one image. 7 Over-the-Shoulder Shot OTS Often used in dialogue. Places us near one character while watching another, making the conversation feel connected and spatially clear. 8 Point-of-View Shot POV Shows what a character sees. Makes the audience feel inside their experience, suspicion, fear, curiosity, or discovery. 9 Low Angle Shot LA Camera looks up at the subject. Can make someone feel powerful, heroic, threatening, or dominant. 10 High Angle Shot HA Camera looks down at the subject. Can make someone feel small, vulnerable, trapped, or less powerful. 11 Dutch Angle / Dutch Tilt Dutch Tilts the camera sideways. Makes the world feel unstable, tense, strange, or psychologically off-balance. 12 Shallow Focus Shallow DOF Keeps one subject sharp while the background/foreground blurs. Directs attention and can make a moment feel intimate or isolated. 13 Tracking Shot Tracking / TRK Camera moves with the subject. Adds energy, flow, immersion, and lets the audience travel through the scene with the character. Of course, these are just a few of the many different types of shots used in movies.