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TYPES OF SHOT
LONG TAKE SHOT
A long take shot is a shot that lasts longer than the average editing pace of the film. Significant camera movement and elaborate editing are elements that are often used in long takes. The shot can be filmed in one continuous take, or recorded in multiple sections and edited seamlessly together to create the illusion that the shot is continuous.
The opening scene of Spectre is a 4 minute long take. The scene appears to be one continuous shot, but is made up of 6 different takes edited seamlessly together. This long take also uses visual effects to blend the takes together.
The second cut is disguised by the hotel poster, when James walks into the hotel and the camera pans to the sign. A new cut begins when the camera turns away from the poster to James in the lift. The shot of James in the lift is a Steadicam shot. This shot ends with people walking past the camera in the hotel corridor. During them walking past, the new shot begins.
Spectre's cinematographer, Hoyte Van Hoytema explained the use of the long take shot in the film in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He said that the shot is a "very visceral way for the audience to be sucked into the film".
In the 4th episode of season 3 of Daredevil, there is an 11 minute long take that includes 3 fights, a discussion and a prison escape. The whole scene was shot in one take, needing no editing to stitch the scenes together. The scene was rehearsed extensively and included parts where a cut could be placed if needed.
During the take, actors had to be seamlessly switched with stunt doubles. An example of this is when the stunt double for Charlie Cox falls behind the doctors chair. Charlie Cox was already behind the chair, reemerging when the double fell. In an interview with Digital Spy when promoting the third season of the show, Charlie Cox said that the crew did not believe that the whole scene could be shot in one take, saying "I didn't think we were going to one take that was good enough" and that "I thought we were going to have to piece it together in the cut".
Some cinematographers often use long takes in their films. Emmanuel Lubezki uses long takes in his films. Examples of this is the opening scene of The Revenant and the long takes that make up most of the cinematography in Birdman and Gravity.
SEQUENCE SHOT
A sequence shot is long take that takes up a whole scene. This shot may contain sophisticated camera movement. The use of this shot allows for realistic and dramatic background and middle ground activity. When the actors move around the set, the camera shifts focus from one plane of depth to another and back again. Martin Scorsese uses sequence shots in his films such as Goodfellas and The Wolf Of Wall Street.
TRACKING SHOT
A tracking shot is a shot where the camera follows backwards, forwards or moves alongside the subject being filmed. The camera can sometimes be placed on rails or a gimbal to keep the camera still. Some cinematographers also use the camera handheld, to produce a more natural and guerrilla look, depending on the type of scene being filmed. Tracking shots are typically used to film something such as a vehicle or and actors that would otherwise leave the frame. The idea of a tracking shot is that the camera moves parallel to its subject.
Tracking shots are used as they can immerse the audience in the scene. They make the scene feel more natural as a minimal amount of cuts are used.
CLOSE UP SHOT
Close up shots are used to show extreme details of a persons face and convey and display their emotions. Close ups are also used to distinguish and introduce main characters. Main characters are often given close up shots to convey their importance to the story. If close up shots are over-used, it may make it difficult for the audience to know what they are seeing.
The final scene of Blade Runner includes a number of close ups of the two characters. These are used to convey the emotions of the characters in the scene and to add dramatic effect to the dialogue.
Close up shots can also be used for a dramatic zoom. Directors like Quentin Tarantino use zooms to close ups to add dramatic effect and replicate the style used by filmmakers in the past.
This zoom is used when the audience is first introduced to the character Calvin Candie. This zoom establishes Calvin Candie as a main character in the film and establishes his personality.
This zoom has also been used to replicate the style of past western filmmakers such as Sergio Leone. The dramatic zoom is reminiscent of a close up from a spaghetti western.
HANDHELD SHOT
A hand-held shot is a shot where the camera is in the camera operators hands, instead of being mounted on a tripod or base. The use results in shaky, unsteady footage. These can be edited and stabilized if wanted, but create a raw and more natural looking shot if left unedited. Directors such as Paul Greengrass and Christopher Nolan use the hand held shot in their films.
Paul Greengrass used handheld shots when filming some of the scenes in Captain Phillips. These camera movements add tension to the scene, and convey the anxiety the characters are feeling within the scene.
Christopher Nolan uses handheld shots similar to Paul Greengrass. The handheld camera creates anxiety and makes the scene of the solders being shot at more tense. If the camera was still, the scene would not feel as natural and anxiety-inducing.
POV SHOT
A point of view shot shows what a character is looking at. It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot of the characters reaction. The purpose of the shot is to give a psychological feel of what the character is going through.
LOW ANGLE SHOT
A low angle shot is a camera angle where the camera is below the eye-line, looking up. The effect of the low angle shot is to make the character look strong and powerful.
FULL SHOT
A full shot can capture a characters full appearance. The character is positioned so their whole body is in the shot.
EXTREME CLOSE UP
ONE SHOT
A single shot is when only one subject is being captured.
TWO SHOT
A double shot is when two subjects are being captured.
THREE SHOT
A triple shot is when three subjects are being captured.
OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT
Extreme close ups can be used to convey emotion or to emphasise something. They can also be used for dramatic effect.
An over the shoulder shot can be used during conversations scenes. It emulates perspective and makes the conversation between the two characters feel more natural.
GROUND LEVEL SHOT
A ground level shot is when the camera's height is ground level with the subject that is being filmed.
DUTCH ANGLE SHOT
A dutch angle shot is when the camera is tilted at an angle. It is use to create tension and uneasiness within a scene. Dutch angles are usually a static shot, but can tilt, rotate or move.
COWBOY SHOT
A cowboy shot is when the subject being filmed is shot from the mid-thigh up. It is called a cowboy shot because it is used in westerns to frame a cowboys gun on their hip.
MEDIUM SHOT
The medium shot is similar to the cowboy shot, but is framed from the waist up. It emphasizes the subject and keeps the surroundings visible.
ESTABLISHING SHOT
An establishing shot is used to establish the context for a scene by showing the relationship between the characters and the setting. They can be used to pace a scene and to show details that wouldn't be shown by other shots.
SOURCES:
Giardina, C. (2015). How 'Spectre's' Opening Scene Pulled Off the 'Birdman' Effect. [online] The Hollywood Reporter. Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/how-spectres-opening-scene-pulled-836200.
StudioBinder. (2018). Ultimate Guide to Camera Shots [50+ Types of Shots and Angles in Film]. [online] Available at: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-camera-shots/ [Accessed 23 May 2019].
Spectre (2015) Film.
Directed by Sam Mendes. USA, UK, EON Productions.
Daredevil (2018) TV.
Directed by Alex Garcia Lopez. USA, Marvel Television.
Birdman or (The unexpected virtue of Ignorance) (2014) Film.
Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu. USA, Regency Enterprises.
Gravity (2013) Film.
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. USA, UK, Heyday Films.
Goodfellas (1990) Film.
Directed by Martin Scorsese. USA, Warner Bros.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Film.
Directed by Martin Scorsese. USA, Red Granite Productions.
Pulp Fiction (1994) Film.
Directed by Quentin Tarantino. USA, A Band Apart.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) Film.
Directed by Martin McDonagh. USA, UK, Fox Searchlight.
Baby Driver (2017) Film.
Directed by Edgar Wright. USA, UK, Media Rights Capital.
Blade Runner (1982) Film.
Directed by Ridley Scott. USA, China, The Ladd Company.
Django: Unchained (2012) Film.
Directed by Quentin Tarantino. USA, A Band Apart.
Captain Phillips (2013) Film.
Directed by Paul Greengrass. USA, Scott Rudin Productions.
Dunkirk (2017) Film.
Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA, UK, France, Netherlands, Syncopy inc.
Reservoir Dogs (1992) Film.
Directed by Quentin Tarantino. USA, PolyGram Filmed.
The Amazing Spiderman (2012) Film.
Directed by Marc Webb. USA, Colombia Pictures.
Mission Impossible 3 (2006) Film.
Directed by J.J Abrams. USA, Cruise/ Wagner Productions.
The Matrix (1999) Film.
Directed by The Wachowskis. USA, Australia, Warner Bros.
Inglorious Basterds (2009) Film.
Directed by Quentin Tarantino. USA, Germany, A Band Apart.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Film.
Directed by Irvin Kershner. USA, Lucasfilm.
Thor (2011) Film.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh. USA, Marvel Studios.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Film.
Directed by James Gunn. USA, Marvel Studios.
XMEN: First Class (2011) Film.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn. USA, Marvel Entertainment.
The Good, The bad and The Ugly (1966) Film.
Directed by Sergio Leone. Italy, Produzioni Europee Associate.
Iron Man (2008) Film.
Directed by Jon Favreau. USA, Marvel Studios.
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Film.
Directed by George Lucas. USA, Lucasfilm.
HEAT (1995) Film.
Directed by Michael Mann. USA, Regency Enterprises.
TITANIC (1997) Film.
Directed by James Cameron. USA, Paramount Pictures.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) Film.
Directed by Rian Johnson. USA, Lucasfilm.
Full Metal Jacket (1987) Film.
Directed by Stanley Kubrick. USA, UK, Harrier Films.
Inception (2010) Film.
Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA, UK, Legendary Pictures.
The Kings Speech (2010) Film.
Directed by Tom Hooper. UK, UK Film Council.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Film.
Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA, UK, Legendary Pictures.
The Social Network (2010) Film.
Directed by David Fincher. USA, Relativity Media.
Drive (2011) Film.
Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn. USA, Bold Films.
Jeffery, M. (2018). How Daredevil filmed THAT fight in one 11-minute take. [online] Digital Spy. Available at: https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a868790/daredevil-season-3-episode-4-prison-fight-hallway-single-take-long-shot/.
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