Shot Sizes

You need a language that speaks between you and the camera — and that's precisely what shot sizes are. They aren't simply rules learned from a textbook. They are tools that determine how close your viewer is to a person or a situation, and therefore, what they feel.

Start with the Long Shot — the establishing shot. You see the entire person from head to toe, usually with their surroundings. This creates context, orienting the viewer spatially. But emotional closeness? Forget it. The Long Shot is objective, documentary. In a car chase through a city, you need it to show where the action is happening. The Medium Long Shot pulls back — you still see the torso and legs, but the space is less dominant. It works well for dialogue in motion, for scenes where the person and the environment are equally important. The American Shot (or Medium Shot) cuts around hip height — classic for two-person conversations. This is your workhorse on set because it creates closeness without becoming too intimate.

Then it gets tight: the Close-Up shows the head and shoulders. This is psychological space. The viewer feels the tension in a face, the doubt in the eyes. You need this in drama — not constantly, but in moments concerning internal states. The Extreme Close-Up (or ECU) goes even further: just the face, sometimes just the eyes. This is intimate and intense. Cinematographers often fear Extreme Close-Ups because every flaw becomes visible — but if your actor is good and the lighting is right, they create the strongest emotional moments.

Practically speaking: Don't think in numbers or classifications. Ask yourself: How close should the viewer be to this information, this emotion, this moment? A Long Shot creates distance and overview. An Extreme Close-Up creates identification and intensity. You juggle these sizes within a scene — the script and the rhythm determine when you switch. A cut from a Medium Long Shot to an Extreme Close-Up on a crucial line? That's editing craft that carries meaning.