Camera shots

extreme long shot

This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action



long shot

includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges



mid shot

Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action.



close up

his shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background.



extreme close up

An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever.