Camera shots

Extreme wide shot

In the extreme wide shot, the view is so far from the subject that they aren’t even visible. The point of this shot is to show the subject's surroundings.

It is useful in scenes where the action is very spread out, like war films; an extreme wide shot can show the scale of the action. But this isn’t really a very suitable shot for a music video as there isn’t much to show of this kind of thing and I probably won’t use it.

Very wide shot

The very wide shot is much closer to the subject than an extreme wide shot, but still much further away than a wide shot. The subject is visible but only just. The emphasis is very much on placing him in his environment. This, also, is probably not one of the shots I will use as its still a little far away, though I may use it a little. As I need to be able to see him/his lip syncing most of the time, a wide shot would not be the best to use.




Wide shot

In the wide shot, the subject takes up the full frame. The subject’s feet are almost at the bottom of frame and their head is almost at the top. Obviously the subject doesn't take up the whole width and height of the frame, since this is as close as we can get without losing any part of them. I may use this shot a fair amount in our music video, but probably not as much as some of the close up shots. This is because, though it shows the whole person, be it the band, the person who is singing or anyone else, it doesn’t have the same effect in a music video that closer shots have.




Mid shot

The mid shot shows some part of the subject in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole subject. This is a shot we will perhaps use more of, as you can see a lot of the person’s upper torso, but it’s not too close that it feels uncomfortable. This is a good shot for a music video of the genre I am looking at.




Medium close-up

The medium close-up is half way between a mid shot and a close up. This shot shows the face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close. This is also a good shot for me to use, perhaps even better than just a mid shot. This is because it keeps your focus on the person singing the song, and the lip syncing that I will be doing. 




Close up

In the close-up shot, a certain feature or part of the subject takes up most of the frame. A close up of a person usually means a close up of their face. This is probably be one that I will use, as it will be beneficial for my video, seeing as I will probably be using it for lip syncing.

Extreme close up

Though an extreme close up doesn’t show you a lot, it is used often in music videos and I will probably use it for ours. It’s a shot that gives perspective and adds another point of view for the audience to look at, helping to keep the images flowing. It also helps to focus on the person ‘singing’ and draw the audience’s attention to them and what they are saying.




Cut in

A cut in is when you focus on a part of the subject in particular, like their feet or their hands and can be used purely as an edit point, or to emphasise emotion. For example, hand movements can show enthusiasm, agitation, nervousness, etc. this would perhaps be good for me, by focusing perhaps on his hands, to emphasize the words he was singing, like when someone moves their hands when they speak. It could also be used as an addition of another shot, to keep the video flowing and to keep it interesting.




Cutaway

A cutaway is a shot that's usually of something other than the current action. It could be a different subject, a close up of a different part of the subject (like a cut in), or just about anything else. I will probably use this in my music video.




Two shot

There are a few variations on this one, but the basic idea is to have a comfortable shot of two people. This is often used in interviews, or when two presenters are hosting a show. I could use it in out video though, as the band we have chosen consists of more than one person.