Middle School Media

In film, the term shot has at least two definitions, and in the early days of cinema they were clearly distinguished. The arrival of computer-based media has tended to blur the differences between the two. In the first definition (camera on/off), a shot is the interval of time from when the camera is first turned on in a scene until the stop button is pressed. This definition includes any continuous movement within the shot. In the second, less common definition (position change), the shot is the duration of time until the camera is moved to another position. Depending on how strictly it is interpreted, this definition may or may not include continuous camera movement.

 

The shot is the prime vehicle for carrying the narrative. In the visual language of photography, television and film, the shot is the smallest unit of communication. It is equivalent to a short sentence in prose. A typical Hollywood movie has between 800 and 1200 shots — or picture statements.

 

Like sentences, picture statements have subjects. The picture statement may be saying, ‘Look at these great wide open plains.’ The next shot may say, ‘Look at this man on a horse — see what he is doing.’ Picture statements are usually changed for one of two reasons: a new subject is being introduced, or something different about the same subject is going to be shown. A filmmaker or photographer can consider five variables when creating a shot: shot size, framing, focus, angle and movement.