What is a shot?: A shot is the recording of one action from one particular point of view at one time. Even though the action may be repeated several times (or takes ) from that same angle or
camera position in order to get it right, as with fictional narrative shooting, it is still that one shot. If you were to change the camera angle, camera position, or lens focal length (all covered in more detail throughout the book) then the result of that recorded image would be a different shot — a different way of viewing the action — even if the exact same action from a previous camera setup is repeated and captured. Each shot, when originally recorded, will be unique.
So we will explore what the basic types of shots are and what goes into their creation. We will also see what information and meaning can be pulled out of these shots by the viewer. remember, filmmaking is simultaneously a creative and technical craft, and the extent of your success often depends upon how well you communicate your vision to your audience. It is an audience who must consume, digest, and understand your pictures; if you confuse them with bad film language or improper visual “ grammar ” then they will most likely not respond well to your work.
In order to keep things simple, we are, for the most part, going to try and use generic terms for discussion and explanation. For instance, the term “ motion picture ” will be used to represent any work, show, project, or program that is made up of individual images that, when displayed to our eyes very rapidly, appear to move. The term camera will refer to any device that can record these moving images — whether it is emulsion film, videotape, or directly to the hard drive. The terms camera person or camera operator will refer to anyone, man or woman, who operates the camera that is recording the moving images.
