This is a dictionary of shot types and techniques used in film and video. To find out about shot or camera technique choose it from the Index below.
For most items in the dictionary you can access:
- a description of the shot
- a diagram of the shot
- a video example
First time visitors click here
- Aerial shot
- Aspect ratio
- Back lighting
- Boom
- Close Up (CU)
- Extreme Close Up (ECU)
- Medium Close Up (MCU)
- Wide Close Up (WCU)
- Composition
- Continuity
- Cover shot
- Crane shot
- Cross-cutting
- Crossing the line
- Cutaway
- Deep focus
- Depth of field
- Dolly shot
- Establishing shot
- Fill light
- Focus
- Focus pull
- Foley
- Follow shot
- Fly by wire
- High angle shot
- Key light
- Line of action
- Low angle shot
- Master shot
- Mid shot
- Mise-en-scene
- Montage
- Over the shoulder (OTS)
- Pan
- Parallel Action
- Point of View (POV)
- Piece to Camera (PTC)
- Presence
- Reaction shot
- Reverse shot
- Rule of Thirds
- Sequence shot
- Set up
- Shallow focus
- Sight line
- Soft focus
- Soundtrack
- Swish pan / Flash pan
- Take
- Three-point-lighting
- Tilt
- Tracking shot
- Transition
- Two shot
- Voice over (VO)
- Wide shot (WS)
- Zoom