The Aerial Shot - An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration so long as you don't need to get too close to your actors or use location — sound with the shots. Types of shots Extreme long shot also called establishing shots. People are dots on the screen. – Almost always exteriors. 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, for example the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information. Long shot This is the most difficult to categorizes precisely, but is generally one which – shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). It corresponds to what you would expect to see on a large stage in a theater. Full shot top of the head to the feet. –
The Aerial Shot - An exciting variation of a crane shot, usually taken from a helicopter. This is often used at the beginning of a film, in order to establish setting and movement. A helicopter is like a particularly flexible sort of crane - it can go anywhere, keep up with anything, move in and out of a scene, and convey real drama and exhilaration — so long as you don't need to get too close to your actors or use location sound with the shots. Types of shots Extreme long shot – also called establishing shots. People are dots on the screen. Almost always exteriors. 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, for example the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information. Long shot – This is the most difficult to categorizes precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). It corresponds to what you would expect to see on a large stage in a theater. Full shot – top of the head to the feet.
cinematography_notes.docx