Long Shot Frames

Extreme Long Shot

A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape, or crowd of people will fill the screen. Usually the first or last shots of a sequence, that can also function as establishing shots.. The following examples of framing well illustrate the range of uses for this particular shot scale.

These two extreme long shots are also establishing shots. However, their primary function is different. Whereas the director give us a standard establishing shot that introduces the locale where the main characters are about to meet, while the two shots above have similar sizes, some extreme long shots can be significantly larger, particularly if shot from the air with the help of cranes or helicopters. This kind of extreme long shot is also called bird's eye view shot, since it gives an aerial perspective of the scene

Medium Long Shot

Framing such than an object four or five feet high would fill most of the screen vertically. Also called plain américain, given its recurrence in the Western genre, where it was important to keep a cowboy's weapon in the image.

Long Shot

A framing in which the scale of the object shown is small; a standing human figure would appear nearly the height of the screen. It makes for a relatively stable shot that can accomodate movement without reframing. It is therefore commonly used in genres where a full body action is to be seen.