Long Shot (LS)
Definition
A Long Shot (LS), also called a "wide shot" or "full shot," is a camera framing in which the subject (typically a person) is shown in full, from head to toe, within their environment. The Long Shot establishes the spatial relationship between the character and their surroundings, providing context and orientation for the audience. It is often used as an establishing shot at the beginning of a scene or as a master shot that captures the full geography of the action.
Contextual Usage
The director reviews the shot list with the DP: "I want to open the scene with a long shot that shows the character completely alone in the vast landscape. The emptiness of the environment should feel overwhelming — the character should look tiny and isolated against the scale of the world around them."
About this section
Production — or "principal photography" — is the phase in which the film or video is actually shot. It is the most visible and, typically, the most expensive phase of the entire process. Every day on ...
View all 76 terms