09/08/2026
Every shot in a good film or TV show either tells a story itself or helps to tell the story.
When telling your story, we think through what the shot tells us, the information we want to show, and the connection with the viewer. Take a look at these and imagine how each might be used to tell your businesses story.
Today let's look at:
1. Wide Shot
2. Medium shot
3. Close up
4. Insert
5. Establishing shot
1. Take a look at the first frame from When Harry Met Sally. This is a Wide shot depicting head to toe with a little room around them to show their environment. Great for showing movement and action without being too far separated from the characters.
2. This medium shot from Se7en allows you to see more emotion and have more connection to Brad Pitt's character. Typically a waist up framing.
3. The close up. The character dominates the frame and you really get to see/feel/understand what is happening to them or what they are doing. Ed Norton's character from Fight Club is really showing his thoughts toward the workplace.
4. Insert shots help to tell the story of what is happening in a scene. It could be a shot of what a person is looking at, or what their hands are doing, or a shot of something being discussed between two characters. Maximus returns home in Gladiator and we get to see what he is feeling.
5. Establishing shot - just what it sounds like. This type of shot establishes a location and sometimes how a character fits into that location. Usually it's an extreme wide shot or drone shot, but not always. This shot from No Country For Old Men helps establish the location, time, and desolation of the scene.