Full Shots: Place and Action

We are back with camera distances and we have now moved our camera a good bit closer into a full shot.

Full shots show the full length of the character but are close enough so that we can see their details.  Their faces are no longer dots, their arms and legs are now more than squiggly lines…well, they might still be squiggly lines if you’re still working on your anatomy, but ideally they should be looking more like arms and legs now.  Bobby-Boy’s gun is also becoming more gun-like.

Full shots are about the characters’ action and their position in the scene.  Do you need to establish that Annoying-Kid is sitting at a table waiting for dinner?  A closer shot might not get that message across, but if you pull back a bit so that we can see him at the table and the mom preparing the dinner, then bingo, the audience gets the message. But pull back too far into a wide shot and it becomes more about the room and less about Annoying-Kid and his annoying body language. Body language is key in full shots.

Full shots also allow us to see more of the characters’ interaction with their environment. It’s not just about placement as it was with wide shots, but it’s about what they are doing in said environment.  Is Hero-Chick now hiding behind a box?  Is Bobby-Boy now strolling down the pathway? These could be full shots; place and action.

Next: Guess what…yes! Bobby-Boy took a breath mint so we can move closer!  It will be medium shot time! Yippee!