(Aspiring) Directors/Film Art Students, can you help me with Shot Distances?

Question

I need help with trying to find out if a shot is Extra Long Shot, Long Shot, Medium Long Shot, Medium Shot, Closeup and Extra Closeup. I know it's pretty basic. If it's a person with the whole scenery, it's xls; person's full body, ls; no feet, mls; up to waist, ms; chest up, mcu; face, cu; small details, xcu.

But what if it's an object and not a person, perhaps a car? What if the person's on a bike and you can't see their feet? or what if it's a mcu, but you can see the full bodies of the extras in the background?
What if it's a mls at first, but then the person moves and it becomes a ms?

How can you tell which shot distance to classify it as?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

It doesn't matter if it's not the person, the shot name describes the main character/object's position, the focal point, within the screen in the mise-en-scene. In a storyboard you describe a change in shot by just writing the first camera shot then the camera movement then the next shot. So close up slowly zooming into extreme close up of protagonist's life eye. You shouldn't worry as the storyboard is just a rough idea and it's for the director and camera man (who is ordered by the director) so you'd be in charge anymore. Soe directors don't even plan like that, they just go with the flow just following the main character. It doesn't matter if you can't see someone's feet if they are riding a bike. You could use many other things to convey that the bike is there. Bike noises, a tracking shot following the cyclist then a cut to a midshot without seeing the bike... There are so many different shots used in one scene that just showing one short shot of a person on a bike is enough to establish the character riding a bike. With a medium close up you won't be able to see full bodies of people in the background they'd be too far away and would be blurry plus the main character would take up the majority of the screen.
With you final question you've answered it initially by giving details of what each shot looks like and you have it right. You answered yourself by saying it goes from a mls at first then the person moves and it's a ms. Give details to where in the frame the person moves (Which is why storyboards are useful with arrows and images for each shot) and you will be fine. It's only a guide for the director which I'm assuming due to your knowledge would be you anyway.

Source(s):

I have been studying Media for 7 years

Answer 2

Consider the size of the subject in the frame. If the car is small as it is far away then it would be an extra long shot. If the door handle fills the frame then its an extra closeup.