Long Shot vs. Extreme Long Shot

Before considering utilizing the extreme long shot in your film, one must know the difference between a long shot and an extreme long shot. A long shot is where the camera shot shows the entire subject from head to toe and places that subject in relation to their surroundings. This shot has also been called a ‘wide shot’ or ‘full shot’ and is typically used to show the relationship between a character and their environment at any given point in the film.

An extreme long shot, on the other hand, is a shot that frames the character or subject from a distance and focuses primarily on their surroundings. This shot is often used as an establishing shot for location or setting, before focusing on the character or scene. It has also been called an extreme wide shot or abbreviated as an ELS.

When to Use the Extreme Long Shot

The extreme long shot is an important tool for filmmakers when you need to ground your audience in the world in some way. For example, if you’re tackling a movie about a fantasy world, a few extreme long shots will be helpful as your character travels or enters a new town or city. A very wide angle will help highlight the differences between cities your character visits and also will show when they’re traveling through precarious or dangerous terrain.

It can also be helpful to highlight the livelihood or life circumstances of a character. For example, let’s say you open on a wide shot of a large field of corn, we see some rustling in the bottom corner of the field. Then we get a long shot where we see the protagonist picking corn in that section. This shows us immediately that our protagonist is a hard-working person since they’ve gone through this entire huge field we’ve seen. It also shows us that they possibly live a very rural lifestyle.

Examples In Film

One filmmaker who utilizes extreme long shots often is Quentin Tarantino. In the film The Hateful Eight, he utilizes extreme long shots as the characters are traveling in various circumstances to show the treacherous nature of the cold snowy terrain. This helps to highlight the nature of the cabin setting where most of the film takes place and how, despite the tense nature of the situation, the cabin is a haven in a sense from the danger and certain death that would lay outdoors.

Another film that utilizes extreme long shots quite often is Mad Max: Fury Road, which tells the story of a post-apocalyptic civilization and a fight against a tyrannical ruler that has emerged. The film is set in this vast desert landscape but also features extreme car chases and fight scenes. The use of extreme long shots in this case is used in two different senses. Firstly, it highlights for the viewer the dangerous nature of the desert terrain and the world itself in which the characters inhabit. In addition, when it comes to the action and fight scenes, using extreme wide shots highlights the perilousness of certain stunts and action sequences.

We even see these shots used often throughout the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. From Frodo and Gandalf entering The Shire to Gandalf riding into battle, the use of extreme long shots in a fantasy setting such as Lord of the Rings is incredibly useful in multiple ways. On one hand, it helps the audience gain a larger sense of the scale and overall look of each new location the characters visit. On the other, when it comes to battles and climactic moments, showing the scale of the character and scenery can show the difficult odds that they are up against and make their inevitable triumph even more epic.

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Coming from the opposite direction is a man, a writer who is on his way to a meeting with a possible publisher for his book. He already spilled coffee on his shirt when he heard the news of the impromptu meeting and he has roughly twenty minutes to get there or he misses his chance. All of this panicky behavior on both sides comes to a head when the two people slam into each other. His phone falls to the ground and her papers fly everywhere. They both bend down to frantically scoop up the papers, apologizing along the way. Then they look up, lock eyes, and pause for a moment.

What we’ve just described is a ‘meet-cute’, one of many stylistic tropes present in a romcom movie. However, it’s not simply the plot and characters that make tropes like these work well in a romcom movie, it’s all of the behind-the-scenes production of the movie.

(Note that while many films featuring these elements fall into the romantic comedy genre, not everyone is needed for a romcom or is used exclusively for the genre.)

GOING OFF-SCRIPT

Part of what makes a romcom work is a tight script. When the dialogue and plot feel natural, people are more invested in the film. Sure, a joke or two might not land, but the majority need to result in laughs for a successful movie. But by the same token, improvisation is not the enemy. Quite a few of the iconic scenes in romantic comedies (and comedies in general) have been because of the actors improving. Encourage your actors to insert their own dialogue or actions. If the improv doesn’t work, just shoot the scene as scripted. Alternatively, do a few improv sessions during rehearsal. It may result in new scenes being created.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

The romantic moments of a romcom are powerful scenes that require expert attention. Lighting can set the mood more than any other aspect of cinematography. Soft, gentle light and focus on the leads can make even a mundane scene have romantic undertones. Don’t be afraid to use multiple sources and filters to get the exact glow needed. The video below by Aperture details how the lighting is set up in various romantic scenes and serves as a good reference.

EDIT LIKE A PRO

What bogs down most disliked romcoms is the editing. Comedy is a genre that’s defined by the editing room. Even subpar jokes can cause laughs if the camera angles and editing are tight and fast-paced. The same goes for romances. Certain lighting, angles, and music can make a ho-hum kiss a monumental declaration of love. For beginners, it might be worth seeking out a professional editor to help during post-production or at least offer a few pointers. Good editing also doesn’t require a high-end, expensive program. Even a basic editing program can get the job done.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MOMENT

What’s “The Moment?” It’s the aforementioned big kiss (or its equivalent). This is where directors show their mettle and offer something new. We’ve all seen the standard kiss, but what makes this kiss so special? It’s up to the director to sell the moment. Again, experiment with different angles or lighting. Try zooming or panning around the actors. Encourage them to put their actual emotions into it (provided they’re comfortable with it).

READY FOR MY CLOSEUP

Speaking of “The Moment,” many of the best romcoms use a closeup during the scene to heighten the sense of intimacy and the overall impact. This is the climax of the film, after all- the payoff for seeing the two leads fall in love. However, it works well in other scenarios. If someone’s advances have been rebuffed, a closeup can show us the anguish of the person in love- and the object of affection’s disgust. It’s not ideal to use a closeup for comedic scenes, but when the narrative calls for tension and drama, it’s a solid option.

AWKWARD AND AWESOME

Stilted dialogue and clumsy acting are surefire ways to turn an audience off. However, there’s one exception. The meeting between the two romantic leads should be cute, funny, and maybe just a bit awkward. Because a romcom is so dependent on its comedy, a bumbling first meeting can keep audiences engaged and get them rooting for their inevitable romance. Even if the meeting isn’t somewhat cringe-worthy, it’s still worth putting into the movie. A flashback will work if need be (for example, the characters are childhood friends).

THE OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT

Rewatch any romcom from the past few decades. You’ll notice an abundance of over-the-shoulder shots. Not only are they easy to set up and film, but they make a conversation more intimate. You’re able to see the facial expressions of the character speaking while keeping another character in-frame. Body language is somewhat visible as well, giving the scene a sense of realism. It can establish any kind of relationship- hostile, friendly, wary, etc. Don’t go overboard though! Too many shots of a certain kind will result in a repetitive film. Still, it’s a staple of the genre and a good groundwork to build artsier shots from.

KEEPING IT REAL

One of the biggest complaints about romcoms is how formulaic they can become. Seeing the same scenarios play out time and time again makes a genre grounded in realism feel fantastical. Repetition may work in comedy, but not in romance. That’s why using real-life love stories as a basis for your film can prove beneficial. One of the elements that has kept When Harry Met Sally in the spotlight for so long are the interviews spliced throughout the movie. Talk to friends and family about their love stories, and work parts of their journeys into the narrative. Provided they give you permission, of course.

AUDITORY CUES

Has a song ever sparked a certain emotion in you? If the lighting and cinematography just isn’t cutting it, insert some mood-setting music. A classical love song will give a scene the last romantic edge it needs. For funny moments, a modern pop song or a jaunty instrumental will heighten the laughs. Even within the public domain, there are plenty of songs to craft a wonderful soundtrack and enhance the vibe of a certain scene.

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Mystery and thriller films are designed to shock the viewer. Audiences are more invested if the killer isn’t immediately obvious. A twist ending leaves people with a firm memory of how the movie managed to pull the rug out from under them. Scenes should be tense and leave watchers on guard, even if they’re not in any actual danger. We’ll get more into why these scenarios repeat themselves later, but first let’s break down these elements.

FOR ALL INTENSE AND PURPOSES

This is an element more commonly seen in thriller movies, rather than mysteries, although there is a great deal of overlap. In order to keep viewers engaged, filmmakers will employ several tricks to make the characters anxious. Because viewers relate to the characters and their situations, these same tricks make the audience nervous as well. One common method of enforcing suspense is through a time limit. If the heroes only have until a certain point to save the day, it adds tension. Time management is key, and it helps keep the pace steady.

Another common tactic is fear of the unknown. It’s scary to know who (or what) is behind the film’s events, but it’s downright terrifying when audiences don’t know. The lack of knowledge builds suspense. It creates a hostile energy between the characters due to lack of trust. Viewers might also get the sense that they aren’t safe either. Imagination fills in the gaps. However, this can backfire in two ways. Watching the movie for a second time, aware of what the unknown villain is, will ruin some of the suspense. Secondly, depending on the viewer’s imagination, what they conjure up might be more frightening than the actual threat.

WHAT A TWIST!

The twist ending- possibly the most iconic element in mystery films. All of the clues are pointing to one person, and it seems like the hero has them pegged. But it was a red herring- the true culprit has successfully fooled everyone, including the audience. It encourages multiple viewings to pick up on the subtle hints and foreshadowing to the true ending. For every The Sixth Sense, however, there is a Now You See Me. If the twist isn’t set up properly or makes no sense, it could ruin what is otherwise a fantastic movie.

Sometimes the greatest trick is to not play one at all. Building up to a twist ending but never delivering could either satisfy crowds or leave them disappointed. It’s a fine tightrope to walk. Even the best twists still have their detractors, though, so don’t be afraid to go for the mind-bend. Just be sure to leave enough hints that it doesn’t feel too out of nowhere.

BEHIND THE CAMERA

The script is arguably the greatest weapon a thriller/mystery movie has, but it is far from the only one. Directors have a few techniques to keep investment levels high. For example, certain camera angles instill fear or other emotions in the audience. A bird’s eye view looking down at the hero makes the protagonist seem helpless. For emotional shots- like a character reacting to the reveal of the villain- a close-up gives viewers a good look at the anguish on the actor’s face. A panning shot indicates a character is being followed. These shots all add to the film’s tension in nonverbal ways. They fill in gaps that the script might have.

Similarly, there are certain angles that can be used to make the bad guy more intimidating. Tilted shots leave the viewer feeling uneasy. One angle, the Dutch tilt, is rather infamous for its usage in thriller movies. It’s meant to give the audience a sense of psychological unease. The Dutch tilt- which, funnily enough, has nothing to do with the Dutch language- is so pervasive it’s even shown up in video games.

Of course, we’d be remiss to not mention the Dolly zoom. It was first created by Irmin Roberts for Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. The effect is achieved by zooming in with the lens while physically moving the camera away from the subject. The result is a distorted perspective that almost induces a sense of nausea in the viewer. It’s unsettling, to say the least, and can heighten emotional impact if use properly. The most famous example is in Jaws, but it has appeared in other films like Lord of the Rings, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Goodfellas.

DON’T GOT NO BODY

As mentioned above, imagination can frequently be more frightening than anything that appears on screen. So why not employ that with the victim? Murder mystery movies make it a point to show the body to the audience, often in gory detail. For a subversion, keep the body hidden. Certainly, have characters talk about the victim, or even a few shots of the surrounding area or the extremities. But don’t linger on the corpse. Let the audience picture the violence for themselves. In theory, it will keep them invested and make them more susceptible to later horror. NOTE: this is just a suggestion. Follow this idea at your own discretion.

Creating a mystery/thriller film is not as easy as just following the tips above. They can help, but it takes the entire cast and crew working in tandem to pull it off. From the script to the cinematography, everything must be working together to fully invest and surprise the audience. And even if there’s a few critics, just remember that not everything will please everyone.

That’s how it is in show business, after all.

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1) Call Me By Your Name

One of the newer and more challenging cinematic techniques that you’ll find throughout both film and television is the use of the long shot. As the name suggests, a long shot is where a sequence occurs in a film without quick cuts- there’s one camera and the actors perform the scene in one take, with no cuts. Most films have various cuts throughout scenes, to get different angles on the characters. There is an enormous amount skill in both the actor and filmmaker who is able to capture a longshot. The actor needs to stay in character for a longer period than is typically required in film. Not only that, but a single camera needs to follow and capture the action of the whole scene- action that would typically be captured by several cameras at once.

There are several examples of this technique in use. From the action packed long shots used in Breaking Bad to a lighter but also challenging long shot in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the challenge of this technique is appreciated by viewers of all genres. It also creates a more personal or dramatized experience of a scene, since the viewer is experiencing the scene from one POV, as though they themselves are there to witness the action.

Call Me By Your Name, a recent Oscar-Winning Film, uses the technique masterfully in a few instances throughout the film. The film is about a summer romance between two young men in Italy in the 1980’s. The first use of this shot is the pivotal scene where the protagonist, Eliot, tells Oliver his feelings. The use of the shot makes the scene feel dramatized, personal and even private. You can almost tangibly feel Eliot’s struggle to get the words out.

The next and probably the most remarkable use of the technique in the film is actually at the very end. At the end of the film, Eliot finds out that Oliver is getting married and the film ends with a four minute long shot of Eliot sitting in front of the fireplace alone, crying. Again, without the cuts this scene feels incredibly personal. The audience simply sits and watches the different waves of emotion crossover Eliot’s face as the credits roll.

2) Baby Driver

A film that didn’t get nearly as much credit as it should, Baby Driver was not only action-packed, but also utterly unique in the way it was shot and edited. The film is mainly about a young man who has gotten himself tangled up in crime: he is a great driver and acts as the getaway driver for different clients doing various crimes and robberies. Part of his character is that he’s very antisocial and he uses music as a way to express himself. So he has his headphones in almost always throughout the film, even when he’s driving- the right music improves his performance. Essentially, he creates a soundtrack for his own life.

To match this character, the film itself is shot as almost like a dance. Every single beat of the movie goes along with the music underlying the action. So it’s almost as though the film was shot for the soundtrack, rather than the soundtrack chosen to match the film. Which was actually the case: they had a choreographer on set and they had the soundtrack chosen in advance so they could choreograph the action like they would a dance. The scene below is an excellent example of this. This is the pivotal chase scene at the ending of the film. Notice how every jump, gunshot, step, head turn and change in pacing matches perfectly with the song being played underneath the action. This was true of every single part of this film and the work that the both the editor’s and choreographer did to accomplish this technique is unreal.

3) Dunkirk

Another Oscar Winning Film, Dunkirk, was praised this year for its groundbreaking cinematic technique. What makes this film unique is the specific camera used. Almost the entirety of this film is shot using IMAX cameras, which capture images that are just as wide, but taller, than what other cameras are able to capture. The picture quality filmmakers can capture using these cameras is unparalleled. According to Gear Patrol, this is the highest picture quality you can experience in the theater. Partly because of the resolution and also because it, “creates a visceral experience that makes you feel like you were there.” According to Nolan himself, this camera is able to create an experience that is like, “virtual reality without the goggles.”

Now, why doesn’t every filmmaker use this camera? Well, it’s an incredibly bulky and loud camera so that makes it difficult to film in tight spaces and seemingly impossible for aerial shots. That is, until now. The team on this film worked tirelessly to find ways to strap this camera onto the plane for aerial shots and even to create rigs so that in ground shots it could appear more like a lightweight handheld camera.

They even went as far as to use real Spitfires from the 1960’s for their aerial shots, which made shooting in the cockpit even more challenging, but resulted in them obtaining gorgeous action shots that couldn’t possibly be achieved through a computer.

While it ultimately may be difficult to spot these little nuances if you’re not a professional film critic, the feeling that they evoke in an audience will sit with them long after they leave the theater. These techniques may be easy to miss, but they’re even harder to forget.

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1) iPhone:

The movie Unsane, which recently hit theaters, is gaining public attention as it was solely filmed using an iPhone camera. The film follows a young woman who is trying to escape a stalker and ends up questioning her own sanity. This is hardly the first successful film to use the iPhone technique, but the film’s release has people turning their attention to the iPhone as a possible future for film. The film was made using an iPhone 7 camera and was shot over the period of just 10 days.

One movie that’s recognized as pioneering this movement is the 2015 film, Tangerine. This was the first film shot entirely using an iPhone camera, specifically the iPhone 5s. Reportedly, the film had a very tiny budget to work with, but when it premiered in 2015 it received critical acclaim. According to The Verge, James Ransone, an actor in the film, said making a good film isn’t about having the proper equipment, but rather understanding film as a whole. According to Ransone, “You still need to know how editing works. You still need to know how sound works. You still need to know how a camera works. You can’t just go out and shoot. Yes, you can make a beautiful-looking film on a shoestring budget. But you have to know 100 years worth of filmmaking.”

2) Drone:

Drones are being used more frequently in film as a way of acquiring unique aerial shots from lower heights than a helicopter could achieve. One film that used this technique was the 2012 film Skyfall, becoming the first James Bond movie to use drones for aerial footage. Flying-Cam Drones were used in the opening shot as James Bond chases a terrorist across a rooftop of the Grand Bazaar on a motorbike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JuITWX871M

Another recent film that utilized this technique was the 2014 film The Expendables 3, which used drones to capture high-intensity action sequences. They shot a total of 30 scenes in the film using drones, including the opening sequence. On the subject, Ziv Marom, ZM Interactive’s pilot and owner, said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “We flew right next to a train and helicopter. We shot everything from chasing tanks to explosions to flying over buildings and motorcycle jumps. We can also do shots that a real helicopter can’t do. We can do lower altitudes.”

Other well-known films that used drones to capture significant wide shots include Captain America: Civil War and Jurassic World.

3) GoPro:

One of the more interesting films that was made using exclusively GoPros is the documentary Leviathan. It is interesting, in part, because this wasn’t actually a deliberate choice, but rather an accident. The filmmakers Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verene Paravel originally set out on a sea voyage with the intent make a niche documentary about life on a fishing vessel. What they didn’t account for was all of their equipment being swept overboard shortly after they set sail.

In an attempt to salvage their project, each of the crew members strapped on a GoPro camera. They also strapped GoPros to everything from the fishing equipment to actual fish. The downside to this was that they couldn’t see what they were recording, so there was the risk that they’d spend all this time at sea and come home without any valuable footage. The film they ended up with was a chilling first person perspective that included a brush with death, violent sea sickness, and even one of the filmmakers being hospitalized.

Documentaries aren’t the only films that have adopted the GoPro style. The 2015 movie The Martian starring Matt Damon used a total of 28 GoPro Cameras on set, to get several different angles. There’s also the movie Hardcore Henry, the world’s first action movie solely filmed using a GoPro. The plot begins with a man waking up in a Moscow laboratory and learning he’s been brought back to life as a half-human, half-robot hybrid. The GoPro style filming lets the viewer experience this action thriller as Henry, rather than through Henry. Though the film didn’t receive critical acclaim, it was well-received by the public as 93% of Google users liked the movie.

All in all, this movement is causing a big change in the movie industry- hopefully for the better. These new filming methods give people who may not otherwise have the means the ability to create beautiful works of art. So movie on over, big shots. The little guys can go pro, too.

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