What is a shot?

We are going to start by looking at the constituent parts of film.

How often do you watch a film or TV programme and think about what makes up the flow of moving images that unfold on the screen? Do you ever consider how moving images tell a story or reveal a narrative? In this section, we’re going to drill down to the foundations of film, starting with shots. Shots are essentially the building blocks of film.

A shot is a continuous section of film or video. There are no edits within a shot. The edits or ‘cuts’ come between the shots.

Watch this short video which shows you five separate shots. (The video is silent.)