When planning the coverage that you’ll be securing for a particular scene, it’s important to consider the size of the shots that you wish to capture, and how these might cut together during the editing process to deliver the narrative and emotional beats that you intend to showcase to your audience. Following are descriptions of the most common shot types used in cinematography for Film and Television, along with their acronyms. The abbreviated version of the shot name is what will usually be used on storyboards and shot lists, for brevity and clarity.

1. Establishing Shot – An establishing shot, often an extreme long shot (XLS), is typically the first shot of a scene and is used to set the location and context for the viewer. This shot is often wide, showing the environment and the characters’ position within it.
2. Long Shot (LS) – A long shot, also known as a wide shot, shows the subject from a distance, often including some of the surrounding environment. This shot can be used to establish location or show the subject’s position in the space.
3. Medium Shot (MS) – A medium shot shows the subject from the waist up, emphasizing body language and facial expressions. This shot is often used in dialogue scenes and can convey character emotions and reactions.
4. Medium Close-Up (MCU) – Not to be confused with that other MCU, a medium close-up shot shows the subject from the chest up and is used to emphasize character emotions and reactions during a dialogue scene.
5. Close-Up (CU) – A close-up shot shows a specific detail, such as a character’s face, an object, or a body part. This shot is used to emphasize the importance of the detail and convey character emotions or reactions in greater detail.
6. Extreme Close-Up (ECU) – An extreme close-up shot shows a specific detail in even greater detail than a close-up shot. This shot is often used to convey intense emotion or to highlight the significance of a particular detail
7. Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OTS) – An over-the-shoulder shot shows a character from the perspective of another character, often during a dialogue scene. This shot is used to show the interaction between characters and convey the conversation’s dynamics.
8. Two-Shot (2S) – A two-shot shows two characters in the same frame and is used to show their interaction with each other. This shot is often used in dialogue scenes and can convey the relationship between the characters.
9. Point-of-View Shot (POV) – A point-of-view shot shows the scene from a character’s perspective, often with the camera positioned where the character’s eyes would be. This shot is used to immerse the viewer in the character’s experience.

These are just some of the shot sizes commonly used in cinematography for film and TV. Each shot size has a specific purpose and can be used to convey character emotions, set the scene’s mood, and immerse the viewer in the story. Generally speaking, the closer one comes to a character’s face, the more emotional nuance is able to be captured for the audience to see.