Different Shot Types used in TV Dramas

For this post, all my still shots are from soap drama, Eastenders.


Over the shoulder 


This over the shoulder shot is very commonly used in soap dramas such as Eastenders as its an ideal way of showing an in depth conversation. The reason for this could be because you can see the other persons reaction relatively more clearly than any other shot that still gives of the feel of a deep conversation. For example in this scene, Sharon (the person who's face is not seen) is the one talking at this moment. Showing Phil's face lets us know his reaction as the scene progresses. The over the shoulder shot can also show the person talking face on, and this may be added so the audience can tell if there is a specific way the character is talking via their facial  expressions. Who ever is talking face may be shown or not and this varies throughout the scene. It may vary so the audience feel like they are in the middle of the conversation meaning they will keep swapping who they are looking at, depending if they think the other person will give an interesting reaction.
The over the shoulder shot can be used at an angle also, as shown in the picture. The camera is pointing upwards, looking up at Phil, this may add to the fact that Phil may have a considerably high amount of power over Sharon.


Very Wide Shot

This shot is usually used at the start of the scene or programme to set the time of day, bring attention to changes/events or to maybe make the audience see something suspicious. In this shot, we see the edge of Albert square. Regular viewers would recongise the part of the square and who lives there, so they could start to consider who is involved in this scene.  There is a suspicious car so the audience may sense that something will happen. 


Two Shot 

This shot is called a two shot as it simply shows to characters. This is usually used when there is a group discussion or conversation. These two characters are talking to a fellow friend. Here we can see Poppy giving advice or her opinion and we can clearly see Fatboy's reaction to what she is saying. His reaction could reflect on what Poppy is saying a d what the other person is thinking in one simple shot. It could be used for humor or give a range of opinions for the viewer to chose from. 



Close Up

Close up is a fairly straight forward shot. It simply just zooms in on a characters face to express their emotion to the viewers. It is usually found at the end of a scene, when there is usually a view seconds of silence to give a chance for the characters and audience to absorb what has just happened. Deciding to show a close up of an emotion could be to set the mood of what the audience should be feeling or to show them how the character is feeling.