The Mighty 9 Shots for Shooters & Scribblers

Hola, my fellow prose peeps, here's the deal about screen scribbling – you don't need to be Fong, Libatique, or Deakins behind a camera. But even in those deep workflow moments of keyclacking, you must never forget - it’s a visual medium!

Great screen scribbling isn't about Tarantino-esque dialogue; it's about what IMAXs the brains of the audience. Growing up on Leone, Lucas, and Spielberg, I grokked that what we SEE matters as much as what characters say.

So let's check in on the nine essential shots of filmmaking and figure out how to keep them top of mind like the #Shotdeck-worthy visual storytellers we all aspire to be.

Visual Storytelling Toolbox

For you Grognards and Critical Rollers out there, think of these nine shots as foundational stats on your D&D character sheet:

Establishing Shot – The wide reveal. Your audience just spawned into this world – where the hell are we? That sweeping cityscape, the flickering diner sign... now they know.

Wide Shot – Shows your characters from head to toe in the context of the environment. Perfect when you need to see someone cross a room or prep for some fisticuffs.

Full Shot – Still shows the whole body but with less background. It's all about the character now, not so much the space.

Medium Shot – Waist-up glory. The bread and butter of conversations. You get facial expressions plus some body language.

Medium Close-Up – Shoulders up. We're getting into the emotional zone. The background's gonna bokeh out of the way.

Close-Up – Just the face. Or a crucial object. It screams, "PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!"

Extreme Close-Up – Eyes. Fingertips on a trigger. The drop of sweat. This is your money shot for tension.

Over-the-Shoulder (OTS) – The dialogue workhorse. One character's shoulder/back is in frame while facing another character. Classic stuff.

Point of View (POV) – What your character sees. For those precious seconds, we ARE them.

Craft Your Visual Opus

Let’s riff on the nine with a quick example about a detective walking into a smoky office:

Establishing Shot: Rain pours down a neon-lit street, office sign flickering like it's on life support.

Wide Shot: Our detective pushes through the door, backlit like a gunslinger walking into a saloon.

Full Shot: He shakes off the rain, hangs his coat, lights up a smoke – all the classic noir moves.

Medium Shot: He locks eyes with the suspect across the room. Game on.

Medium Close-Up: The suspect shifts in his chair. Sweat forming despite the cold.

Close-Up: Detective's eyes drift to the revolver sitting on the desk between them.

Extreme Close-Up: His finger curls around that trigger – we can see the fingerprint.

Over-the-Shoulder: The suspect's face from behind the detective's shoulder, tears forming.

POV: Through detective-vision, we see that gun, his own hand trembling slightly.

This isn't a pre-flight checklist – it's a visual repertoire, your recipe for emotion and pacing.

Coverage Covers Your Ass

I've spent enough time hiding from the writers’ room and notes calls in post to know – editing is ALL about options. Here's a cheat sheet for what to get on the day:

Establishing Shot: 1-2 setups (try one static + one with some movement)

Wide Shot: 2-3 takes (especially important if actors cross the frame)

Full Shot: 2-3 takes (maybe tighten the frame between takes)

Medium Shot: 3-5 per actor (get singles and two-shots)

Medium Close-Up: 3-4 takes (disregard at your peril, those reaction beats MATTER more than you might think)

Close-Up: 2-3 takes (timing and performance are everything here)

Extreme Close-Up: 1-2 takes per detail (use these inserts strategically)

Over-the-Shoulder: 2-3 per side (listen to your Script Supervisor and keep those eyelines consistent!)

POV: 2-3 takes (try both static and handheld if it makes sense)

Always grab some cutaways and inserts. And FFS, shoot safety plates!

For a two-minute dialogue scene, plan on 15-20 total setups. It’s not overkill – it’s giving yourself an exit strategy when everything goes sideways.

Telling a compelling cinematic story doesn’t require an Alexa or FX-3. It requires a shot list and cutting pattern that vibes with the narrative. These nine shots are the difference between the Super-8 shorts I made in elementary school and the visual glory of LOST. Most scribblers will never call "action!", but thinking in shots makes your prose more intentional.

I’m not encouraging you to dictate the shots on the page - but consider how your choices will be executed on the stage. You want to create images in the minds of your readers that will inspire the images they deliver on whatever screen you’re scribbling for.