Shot Types

Establishing Shot:

An establishing shot is a shot from far away showing a building, city, town etc that relates to the narrative so the audience knows the setting. e.g. Big Ben, London Bridge, shots of these would show the audience that the film is set in London.

Arc Shot:

An arc shot is where the camera forms a whole arc, circular motion around an object, a person or a group. This shows the audience the multiple actions happening etc. e.g. in Avengers there is an arc shot when they are in the building fighting Ultron.

Aerial Shot:

Aerial Shot is like a birds eye view, filmed by a drone or helicopter etc. It is where the camera is in the sky looking down. This is usually used in openings to show the setting and to position the audience with the bird. e.g. An opening of a film.

Tracking Shot:

A tracking shot is where the camera follows and focuses on a specific object or character. Typically used in Horror films to make the audience feel like the character is being followed and it can also position the audience with the "stalker" which can make them feel uneasy. e,g, tracking shot in Scream makes you thing that Drew Barrymore's character is being followed around the house by Ghost Face.