In the early days of Hollywood people
were so excited to show human moments, they kept most shots
relatively close. “Tomorrow is another day!” As time went on,
filmmakers wanted more scope and the wide shot was born. How can you get your
wide tracks to stand out? Before I answer that click
the link to subscribe and like our page. Ready to dive in? So what is a wide shot? Wide shot frames the
entirety of a character, so we can see them in relation
to the space around them. There are all kinds
of wide shots. From a medium-wide
shot, like this. To a extremely wide shot which gives incredible detail
for the location, like this. The wide shot came out of the
western films of the 50s and 60s. It reflected the American
dream of manifest destiny. But as Hollywood got younger, filmmakers got tired of the
promises made in westerns. “What’s the meaning
of this shit?” Take a look at this opening
shot from “Midnight Cowboy.” We’re staring in a blank
drive-in movie screen that`s literally blocking
out the dream of going west. Damn, that`s bleek. But it doesn’t have to be. It was Charlie Chaplin who said:
“Life is a tragedy and close-up but it’s a comedy when
it’s in the wide shot. For my money, the best version of this is
in Chaplin’s work in “The Great Dictator.” We stay wide to convey the scope and
to make fun of Hitler’s megalomania, as Chaplin literally
juggles a globe. What about something
more current? Like the bathroom
scene in “Bridesmaids.” Look at how Paul Feig
cuts to the wide shot, as we show these
women scattered. We go closer other reactions,
but we always go back to the wide to emphasize their actions
and power reaction. “Oh, you’re really doing it aren’t ya?
You’re shittin’ in the street.” How about a nomage to
the westerns of old. Quentin Tarantino takes
us outside the cabin and goes extremely wide
in glorious 70 millimeter. To show how isolated
these characters are. It makes the interior of the cabin
feel even more claustrophobic. So that’s the wide shot. If you’re going to use
it in your own work, consider using StudioBinder`s
storyboard template to plan it out. Still working on your script? We’ve got a great
break down feature that lets you tag individual
items for each department. You keep watching the videos
and we’ll keep making them. Remember, go wide or go home. “Aim for the buches.”