What Is A Master Shot?

By Kevin Waczek

Master shots have the power to immerse an audience into the cinematic experience like no other shot because of their realism and action.  Today we are talking about what makes a great master shot.

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WHAT IS A MASTER SHOT?

A master shot is a long shot that captures all or most of the action in a scene.

A master shot is often paired with a wide shot.  When a director or cinematographer shoots a scene, there are many shots that are needed in order for the scene to be well covered. Close-up and medium shots capture action closely for the audience to see and understand, but these shots don’t show the space and environment the characters are in. A wide shot is often used as an establishing shot to show the environment, lead the audience into the scene, or used as a safety shot just in case something goes wrong. Most master shots are shot exclusively as wide shots.

A common misconception about master shots is that the shot has to be a wide and locked down on a tripod. While this is the most common way to capture a master shot, there is no rule that these two requirements are necessary as long as most of the action in the scene is captured. For example, I filmed a scene in the video above where two men meet in a car. One eventually kills the other, tosses him in the trunk, and drives away. There is quite of bit of action in this scene, and it is not an extreme wide either, yet this is considered a master shot. Let me explain:

EXAMPLE 1

The shot starts with a close-up. This close-up captures the first action of the scene: the lighting of a cigarette (and yes that is me).

The shot rolls on without changing framing, and another character runs up to the window, played by my friend Yeeleng Xiong, and I invite him into the car.

As Yeeleng enters the car, the camera moves and pulls back to a two shot where Yeeleng and I are visible in the front seats. The camera continues to film the action, which is the conversation and eventual shooting of Yeeleng’s character.

The camera begins to pull back more as I exit the car, walk around the front, and pull Yeeleng out of the car. This is the first time there will be action off screen. I see this as a creative choice, as the audio communicates to the audience that Yeeleng has been killed from an additional gunshot. In fact, sometimes not showing something can be interpreted as more violent/scary/cruel because the audience’s imagination has to figure out for themselves what is happening based on the audio of the scene. This exact technique was used in the shot above when I pulled Yeeleng out of the car and shot him off screen. It gives the scene more intensity and a hint of mystery. The shot continues with Yeeleng’s hand entering the frame after he is thrown into the trunk and the car drives off to finish the scene.

This shot is a master shot even though it features movement. It captures everything the audience needs to know and see in order to understand the events and purpose of the scene.

EXAMPLE 2

Let’s take a look at a very common use of a master shot.

This is an extreme wide. It is often used as an introduction to a new scene or location. In this instance, this can be considered a master shot as long as this shot captures all of the action in a scene. This shot specifically was taken on a wide angle lens and on a tripod. This is the most common master shot you will see in cinema. Every scene does not need a master shot but it is good to have if time allows. This master shot is then cut together with the rest of the scene.

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