ABSTRACT
Establishing shots showcase a location, usually from a distant perspective, that introduces a setting where subsequent events are understood to take place, providing a geographical context to the scene or scenes they precede. Sometimes, establishing shots are introduced after a character is shown arriving at a location using a shot size that conceals it until the shot is reframed to reveal it. Beyond providing a geographical context, establishing shots can also express other narratively meaningful information; settings can be shown in ways that set a particular tone, contribute to a theme as part of a movie’s image system, and provide a dramatic context to the scene or scenes that follow or immediately precede them, among others. Lighting for an establishing shot when shooting in full daylight involves a lot of preparation and research, even in cases when movie lights are not needed.
