Camera Angles and Shot Compositions

With the growing popularity of low budget film making and the ease with which people now move from country to country, young film makers are taking their skills across borders and find themselves in need of new vocabulary to help let them communicate their ideas to the locals.

Below we have a list of the camera angles and shots used in the world of cinema. Now, when a French director asks for a shot en Gros plan or a Spanish producer recommends más planos americanos in his production, you'll know what they want...

Shot Compositions

Vocabulary

Close-up	Gros plan (GP)	Primer plano
Depth of field	Profondeur de champ	Profundidad de campo
Establishing ou Panoramic Shot	Cadrage panoramique	gran plano general
Extreme Close-up	Très Gros Plan ou Cadrage Sergio Leone (TGP)	Primerísimo primer plano
Extreme Close-up	Cadrage Sergio Leone (TGP) ou Très Gros Plan	Primerísimo primer plano
Full Shot	Plan Demi Ensemble (PDM) ou Plan Moyen ou Cadrage Personnage	Plano figura o Plano entero
Full Shot	Plan Moyen ou Plan Demi Ensemble (PDM) ou Cadrage Personnage	Plano entero o Plano figura
Head and Shoulders Shot or Medium Close-up	Plan poitrine ou Plan rapproché poitrine	Plano medio corto
Knee shot	Plan Américain ou Cadrage Américain (PA)	Plano americano
Knee shot	Cadrage Américain (PA) ou Plan Américain	Plano americano
Long knee shot	Plan Italien	?
Long Shot	Plan d'ensemble	Plano general
Medium Close-up or Head and Shoulders	Plan rapproché poitrine ou Plan poitrine	Plano medio corto
Medium Shot or Waist Shot	Plan rapproché taille (PRT) ou Plan taille	Plano medio
Panoramic Shot	Cadrage panoramique	Plano panorámico o gran plano general
Waist Shot or Medium Shot	Plan taille ou Plan rapproché taille (PRT)	Plano medio