Editing Shot Sizes (section)

== Medium Shot (MS) ==

[[File:PART-medium1.jpg|thumb|right|360px|MEDIUM SHOT with bottom line above the actors' knees. From ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1946).]][[File:PART-medium2.jpg|thumb|right|360px|MEDIUM SHOT with bottom line above the actors' waists. From ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1946).]]Medium shots are the most common types of shots in the movies. Showing most of the subject’s body, medium shots are halfway between long shots and close-ups; however, authors disagree on the definition. While some writers say that the medium shot shows the character from a little above the knees to the top of his head, others state that medium shots only go as low as a little above the waist. Regardless of the academic debate, a medium shot is by all definitions a happy medium between a full shot and a closeup. Also, '''composition guidelines''' suggest that frame lines shouldn’t cut the actors on the joints, so as long as operators avoid knees, waists, elbows, etc., the framing shouldn’t be a problem. In other words, just go a little higher or lower with the framing to avoid the joints.

The medium shot also includes two other famous shot types: The '''two-shot''', with two actors facing the same '''screen direction''', and the '''over-the-shoulder''' shot, showing a conversation in which the actors sit or stand across from each other:

[[File:Gladiator-two-shot2-300x126.jpg|center|480px]]


[[File:Gladiator-two-shot1.jpg|center|480px]]

To record medium shots, a [[#Further_reading|normal lens]] should be enough. Adjust distance accordingly.