establishing shot
noun
: a usually long shot in film or video used at the beginning of a sequence to establish an overview of the scene that follows
Examples of establishing shot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These nighttime scenes are provided with ingenious contrast during intervening mornings, made up largely of establishing shots of green mountainsides and nearby communities, captured from afar.
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Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024
Often classroom scenes are blocked so that children aren’t needed for more than an establishing shot, and those classrooms are designed to resemble real classrooms as closely as possible.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
There are establishing shots galore of Tokyo’s streets and public spaces — the Ozu influence is strong with this one — that are matched by the toilet cleaner moving through them with the greatest of ease.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2024
Betts’ original cut opened on an establishing shot of a tree in a grassy field, which is later revealed to be an unmarked burial ground for America’s enslaved Africans.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Wide shots, for those unfamiliar with the lingo of cinematography, are spacious, open compositions, often full-body views of characters and their surroundings (frequently used for broad-scale action or establishing shots).
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2023
Some have said that Tomine thinks like a filmmaker, and indeed, so much direction is already there on the page: the establishing shots to orient us in the spaces of his scenes, the shot-reverse-shot conversations, tight focus and natural pauses, spare frames to mark the passing of time.
—Bonnie Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023
International locations are teased with on-screen chyrons and overhead drone establishing shots, but without a hint of on-the-ground authenticity or production values.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Apr. 2023
Speaking of forced nostalgia, the movie frequently and distractingly cuts to retro-chic pixel art animations, both for establishing shots and to illustrate historical flashbacks from the characters' point of view.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2023
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024
Often classroom scenes are blocked so that children aren’t needed for more than an establishing shot, and those classrooms are designed to resemble real classrooms as closely as possible.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
There are establishing shots galore of Tokyo’s streets and public spaces — the Ozu influence is strong with this one — that are matched by the toilet cleaner moving through them with the greatest of ease.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2024
Betts’ original cut opened on an establishing shot of a tree in a grassy field, which is later revealed to be an unmarked burial ground for America’s enslaved Africans.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Wide shots, for those unfamiliar with the lingo of cinematography, are spacious, open compositions, often full-body views of characters and their surroundings (frequently used for broad-scale action or establishing shots).
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2023
Some have said that Tomine thinks like a filmmaker, and indeed, so much direction is already there on the page: the establishing shots to orient us in the spaces of his scenes, the shot-reverse-shot conversations, tight focus and natural pauses, spare frames to mark the passing of time.
—Bonnie Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023
International locations are teased with on-screen chyrons and overhead drone establishing shots, but without a hint of on-the-ground authenticity or production values.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Apr. 2023
Speaking of forced nostalgia, the movie frequently and distractingly cuts to retro-chic pixel art animations, both for establishing shots and to illustrate historical flashbacks from the characters' point of view.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'establishing shot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Establishing shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establishing%20shot. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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