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
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The trailer opens with a typical establishing shot of an estate on the West Yorkshire moors, then a beautiful close up of Robbie and then, suddenly, a very sensual tight shot of two female hands kneading bread. Tom Tapp, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025 But his dedicated attention to establishing shots of residential buildings within the Serbian capital still gesture toward the fraught history of his hometown, which the characters are pointedly escaping. Sonya Vseliubska, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025 Therefore, the scope of the Globes was not something that could be confined simply to a handful of wide establishing shots. Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 May 2025 And because there are no conventional establishing shots or scene transitions, there really is no need for a music cue to move the viewer along. Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for establishing shot

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of establishing shot was in 1921

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Cite this Entry

“Establishing shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establishing%20shot. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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