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

According to reports, the Brentwood (sorry, not actually Bel-Air) mansion used for exterior establishing shots in Will Smith’s beloved 1990s sitcom is expected to hit the market for the first time in 48 years at the end of January. —Monica Garske, USA Today, 16 Jan. 2026

According to a source for PEOPLE, the beloved Los Angeles home used for establishing shots of Uncle Phil and the Banks family's home is hitting the market for the first time since 1978. —Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026

Much of the filming in Rhode Island was of iconic sights as establishing shots to anchors the story in Rhode Island. —Paul Edward Parker, The Providence Journal, 6 Jan. 2026

This was mostly about changing or adding a couple of establishing shots. —Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for establishing shot

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• afterthought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot