Video Workshop

In the easiest way a shot size is how big the things in the picture are. There are six basic shot sizes:

1. wide shot (WS)
2. long shot (LS)
3. mid/medium-shot (MS)
4. medium close up (MCU)
5. close up (CU)
6. extreme close up (ECU)

WIDE SHOT

Is big enough to show all the action. The viewer knows where the set is and what the background of the story is; mostly there are no people but if there are any, the do not fill the frame.

LONG SHOT

Is used when we talk about a specific person, the aim is to have the whole body of the person in the frame.

MID/MEDIUM-SHOT

Shows less than long shot but still conveys quite a bit of information; if there are people in the scene, you will see their head, torso, down to the waist.

MEDIUM CLOSE UP

If your subject is a person, you will definitely see their head and shoulders.

CLOSE UP

Is showing the details of something in the scene. If your subject is a person, you could see just their head or hand.

EXTREME CLOSE UP

Highlights a really small detail of the object to the point that actually nothing else is visible.

More about shot size in a video here: