Causes of using different shots

[sayan28]

I dont have any idea regarding shots e.g what are the types of shots used in film making? And what are the meanings of each shots.eg why to use close shot or extreme wide shot? can anybody please tell me the inner meaning of each shot? I am waiting for your reply. Thanks in advance.

 

[sfoster]

It's like speaking japanese, the meaning of the words are heavily dependent on the context of the situation.

You can't say a close up means something in a vacuum. It means something depending on what you saw before, and what you see after.

 

[Will Vincent]

The short answer, you choose the appropriate shot(s) to both capture the action, and best tell the story. Different shots, in different situations, help to convey different emotion.

For example, suppose you had a mother who just learned her son died in the war. You could have a close up of her face (probably only want to do this is she's a particularly good actor), close up of wringing hands, maybe a wide shot from a high angle, making her look small and defeated, etc..

Shots have different meaning depending on their context. Context is key. Without it, as sfoster said, your shots have no inner meaning, they're just ... shots.