establishing shot

[ih-stab-li-shing shot]

noun

1. (in film and TV production) a scene-opening shot, usually very wide, that sets up the context for the scene.

   Opening a movie with an establishing shot of a city skyline was especially common in the sixties and seventies.

Word History and Origins

Origin of establishing shot¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

“Steven used to say, ‘What’s the establishing shot of your idea?’”

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Carter is looking for that establishing shot in his life right now, for some firm idea of what lies ahead.

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After the meeting, it’s Takahashi and Mayuzumi we follow back to nearby Tokyo, first seen in an establishing shot almost exaggeratedly unappealing after the crisp countryside beauty in cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa’s camerawork.

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I'm not trying to write a movie, but sometimes I'll think, “Well, maybe I need an establishing shot here. Maybe I need to back up and get high and look down at the city of Las Vegas or give a background on a character.”

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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.

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