Shot Breakdown and Scene Analysis
Scene vs shot
A scene is a unit of story in one place and time; a shot is one uninterrupted camera run. A two-page scene may become three panels or thirty. The number is set by how much information the audience needs, not by page length.
Coverage
Standard live-action coverage includes the master shot (whole scene, wide), singles (one actor each), the two-shot, inserts (hands, props, phone screens), cutaways (a reaction, a clock) and an establishing shot when the location is new.
Analysing the scene
- Write the scene's dramatic question in one line: will she tell him?
- Mark the turn, the moment the answer changes.
- Allocate panels: more panels for the turn, fewer for travel and setup.
- Choose shot size by information. Wide for geography, close for emotion.
Worked example
A mother and daughter argue; the daughter slams the door and leaves. Six panels: (1) wide, both in the kitchen, establishing geography; (2) medium, the mother's accusation; (3) over-the-shoulder, the daughter's reply; (4) close-up, the daughter's hand grabbing her bag, the decision; (5) wide, the daughter at the door; (6) close-up on the mother alone. Reasoning: the turn is the bag grab, so it earns a close-up; the exit needs a wide to show space, then a close-up to show the cost.
Traps that cost marks
- Boarding the whole scene in one shot size.
- Using close-ups before the audience knows where it is.
- Forgetting inserts such as hands, keys and phones that make the cut readable.
- Two panels carrying the same information.
- Breaking a scene without a master shot, so the geography is never established.