Published: November 20, 2024 | Last Updated: November 26, 2024
Over-The-Shoulder Shot Definition & Meaning
An over-the-shoulder (OTS) shot frames one character from behind the shoulder and the partial head of another character in the foreground. It is typically used to help orient the viewer and establish connectedness between characters in dialogue scenes, such as to create intimacy or confrontation between them.
Why use an over-the-shoulder shot?
Image Source: Film-Grab
The OTS is one of the most commonly used camera framing techniques, especially for shooting coverage in dialogue scenes. It is common because it’s an excellent choice when you want to guide viewers’ orientation within the scene.
It’s also an interesting shot choice because it allows us to view and share the subjective experience of the scene from the character in the foreground without being an outright first-person point of view (POV). Instead, it’s a third-person voyeuristic POV that lets us get intimately close to the action.
Image Source: Film-Grab
Because you’re “shooting dirty,” you establish a connection between the characters in the scene that wouldn’t exist if you had framed each character separately. Let’s look at some examples from movies…
Over-the-shoulder shots movie example analysis
Below is a brief analysis of a sequence of frames from the bamboo fight scene in the Wire Fu classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). It shows the effect an over-the-shoulder shot can have on a scene’s relationship.
Image Source: Film-Grab
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000). Sony Pictures Classics.
Image Source: Film-Grab
By framing each actor apart, director Ang Lee shows that Jen and Li Mu Bai are still enemies. Also, framing Jen with a medium shot mixed up in branches and leaves, looking left, stresses that she’s in a hurry. Conversely, we get a full shot of Li Mu Bai from the front, patiently balancing on a swaying bamboo – free of branches- giving the frame a sense of calm and control.
Let’s continue…
Image Source: Film-Grab
Image Source: Film-Grab
Image Source: Film-Grab
Image Source: Film-Grab
You can enjoy the entire sequence in the video below:
Summing Up
An over-the-shoulder (OTS) shot frames one character from behind the shoulder/head of another character. It’s used during dialogue scenes to:
- Establish (spatial) relationships between speakers
- Create psychological intimacy or tension
- Maintain screen direction/orientation (when adhering to the 180-degree rule)
- Give viewers a subjective perspective similar to being in the conversation
Over-the-shoulder shots are commonly used in two-person conversations, interrogations, intimate moments, or confrontations where power dynamics are important.
Up Next: The FilmDaft guide to camera shots, angles, and moves.
