Glossary
Shot
A piece of video filmed without interruption, from when the camera starts to when it stops, or from one cut to the next.
The shot is the basic unit of video. It is described by its size: wide shot (the whole place), medium shot (the person from the waist up), close-up (the face), extreme close-up (a detail).
In vertical short videos the close-up rules: the face fills the phone screen. Changing shot sizes keeps attention up without adding anything to what is said.
Tip: film the same gesture as a medium shot, then as a close-up. In the edit, switching between them creates rhythm for free.
In a café: a wide shot of the room, then a close-up of the foam on a cappuccino.