Post Seven: Shots, Shots, Shots...Everybody!

American Beauty is a critically acclaimed dark comedy that wonderfully depicts one’s man mid-life crisis. It also showcases a great variety of camera shots: long shot (establishing shot), middle shot, and the close-up shot.

• A long (establishing) shot does exactly what the name implies; it establishes or introduces the setting/characters/and overall and necessary information


• A medium shot is neither a long shot or close-up shot; it is something in the middle as the camera starts to focus on something in more detail


• A close-up shot is the most emotionally driven shot as the camera starts to show the more important details of the scene; usually the shot focuses only one person

In this scene, Lester Burnham, the protagonist is watching his daughter's dance performance.

The long-shot establishes that this scene is taking place in a high-school gym. His daughter is amongst the many other dancers. This shot essentially just tells the audience that the characters are in a gym and watching a dance performance.

The medium shots eventually start to pan and focus on a particular girl (who is not his daughter) who has caught Lester's eye. These two sequential shots show Lester's point of view (POV); he is not watching his own daughter's performance but is much more interested in this other girl, Angela Hayes.

The (extreme) close-up shot, which is eventually paired with an intense spot-light (and coincidentally, the disappearance of the other girls) shows the intimacy between Lester and his imaginary encounter with this particular girl. She has grabbed his attention and is the focus of Lester's POV. This is also the most emotionally-stimulating shot because the audience can actually feel the tension within the scene as Lester lusts after Angela.

Another example of these shots can be seen in the classic and possibly most well-known scene of the movie. In this scene, Lester is fantasizing about Angela naked in a field of roses.

Here, the viewing audience is introduced to the scene with both a long-shot and a high-angle shot. It establishes that the setting is in a bedroom with Lester. The high-angle is usually utilized when the director wants to take the power away from the subject. Here it is used to show Lester and his wife in bed (with his wife turned away from him) to imply that we are invading Lester's privacy.

A close-up shot of Lester tells us that he is in fact awake. Rose petals start to fall from above him and his fantasy starts. It cuts to...


A room with rose petals and a female figure in the middle as seen in this long-shot. With the quick cut from Lester and the rose petals still falling from above, the audience is introduced to Lester's fantasy and his POV again.

A medium shot slowly pans and focuses on the female figure in the middle.

It is revealed in this close-up shot that the female figure is Angela Hayes. The shot is intimate and detailed. Within his imagination, there is an interaction between her and Lester as she flirts with him. It also seems as though she is interacting with us as she looks straight-on to the camera during this shot.

(Scenes are screenshots taken from the movie American Beauty)