Shot/reverse shot - Misplaced Pages

Film technique showing two characters For the 2013 song, see Shot Reverse Shot (song).

Shot/countershot in Greed (1924)

Shot/reverse shot (or shot/countershot) is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character (a reverse shot or countershot). Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

Context

Shot/reverse shot is a feature of the "classical" Hollywood style of continuity editing, which deemphasizes transitions between shots such that the spectator perceives one continuous action that develops linearly, chronologically, and logically. It is an example of an eyeline match.

References

^ Film Studies Program (2002). "Editing guide". Yale University. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
Staff of "Hamlet on the Ramparts" Project. "Film lexicon". MIT. Retrieved 2016-07-30.

Sources

Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin (2006). Film Art: An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-331027-1.

Film editing

Concept

Technique

Insertion	Dialogue Match cut Long shot Insert
Timelapsing	Cut Jump cut Axial cut Wipe Dissolve Slow motion Prelap
Other	Fast cutting Invisible cut Montage Supercut

Storytelling

Action

Rule

Term

Editing

Field size

Camera placement

Perspective Over-the-shoulder Point-of-view (POV) Reverse Trunk Single / multiple-camera setup
Camera angle	Tilt Aerial High-angle Bird's-eye Crane shot Jib shot Low-angle Worm's-eye view Dutch angle

Camera movement

Lens effects

Focus
- Racking
- Depth of field
- Shallow
- Deep
Zooming

Other techniques

v t e Special effects
Practical	Aerial rigging (wire-flying) Air bladder effect Animatronics Bullet hit squib Costumed character Creature suit Dead-character costume Kitbashing Miniature effect (hanging) Prosthetic makeup Puppetry Pyrotechnics Rubber mask Matte painting Sugar glass Theatrical blood
In-camera	Bipacks Bullet time Dolly zoom Forced perspective Front projection Infrared photography Lens flares Lighting effects Multiple exposure Filtration Rear projection Reverse motion Schüfftan process Shutter effects Slit-scan Tilted plane focus Time-lapse Fast motion Slow motion Speed ramping Stop motion
Visual	Bullet time Chroma key Compositing (digital) Computer-generated imagery Go motion Introvision Match moving Optical printing Smallgantics Split screen Stop motion

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