Discover when to use an over the shoulder shot versus other camera angles in photography and filmmaking. Learn the key differences, creative uses, and storytelling impact of each style.
Next time you watch any movie, there is a high chance that you will see video shots that are taken from the back of an “off-screen” actor in a way that his shoulder still remains in the frame while the main focus in the frame is the "on-screen" actor's coverage. Such video arrangements are called over the shoulder shots and are extremely common in the current video industry.
What is an OTS shot?
Such shots are made to convey a subconscious sense of orientation to the viewer that the second person is still about the first one when the scene is proceeding. In this way, there is no solo coverage, and the viewer is oriented to both on- and off-screen actors in the frame. In essence, if you shoot videos of individual people in a frame, you don’t let the viewer connect with the other person in the scene. To make the collective context of both actors, an over the shoulder shot is done.
The OTS remains one of the most common among all of the above-mentioned video shooting techniques, because most of the conversations being recorded in a video feel more natural and immersive for the viewer with this technique. Such shots are usually made with camera lenses that can offer natural compression and smooth blur.
One such is the SIRUI AURORA 85mm F1.4 lens, a full-frame lens designed to capture professional-looking OTS shots with smooth bokeh and clear object isolation. It features next-generation premium optics, which deliver cinematic-grade optical quality and a wide depth of field range for a standard over the shoulder shot.
OTS vs. Closeup Shot
Close-up shots are done by tightly focusing on a subject’s face or entirely on an object, as compared to OTS, a two-person setting in a single frame. The purpose here is to capture the emotions of a person and their reactions in the scene while highlighting important details specific only to this person. For this shot, usually prime lenses between 85 mm and 135 mm focal lengths are used.
OTS vs. Wide Shot
As the name suggests, such scenes give their viewers spatial context and set the scene for an upcoming shot. In essence, the videographer either uses such shots to capture locations or to capture groups of people. As compared to OTS, these shots use wide-angle zoom lenses ranging from 16 and 35 mm.
OTS vs. Eye-Level Shot
Usually used in interviews, the eye-level shots are done to create an honest and natural feeling for the viewer. Standard lenses ranging from 35mm to 50mm are often used to capture video by placing the camera at the subject’s eye level. It resembles the over the shoulder shot in terms of scene setting but differs in the way that the “off-screen” person is not in the scene.
OTS vs. High-Angle Shot
As the name suggests, such shots are made from the top and are used to capture the crowd or to convey the insignificance or vulnerability of an object, which is shown as smaller and weaker. Wide-angle camera lenses are used to capture such shots with focal lengths ranging from 24 mm to 35 mm. Nowadays, drones are also used to create such shots, as they are more convenient to do so. Again, this shot has a distinct difference from OTS in terms of angle and how they are captured.
OTS vs. POV Shot:
To show a person’s point of view in a scene, POV shots are created, which are more immersive for a viewer. Lenses like wide-angle lenses with focal lengths of 16 to 35 mm or 24 mm prime lenses are used to capture such shots, which mimic the human field of view in the scene without too much distortion. You will see such shots in thriller or horror movies.
Wrapping Up:
An over the shoulder shot is extremely common in today’s video industry and is regarded as the foundational cinematic language. It preserves a connection to viewers of dialogue-driven scenes and is quite different from other video scene types. To get the best result creating OTS, the SIRUI AURORA 85mm F1.4 lens comes in handy with its medium telephoto range of 85mm which preserves intimate framing for the scenes and creates softly blurred backgrounds, essential for standard OTS filming.
