Big Close-up

A shot where the face fills as much of the frame as possible while the eyes, nose and mouth all stay visible. It sits between a close-up and an extreme close-up. With nothing but the face on screen, emotion comes through very strongly. Sources crop it at slightly different places, so this dictionary treats the big close-up and the choker as the same size, framed from just above the chin to just below the top of the head.

Camera position seen from the side. It stays at eye level and moves in to about 40 cm from the mask.

Camera view. The face fills the frame, and the area below the chin, the top of the head and the ears are cut off.

How it feels

Intensity
Pressure
Claustrophobia
Intimacy
Emotion

When to use it

A character’s face at the climax of the story
Strong emotions like fear, anger or a confession
Showing even the smallest change in expression

In the movies

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

Not to be confused with

Close-up: A close-up fits the whole face, from the top of the head to the chin. A big close-up crops above and below to leave only the face.
Extreme Close-up: An extreme close-up shows only one part of the face, like the eyes or mouth. A big close-up shows the eyes, nose and mouth together.

Prompt

Keyword

big close-up

Descriptive

Big close-up, tight on the subject's face. The face fills the whole frame with eyes, nose and mouth all visible, while the top of the head and the chin are cropped out.

Try these combinations

Big close-up + low-key: a moment of confession
Big close-up of a man's face as he confesses, eye level, low-key light, sweat on his brow
Big close-up + side light: a face frozen in fear
Tight close-up of a terrified woman's face, harsh side light, dark background, shallow depth of field