Close-up
A shot where a person’s head, or an object of about that size, nearly fills the frame. Framing the face up close reveals emotion and separates the subject from its surroundings, pulling the viewer’s attention in. Sources start it at the neck, shoulders or chest, so this dictionary cuts it where the neck meets the shoulders. Once the chest starts to show, it becomes a medium close-up.
How it feels
- Emotion
- Focus
- Immersion
- Inner life
- Emphasis
When to use it
- The moment a character’s emotion shows
- A face reacting to what someone says or to an event (a reaction shot)
- Emphasizing an object like a hand or a tool
- Erasing the surroundings to put all attention on one subject
In the movies
The Passion of Joan of Arc 1928
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Often cited as a film made almost entirely of facial close-ups.
City Lights 1931
Directed by Charlie Chaplin. Often cited for its final scene, which ends on a close-up of a face.
Not to be confused with
- Medium Close-up
- It reaches down to the chest, so there is a little more room. A close-up cuts at the neck or shoulders.
- Extreme Close-up
- It shows only one part of the face, like the eyes or mouth. The outline of the face falls outside the frame.
- Telephoto
- Telephoto is a type of lens. Shot size is set by how big things look on screen, so if the face fills the frame, it is a close-up even when shot from far away with a telephoto lens.
Prompt
close-up
Close-up of the subject's face, framed from the neck up. The face fills most of the frame, isolating the subject from the surroundings.
Try these combinations
Close-up + backlight: a face hearing the news
Close-up of a woman's face as she hears the news, eye level, soft backlight, shallow depth of field
Close-up + dolly in + low-key: emotion welling up
Close-up, slow dolly in, an old man's face in low-key light, a tear forming in his eye