Establishing shot

/ɪstˈablɪʃɪŋ ʃˈɒt/

/ɪstˈæblɪʃɪŋ ʃˈɑːt/

Establishing shot

a wide angle shot that shows the location or setting of a scene, often used at the beginning of a sequence to orient the audience and provide context

Examples

1. Do you know the famous establishing shot where the guy appears to run over the ceiling?

2. Extreme wide establishing shots can also draw attention to how alone and vulnerable the protagonists are and how remote the setting is.

3. It's like the establishing shot in a sci-fi movie that takes place in a dystopian future, after a nuclear war between humans and lizards.

4. But for things like flybys that you use every week, where it's just establishing shots of the ship, it actually becomes-- it's twofold.