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Film & Television vocabulary · Shots and Camera Movements

Handheld shot

Meaning in film & television, with examples

nounCommon term

In film & television, handheld shot means: A shot recorded with the camera supported by the operator's hands or shoulder rather than a fixed mount.

In Turkish: elde kamera çekimi

How it is used

Directors request handheld shots for mobility or a particular sense of movement.

Example sentences

  1. The handheld shot follows the nurse through the narrow hospital corridor.

    A mobile camera can follow action through a confined space.

  2. We replaced the shaky handheld shot with a steadier take.

    The replacement keeps the approach but improves stability.

Common collocations

  • shoot a handheld shot
  • steady handheld shot
  • shotOne continuous piece of film recorded from the moment the camera starts until it stops, or the piece of it that appears between two cuts.
  • cinematographerThe head of the camera and lighting departments, who decides with the director how the film will look: framing, lenses, camera movement and light.

More terms: Shots and Camera Movements

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