Reaction shot

How it is used

Used in filming and editing to reveal emotion, create rhythm, emphasize information, or guide the audience's attention.

Example sentences

1. The editor held on the mother's reaction shot for two extra seconds to underline that she already knew the secret.

   Here the shot communicates hidden knowledge through the character's face, without adding new dialogue.

2. After the joke landed, the director cut to a reaction shot of the intern instead of returning to the speaker.

   In this example, the term names the cutaway that shows another person's response, which shapes the comic effect.

Common collocations

• cut to a reaction shot
• hold the reaction shot
• insert a reaction shot

Related terms

• 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.
• close-upA shot taken very near the subject, usually showing a person's face or a small object so that the audience can see emotion or detail.

More terms: Shots and Camera Movements

• wide shot
• medium shot
• frame
• camera angle
• pan
• tilt
• zoom
• tracking shot
• establishing shot
• point-of-view shot
• master shot
• insert shot