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About The Establishing Shot
The Establishing Shot is a London based independent blog focused on Film, Film making and Film related events taking place mainly within London and the UK.

Our core aim is to bring audiences closer to the viewing experience, try taking you behind the scenes with the people (Actors, Directors, Editors, Cinematographers, Producers, etc.) who make those films as well as the people that show films and share our insight and passion for all things film.

We love everything film and prefer good entertaining film over any particular genre, actor
or director. Although we do lean towards the smaller or independent films that don’t have
the budget to market very widely. Our obsession with film encompasses reviews, film talks, actors, directors, cinemas, soundtracks, producers, film events, film making, film locations, film marketing, film promotion and did we mention film?

Initially I started a The Establishing Shot to document my experiences and share what I learn as a budding filmmaker living in the greatest city on earth London. Obviously London is jam packed with things to do, see and hear so pretty soon my life started to bleed its way into my regular updates.

So as well as film related goodness, you can also expect to occasionally hear about general popular culture including; Comics, Super Heroes, James Bond, Food, Drink, Travel, Art, Books, Street Art, Music, Gadgets, Technology, Gaming, Photography, Sci-Fi, Socialising, Night Life and Architecture.

Regarding stats
There is a drive in media to have the widest circulation/subscription/readership as that is generally what is perceived as “best”; also this is what interests’ film marketers & the beancounters. Even though we regularly pip in on the 50th most influential film blogs in the UK list, (despite our haphazard updates and non topical content) we aren’t one of those blogs – our focus is to bring you insight into film and closer to the viewing experience and we expect a smaller, more loyal discerning readership.

If you are looking for the latest news, trailers, posters or film pics there are many sites that do this better than us. We recommend our partner site www.liveforfilms.com they are after all the 2nd most influential film blog and 6th most popular culture blog in the UK.

Make Contact
If you have any film news, a film, a film related book or comic to be reviewed, an event you would like us to cover, a film you would like to raise capital for/make or would just like to make contact with a fellow film fan - please contact Craig at theestablishingshot(at)gmail.com, call Craig on zero78zero9232337 or use the contact form below.

My Favourite Photos

Establishing Shot

In film and television, an establishing shot sets up, or "establishes", a scene's setting and/or its participants. Typically it is a shot at the beginning (or, occasionally, end) of a scene indicating where, and sometimes when, the remainder of the scene takes place. It's usually a long (wide-angle or full) shot at the beginning of a scene (or a sequence) that is intended to show things from a distance (often an aerial shot), and to inform the audience with an overview in order to help identify and orient the locale or time for the scene and action that follows; this kind of shot is usually followed by a more detailed shot that brings characters, objects, or other figures closer; a re-establishing shot repeats an establishing shot near the end of a sequence.

For example, an exterior shot of a building at night, followed by an interior shot of people talking, implies that the conversation is taking place at night inside that building. (Of course the conversation may in fact have been filmed on a studio set far from the apparent location, because of budget, permits, time limitations, etc.) Establishing shots may also use famous landmarks – such as the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty – to identify a city.

Alternatively, an establishing shot might just be a long shot of a room that shows all the characters from a particular scene. For example, a scene about a murder in a college lecture hall might begin with a shot that shows the entire room, including the lecturing professor and the students taking notes. A close-up shot can also be used at the beginning of a scene to establish the setting (such as, for the lecture hall scene, a shot of a pencil writing notes).

Establishing shots were more common during the classical era of filmmaking than they are now. Today's filmmakers tend to skip the establishing shot in order to move the scene along more quickly. In addition, scenes in mysteries and the like often wish to obscure the setting and its participants and thus avoid clarifying them with an establishing shot.

An establishing shot may also establish a concept, rather than a location. For example; opening with a martial arts drill visually establishes the theme of martial arts.