Before I define what a Master shot in Filmmaking is ,try to recollect this ragging scene from the comedy movie Three Idiots directed by Rajkumar Hirani. It is the story of Rancho (Aamir Khan), Farhan (R Madhavan) and Raju ( Sharman Joshi). One of the scenes from the Three Idiots showed freshers played by Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi and R Madhavan being ragged by a senior bully in the hostel. There is a scene in the beginning where the bully makes the male students to pull down their pants to have their buttocks stamped. What 4 things do you notice in this scene? 1. All the main characters are present in this dramatic scene including Rancho, Farhan and Raju. 2. The dramatic scene establishes where the action (ragging )scene is taking place--- a college. 3. Wide angle camera shot shows all the key characters of the film in this scene. 4. The scene gives a narrative about the main characters. It also shows the characteristics of the students. While all the students meekly agree to the diktats of the bully, Rancho gives him back in his own coin by his ' shocking' response when the latter tries to pee on his doorstep. Now read the definition of a Master Shot in Filmmaking. A Master Shot is a long, uninterrupted take that features all the main actors. It’s usually used as an establishing shot to show where the scene takes place. The big difference between an Establishing Shot and a Master Shot is the length. An Establishing Shot usually only lasts a few seconds, but a Master Shot is of a little longer duration. As such, a Master Shot can be cut down and used as an Establishing Shot, but an establishing shot cannot be used as a master shot.
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