Establishing shots, passe or necessary?

T

Tokpaler

Active member
I try to be as updated as possible when it comes to films, watching new stuff as well as the classics.

Conventional filmmaking suggests that an establishing shot is more often than not necessary to help the audience realize the relationships between one element with another and more convetionally, to indicate where a scene is taking place.

But as you might realize, conventional can also be boring and as artists we are encouraged to shy away from the convetional. More and more films nowadays tend to forego the establishing in favor of the story's pace and momentum, And as an audience, I think I'm pretty confident that I can piece a story together regardless of establishing shots or not.

Would love to hear anyone's thoughts about it. Comments, suggestions and violent reactions are greatly appreciated :)
 
Traditional, beginner, Film 101 would dictate an establishing shot that is wide, giving lots of visual context within a single frame.

I'd say that even when you don't see those, there is some sort of establishing shot, unorthodox as it may be. A story cannot flow properly if the viewer cannot shift time and place with the picture. It becomes disorienting. So, is it really the complete lack of any establishment, or simply a rethinking in how the context is conveyed?

However, I believe the DSLR "revolution" has had some adverse effect on visual storytelling. With everyone and their mother-in-law's 4th cousin now considering themselves "filmmakers" and striving for 95% of their shots with shallow DOF (because that's what "cinematic" means, right?), the establishing shot is sometimes lost by amateurs. It's painful to watch, and shouldn't be interpreted as a new standard in filmmaking.
 
So, is it really the complete lack of any establishment, or simply a rethinking in how the context is conveyed?
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I've never really thought about it that way.

A wide establshing shot of a building/structure would better communicate a sense of geography as opposed to, say a tighter shots of details of the location would communicate the purpose of why the scene is taking place there.

the establishing shot is sometimes lost by amateurs. It's painful to watch, and shouldn't be interpreted as a new standard in filmmaking.
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I agree with this statement, rules are meant to be bent/broken but standards are there for a reason, but to play devil's advocate - standards have changed time and time again, updated as technology improves.
 
Opening on a CU reveal is also a convention used for a long time. These conventions, including a wide establishing shot are part of the grammar. Personally I like and appreciate a good establishing shot. They can often include foreground characters or objects that help reveal something about the scene. I think it is important to establish the geography early in the scene if not the opening.
 
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