Medium Shot

Medium shot (MS) is composed from slightly below the character’s waist. Hence also known as “waist shot” or “mid shot”.

Medium shot is most widely used because it reveals almost everything from facial reaction to body language, to environment. It’s estimated that about 50% of all shots in a normal feature movie are medium shots.

Keep in mind when using it:

MS shows a background in which the character exists.
MS shows the character’s face, expression, body movement.
Choose a well-composed take. It’s too obvious if you didn’t. With a XCU, you can always say, ”That’s what I want.” But with medium shot, you can’t argue that way.
Inter-cut with wide shots and close ups. Overusing MS will make your video visually boring.

Medium Shot - Video Editing Glossary & Terms

Medium Shot