Shot Sort
Fifteen cards. Five categories. Sort first, then explain how each technique could shape an audience's response.
How to play
- Cut out the 15 cards.
- Sort them into five groups: shot size, camera angle, camera movement, light/colour, sound/editing.
- Name each group and check your answers with the key.
- Choose three cards and explain what each technique could make an audience notice or feel in a Coraline sequence.
Cards
Extreme close-upA detail fills the frame.
Medium shotThe figure is framed from roughly the waist up.
Wide shotThe setting and the whole figure are visible.
Low angleThe camera looks up at the subject.
High angleThe camera looks down at the subject.
Dutch tiltThe frame is tilted so the world looks off-balance.
PanThe camera turns left or right from a fixed position.
Tracking shotThe camera moves through space with the subject.
HandheldThe camera shakes as if held by a person.
Low-key lightingDeep shadows and strong contrast.
High-key lightingBright, even light with few shadows.
Desaturated paletteColours are muted and washed out.
Diegetic soundSound the characters can hear.
Non-diegetic soundSound only the audience hears, such as the score.
Match cutA cut between similar shapes, actions, or ideas.
Answer key
| Category | Cards | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Shot size | Extreme close-up, medium shot, wide shot | How much of the world does the audience see, and what does that emphasise? |
| Camera angle | Low angle, high angle, Dutch tilt | Who has power, and how stable does the world feel? |
| Camera movement | Pan, tracking shot, handheld | Is the audience observing, following, or destabilised? |
| Light and colour | Low-key lighting, high-key lighting, desaturated palette | Does the world feel safe, artificial, bleak, or seductive? |
| Sound and editing | Diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound, match cut | What does the audience hear or connect that the characters may not? |
Extension
Choose one card from each category. Build a six-shot sequence for a new Coraline scene. Your sequence must move from safe to wrong without using dialogue. Write one sentence for each shot explaining your choice.
Exit ticket
Which technique is most powerful in the sequence you studied today? Explain why in two sentences, using evidence from the clip.
Teacher note: the cards are designed for printing and cutting. The answer key can be withheld or displayed after the sorting stage.