On the value of varying TV shots

Abstract
Supposedly, television production is a director's medium. In a position to control the order, length, and variety of different kinds of “shots,” the director is depended upon not only to bring order, but to enhance the intrinsic interest value of the picture on the screen by artistic editing. One stock‐in‐trade of the director is to constantly vary the picture from closeups to long‐shots. But is this constant variation effective? Or is it distracting? The research reported in this study leads to a conclusion quite opposed to current practice in educational and commercial television production: the static medium‐shot maintained throughout the program may cause the audience to be just as interested in the program as though cutting between different kinds of shots had been practiced. In other words, in the present study variety did not increase expressed interest levels, and in some cases decreased them.

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