A shot tightly framed on a single detail, usually a face, a hand, an instrument, or a prop.
Close-ups create intimacy and emotional impact. In music videos, they are essential for capturing the feeling behind a performance. Close-ups of hands on guitar strings, lips, or eyes are classic music video devices.
Close-up in the real world
Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U (1990) is almost entirely close-upA shot tightly framed on a single detail, usually a face, a .... DirectorThe creative lead of the music video. They develop the conce... John Maybury held the camera tightly on O’Connor’s face for the majority of the video’s runtime, with only briefThe document sent by a label or commissioner to directors be... cutawayA shot that cuts away from the main action to show something... shots of Paris parks offering visual relief. The decision to trust the face over the location made the video one of the most emotionally powerful in music video history.
Related terms
Wide shotA shot that captures a large area of the scene, showing the ..., Medium shotA shot that frames the subject roughly from the waist up. Th..., Hero shotThe single most important shot in the video, usually a strik..., Depth of fieldThe range of distance in front of the camera that appears in..., CutawayA shot that cuts away from the main action to show something...