Full range of shots for a scene—wide, medium, close-up, inserts. Director plans coverage in advance to give editor every angle needed.
You're planning a scene and know: without thoughtful coverage, you'll be stuck in the edit. Camera coverage is the arsenal of shots you film before or during a scene — establishing shot, medium shots, close-ups, insert details, reaction shots. The director or DoP orchestrates this consciously to give the editor maximum creative freedom later. It's not about arbitrariness, but about strategic redundancy.
In practice, it works like this: you're filming a dialogue scene between two actors. The standard coverage looks like this — first a wide establishing shot showing the space and both people. Then two two-person medium shots (waist-up or shoulder-to-shoulder composition). In addition, close-ups of each actor are captured — especially important for reactions, eyes, facial expressions. In parallel, you capture inserts: a clock on the wall, a hand resting on the table. These details later break up longueurs and create rhythm. The editor can then choose from this pool, recombine, make cuts without breaking continuity.
The pace of a production is brutal. You have four hours for a scene that might only be 45 seconds of screen time. Nevertheless, you have to methodically work through the coverage — not because inefficiency is cool, but because the edit then becomes a game of chance. Some directors work with very tight coverage (3–4 perspectives) to force aesthetics. Others shoot wide and relaxed to give the editor room to maneuver. Both are legitimate as long as they are consciously decided. A mistake: not covering enough and then realizing a transition in the edit doesn't work because you didn't have an insert. Another: wasting too much time on redundant angles when the scene is already crystal clear.
With shot lists and storyboards, you plan coverage in advance. On set, it adapts — actors surprise you, lighting works differently than expected, space is smaller. Then you improvise, but stay focused. Good coverage isn't perfect, it's intelligent — it covers risks and creates opportunities. That's the hallmark of professional shooting.