Extreme wide shot using 14–35 mm lenses (28–50° angle of view) that renders human figures as tiny points within landscape, primarily establishing locations.
Technical Details
In standard cinema screen format (2.35:1), a very wide shot corresponds to a horizontal field of view of 28-50°, depending on the focal length used between 14-35mm (full-frame equivalent). The depth of field typically extends from 3 meters to infinity at an aperture of f/8. Modern digital cameras like the ARRI Alexa Mini LF capture an image width of up to 200 meters at a distance of 100 meters. Three main variants differ in their function: the establishing shot for scene introduction, the extreme wide shot for maximum spaciousness, and the environmental shot for emphasizing natural forces.
History & Development
In 1915, D.W. Griffith systematically introduced wide shots for battle scenes in "The Birth of a Nation," laying the foundation for their dramatic use. Starting in 1939 with "Stagecoach," John Ford perfected the very wide shot as a signature element of the Western genre in Monument Valley. The introduction of Panavision lenses in 1954 increased horizontal capture by 40% compared to the Academy format. Steadicam technology enabled fluid movements in wide shots from 1976 onwards, while modern drones have opened up entirely new perspectives since 2010.
Practical Use in Film
In "The Revenant" (2015), Terrence Malick consistently uses 14mm lenses for immersive landscape shots, showing Leonardo DiCaprio as a tiny dot in the Canadian wilderness. In "Lawrence of Arabia," Ridley Scott staged the famous camel caravan sequence with 70mm film and a 50mm lens from a distance of 800 meters. The shot requires precise lighting conditions, as the contrast range between sky and landscape often reaches 8-12 stops. Modern color grading can compress this difference to 6 stops through HDR workflows.
Comparison & Alternatives
The long shot shows people as recognizable full figures (25-30% of image height), while the very wide shot reduces them to points of reference. The medium long shot captures individuals from head to knee, while close-ups focus on body parts. Modern IMAX cameras with a 1.43:1 format offer 40% more vertical image information than standard digital formats. Virtual production with LED walls is increasingly replacing elaborate location shoots for wide shots, but reduces natural light dynamics by approximately 2 stops.