Shot Framing

What are the key differences between full, medium and close up shots?  How does this apply to over the shoulder shots?  Two shots?  How do different lenses affect these shots?

    A full shot shows the subject's entire body—be sure not to cut off their feet as it will look sloppy if you have no reason to do so. A medium full shot cuts off the subjects legs below the knee. A medium shot frames the subject above their waist area. A close shot is from the breast area and up and a close up shot is mainly just the subject's head. Once you start cutting off the head or chin, this is called an extreme close up shot.

    These types of shots are still applicable with over-the-shoulder shots and two shots as those are angles and they don't affect the type of shot besides having more than one subject in the two shot or having a foreground element in the over-the-shoulder shot. This makes me think that these types of shot are applicable to a lot of things, not just a single subject that is standing still and fully visible.

    Different lenses can make the shots look a little different based on the characteristics of the lens, otherwise they can produce the same type's of shots. The lens won't affect framing, thus the only way to know what lens you should use for a specific look is through experience. Wide angle lenses can distort the features of the subject the closer you are, which can be useful if filming something that's meant to be funny. Some lenses require you to be at different distances from the subject in order to create a specific type of framing, such as using a longer lens at a greater distance. However, the greater the distance, the flatter the subject will look and bring background elements closer.