A master shot is the principal camera shot that a director and cinematographer use when filming a particular scene. It covers all of the important action in a scene, including the major characters and scenic points of interest. For this reason, master shots are almost always wide shots.
Master shots are complemented by other camera angles that cover specific detail within the scene, including establishing shots, low shots, close-ups, and medium shots. Directors and editors can cut to these angles during post-production, whether that’s to establish detail with an insert shot or show multiple points of view with cross-cutting.
