Which shot shows the subject from the waist up?

• A. Establishing Shot
• B. Medium Shot/Cowboy
• C. Wide Shot
• D. Extreme Close Up

Answer: (B)

In filmmaking, shot size defines how much of the subject and surroundings you show. The shot that displays the subject from the waist up is the medium shot. This framing is often called the cowboy shot, especially in Westerns, because it places the figure from roughly the waist to the top of the head and can still hint at the body language and environment.

Why this fits best: a medium shot sits at a comfortable balance between the actor’s facial expressions and their upper body gestures, while still letting a bit of the surroundings come through. It’s ideal for dialogue and character moments because you can see emotion and posture together, without the distance of an establishing shot or the full body you’d get in a wide shot, or the intense detail of an extreme close-up.

For contrast, an establishing shot is used to set the scene and location from a distance; a wide shot shows the entire figure plus more surrounding space; an extreme close-up narrows in on a tiny detail like an eye or a mouth.