Film grammar / Shot sizes
Medium Close-Up
Chest up; intimate but still shows hands and shoulders.
What it is
The medium close-up (MCU) frames the subject from the chest or shoulders up. It is the most common size for interviews and emotional dialogue in modern films.
When to use it
It gives you the face without isolating it completely from the body - you still see a hand lift a cup or a shoulder tense.
How to prompt it
Models respond well to "medium close-up, chest up". Add a shallow depth of field note to separate the subject from the background.
Medium close-up, a man in a dark coat eating noodles at a tiny counter under pink and cyan neon, steam rising, slow dolly-in, anamorphic lens.
11 examples in the library
Neon Noodle Bar
slow dolly-inmedium-close
Something in the Pines
handheldmedium-close
Earthrise Window
slow orbitmedium-close
Night Shift Lab
slow dolly-inmedium-close
Flambe
handheldmedium-close
Omakase
staticmedium-close
Rain Office
staticmedium-close
Reflection
slow push-inmedium-close
Overwatch
slow dolly-inmedium-close