Video Scriptwriting and Camera Angles

In screenwriting, writers are discouraged from including camera angles in their scripts. However, in video scriptwriting for the corporate sector, you have the freedom to add angle descriptions. (Keep in mind the director is going to bring his or her own ideas on how to shoot the various scenes, so don't surprised to see changes in the finished video.)

One recommendation I'd like to make about writing camera angles is not too worry about including them in your early drafts. I find inserting technical instructions while trying to write the visual narrative and dialogue slows me down. Get the content right first.

Below are common camera angles and their abbreviations:

CU - Close Up
ECU - Extreme Close Up
MS - Medium Shot
LS - Long Shot

See the pictures below for how a subject is framed using these camera angles. (From the excellent book The Scriptwriter's Handbook by William Van Nostran.)