Shot Types: Shot Subject

Learn how to properly use "Shot Subject" in your screenplay sluglines, including popular formats like CLOSE ON and INSERT, and when it is necessary to include them.

ByWilliam Robert Rich
Jun 10, 2011
UpdatedOct 22, 2025
Screenplay Blog

Who or what is being featured in the shot?

It can be a person, place, or a thing — some people calls it a noun. The subject will follow the shot type, or it can be alone. There’s only one thing to remember: keep out the action!

From Thor by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz, and Don Payne:

ODIN
Sitting atop his throne, clad in full ceremonial armor. He holds his spear GUNGNIR before him. Any trace of weakness in him is gone now. He exudes all the power and majesty of a Ruler of Asgard.

ODIN

Sitting atop his throne, clad in full ceremonial armor. He holds his spear GUNGNIR before him. Any trace of weakness in him is gone now. He exudes all the power and majesty of a Ruler of Asgard.

From Robocop by Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner:

THE DOORS
open on ED 209, a robotic, seven-foot headless hunchback with arms that end in cannon muzzles.

THE DOORS

open on ED 209, a robotic, seven-foot headless hunchback with arms that end in cannon muzzles.

William Robert Rich

William Robert Rich is the editor of ScreenplayHowTo.com (SHT) and co-author of Story Maps: The Films of Christopher Nolan.

Based in Brooklyn, New York, William's unique approach to narrative analysis fuses his background as a former teacher and a software engineer. He realized that the efficient logic of code and the clear pedagogy of the classroom could be applied directly to screenwriting.

This data-driven approach allows him to rigorously analyze a screenplay's logic and identify structural inconsistencies, forming the foundation of all the high-authority beat sheets and structural insights featured on SHT. He makes the engineering of a great story easy to learn.

Articles: 178