History Main / EstablishingShot

* Just about every movie with a scene inside UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} headquarters involves a shot of a character walking over the seal near the main entrance at Langley, including ''Film/PatriotGames'', ''[[Film/MissionImpossible1996 Mission: Impossible]]'', and ''Film/XMenApocalypse''. The same pattern is used for other big defense organizations like the Pentagon in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' and Omega Sector in ''Film/TrueLies'' or even the LAPD lavishly overdone with water fountains in ''Film/LastActionHero''. Also Taggart Transcontinental in ''Film/AtlasShrugged'', itself a kind of defense organization for Randian values.

** ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' uses an aerial shot of Atlantis as the establishing shot.
* ''Series/ICarly'' have them for pretty much every location, but they aren't always used. Some important places that appear in one episode get them, such as the convention centre that the Carly vs Shelby fight took place in. A few strange examples, such as when Freddie was hit by a truck in ''iSaved Your Life'', they show an establishing shot of a speeding ambulance, but it cuts to Bushwell, where Sam tells Spencer about it, and the scene after Freddie is seen he's at home recovering. In ''iSaved Your Life'', they changed the usual establishing shot of Bushwell Plaza by adding a storm, which was in response to complaints that Seattle which is a very rainy city in real life being completely sunny on the show.

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' uses establishing shots for just about any sketch that doesn't have its own theme song.

** Similarly, while Sacred Heart Hospital in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' frequently has an establishing shot, the shot for the apartment building where the main characters live is only seen a few times in the very first episodes, and then very rarely afterward.

%% * Overused ad nauseum in Tommy Wiseau's ''Film/TheRoom''.

* Just about every movie with a scene inside UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} headquarters involves a shot of a character walking over the seal near the main entrance at Langley, including ''Film/PatriotGames'', ''Film/MissionImpossible'', and ''Film/XMenApocalypse''. The same pattern is used for other big defense organizations like the Pentagon in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' and Omega Sector in ''Film/TrueLies'' or even the LAPD lavishly overdone with water fountains in ''Film/LastActionHero''. Also Taggart Transcontinental in ''Film/AtlasShrugged'', itself a kind of defense organization for Randian values.

CueTheBilliardShot is a SubTrope. Often overlaps with EiffelTowerEffect, when the establishing shot is of an iconic landmark, and with PanFromTheSkyBeginning. See StandardEstablishingSpaceshipShot for, well, spaceships taking a while to fully appear onscreen.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' makes use of these for showing off suburban Brisbane and the Heeler family's hilltop Queenslander home.

* Plenty of examples of this used in ''Series/{{Bones}}'' - particularly an outside shot of the 'Jeffersonian' Museum.

* ''Series/{{The 100}}'' uses a fair number of establishing shots, particularly of TheArk space station. Most notably, the opening credits play out over various locations on Earth as seen from above, with the last location shown [[CouchGag changing each episode]] so that it also serves as an EstablishingShot for the first scene shown after the credits.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobinsonSucroe'' episode 1 begins with a shot of New York.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' makes use of these for showing off suburban Brisbane and the Heeler family's hilltop Queenslander home

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' shows the outside of the house far too often, usually after any sort of passage of time.

-->-- '''Tom Servo''' (on an overly long Establishing Shot), ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', "''Film/Werewolf1996''"

Establishing shots have [[DeadHorseTrope fallen out of favor]] somewhat since the '90s. Movies and TV dramas of the early 2000s (''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'', ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', to name a few) go right into the action of the scene. Captions or title cards may be used instead to establish location or time setting. The ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' franchise uses distinctive title cards to establish time and place.

A wide shot that covers the whole room or background, used to set the scene, and tell the viewer visually where the scene will be taking place. Almost always placed at the beginning of the scene.

Establishing shots have fallen out of favor somewhat since the '90s. Movies and TV dramas of the early 2000s (''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'', ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', to name a few) go right into the action of the scene. Captions or title cards may be used instead to establish location or time setting. The ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' franchise uses distinctive title cards to establish time and place.

Often accomplished, especially in older films, with StockFootage. Expect the addition of a TitleIn.

CueTheBilliardShot is a SubTrope. Often overlaps with EiffelTowerEffect, when the establishing shot is of an iconic landmark, and with PanFromTheSkyBeginning. See StandardSpaceshipEstablishingShot for, well, spaceships taking a while to fully appear onscreen.

CueTheBilliardShot is a SubTrope. Often overlaps with EiffelTowerEffect, when the establishing shot is of an iconic landmark, and with PanFromTheSkyBeginning.

-->-- '''Tom Servo''' (on an overly long Establishing Shot), ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', "''Film/{{Werewolf}}''"

* Overused ad nauseum in Tommy Wiseau's ''Film/TheRoom'', providing some snark bait for the [[Podcast/RiffTrax riffers]].

-->'''[[WebVideo/BestOfTheWorst Rich Evans]]:''' They had to establish the prairie, so they could establish the farm, so they could establish the farmhouse, so they could establish the kitchen counter.

Establishing shots have fallen out of favor somewhat since the '90s. Current movies and TV dramas (''[[Series/TwentyFour 24]]'', ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', to name a few) go right into the action of the scene. Captions or title cards may be used instead to establish location or time setting. The ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' franchise uses distinctive title cards to establish time and place.

CueTheBilliardShot is a SubTrope. Often overlaps with EiffelTowerEffect, when the establishing shot is of an iconic landmark.

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[[caption-width-right:350:''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'']]

* Traditionally, ''Film/StarWars'' material begins with the camera panning down from the starfield after the title scroll finishes to show a planet and often starships going somewhere.