Extreme close-up

What it is

Only a detail: the eyes, lips, fingers or part of an object.

When to use it

Magnifies the meaning of a detail; builds tension or hints.

When not to

Before the audience knows whose or what the detail is.

Often confused with

• Close-up

  A close-up shows the whole face; an extreme close-up never does.

Common generation mistakes

• SymptomThe model returns the whole face.

  FixState only the eyes, the full face never in frame.

Combinations Rolin checks

• Auto-fixed

  Negative space needs a small subject, not a close-up

  Rolin will: clear Composition
• Warning

  Frame-within-frame or layered depth is lost in an extreme close-up