Master shot

The whole scene in one continuous wide take: geography, blocking and performance held complete. The edit's safety and its spine.

The master records the scene entire, wide enough to hold everyone, long enough to play beginning to end. Coverage then mines closer angles, but the master remains the reference: where bodies were, when moves happened, how the room breathes. Cuts leave and return to it the way music returns to its key.

Its production logic is insurance and discipline at once: with a master in the can, the scene cannot be lost, and shooting it first forces blocking to be truly solved. Some directors stage masters so complete they barely cut them; at that point the master stops being safety and becomes the style.