Close up
A close-up shot is a photograph or movie shot taken of a subject or object at close range intended to show greater detail to the viewer. If the subject is a person, the close-up starts at the shoulders and ends at the top of the head. You should be able to recognize the imagery in the frame, and if the close-up is on an actor, there will be a much more significant emotional connection between your viewer and the subject or object featured in the shot. Close-up shots signal to the audience that something is important, and this can be a prop or reaction, but often it is best when the subject or object has a significant influence on the story and the viewers understanding of your story.
Can be used for:
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Generate strong emotions
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Signal something important
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Show an actors facial expressions
Medium shot
A medium shot (also referred to as MS), or waist shot is captured at a medium distance from the subject. It is used for dialogue scenes, but also depict body language and more of the setting. Oftentimes it will frame multiple subjects as well as a portion of the background and space in general.
Can be used for:
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Show important action and costumes.
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Glue together separate shots through constant actions.
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Present visuals that are disarming, comedic, and informal.
The medium shot can be used to provide scale between the subject and their surroundings. It can also be used to provide a more intimate perspective of a room, for example, while still giving some broader detail. (example: Jurassic Park)
But at second blush, we can see this medium shot is very effective at presenting where these characters have been.
we can tell by their wounds and the state of their clothes that they’ve seen some serious action. They are "worse for wear."
Their lives have been hard ever since they left the tour.
In a wide shot we'd see that they were lost in the jungle, but we'd lose some of the detail on them. In a closer shot we'd see the details, but we'd lose the big picture. And so instead we have some of each in medium shot.