shoot a scene

Meaning

This phrase means to film a specific part of a movie, television show, or video. It is a standard industry term used by filmmakers, actors, and fans alike. It refers to the physical act of recording the action with a camera.

Examples

• The crew had to block the street for three hours to shoot a scene.

  The crew had to block the street for three hours to shoot a scene.

• We are going to shoot a scene in the local diner tomorrow morning.

  We are going to shoot a scene in the local diner tomorrow morning.

• The actors had to shoot the emotional scene multiple times to get it right.

  The actors had to shoot the emotional scene multiple times to get it right.

• They decided to shoot a scene in the rain, which made the filming process very difficult.

  They decided to shoot a scene in the rain, which made the filming process very difficult.

• It took the director a whole day just to shoot a scene that lasts two minutes on screen.

  It took the director a whole day just to shoot a scene that lasts two minutes on screen.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We are going to make a scene tomorrow morning.

  ✓ We are going to shoot a scene tomorrow morning.

  'Make a scene' is a different idiom meaning to cause a public disturbance. To film, use 'shoot a scene'.

• ✗ The director filmed a scene with a camera.

  ✓ The director shot a scene.

  While 'filmed a scene' is grammatically correct, 'shoot/shot a scene' is the more natural, common collocation used by native speakers.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The actors arrived early at the studio to ___.

  💡 Film a part of the movie.

  Show answer

  shoot a scene

• It's hard to ___ in public places because of all the background noise.

  💡 Record a segment of video.

  Show answer

  shoot a scene