PART 5 Recording and Editing the Production Duration of Shots If a shot is too brief, the viewer will have insufficient time to appreciate its intended infor- mation; if it's held too long, their attention wanders. Thoughts possibly begin to dwell on the sound and then eventually to channel switching. The limit for most subjects is roughly 15 seconds, depending on the complexity of the shot. A static shot has a much shorter time limit! The "correct" duration for a shot depends on its purpose. We may show a hand holding a coin for half a minute as its features are described by a lecturer, whereas in a drama, a one-second shot can tell us that the thief has successfully stolen it from the owner's pocket. Many factors influence how long a shot can be held: The amount of information you want the viewer to assimilate (general impression, minute detail) How obvious and easily discernable the information is Subject familiarity (its appearance, viewpoint, associations, etc.) How much action, change, or movement the shot contains Picture quality (detail and strong composition hold most interest) During an exciting scene, for example, when the duration of shots is made shorter and shorter as the tension grows, the audience is conscious only of growing agitation, and fast-moving action (Figure 17.17).