Outside of film, a close-up just means close. And honestly, it's fine to not know a lot of film jargon. A lot of the time it's used on set so people can feel "filmy". But it is useful if you're adding notes to a script or storyboard to quickly clarify exactly how a shot is supposed to be framed.

So, without further ado, here's a quick guide to shot sizes and abbreviations.

FS Full Shot — head to toe

MFS Medium Full Shot — thighs up. Also called the "Cowboy Shot"

MS Medium Shot — waist up

MCS Medium Close Shot — chest up

CS Close Shot — shoulders and head

WCU Wide Close-up — top of chest to crown

FCU Full Close-up — chin to crown

MCU Medium Close-up — eyes to lips

ECU/XCU Extreme Close-up — single feature

There's not much to it. Just like in real life, the closer you get, the more intimate everything gets. Just like in real life, you'll want to think whether being intimate is appropriate right now, or something you'll regret.

We've built an interactive cheat sheet, along with a quiz, so you can practice matching the abbreviations to the frames — and the frames to what they actually communicate. Give it a go, and let me know if you hit a perfect score!