A Close-Up (abbreviated CU in shot lists and scripts) is a shot framing in which the camera is positioned close enough to the subject that it fills the majority of the frame, typically showing a face from the chin to the top of the head, or bringing an object or detail large enough to dominate the composition. It is one of the most powerful and frequently used shot sizes in filmmaking, directing the audience's attention with complete precision.

The close-up is the primary instrument of emotional communication in cinema. By isolating a face from its environment, it removes all contextual distraction and forces the viewer to engage directly with the inner life of the character being shown. Eyes, micro-expressions, and subtle shifts in emotion become the entire subject of the frame. Close-ups are also used to draw attention to objects, text, mechanisms, or physical details that carry narrative significance, creating a visual emphasis that functions like a sentence underlined in a script.

In AI image and video generation, specifying a close-up in a prompt reliably produces tighter framing with the subject filling the frame. It is one of the most effective and predictable compositional instructions available to creators, and combining it with lighting, expression, and mood descriptors produces outputs that consistently reflect the emotional directness the close-up is designed to convey.