A three-shot is a shot that frames three subjects within the composition simultaneously, typically positioned to suggest a relationship or dynamic between all three people or figures in the frame. Like the two-shot, the three-shot is a framing category defined by the number of subjects included rather than by the distance from which they are shot, and can be executed at any scale from full shot to medium shot depending on the intended framing.

Three-shots present a compositional challenge that two-shots do not: with three subjects, the question of how to arrange them within the frame becomes more complex. The most common arrangement places one subject in the center and one on each side, or positions them at varying depths to create a triangular composition that uses all three planes of the frame. The relationships implied between the three subjects, who is positioned prominently, who is in the background, who faces which direction, carry significant narrative information. In television drama and soap opera, three-shots are used extensively to capture conversations and confrontations involving three characters without cutting between singles. In commercial and advertising contexts, three-shots are used for group presentations, product demonstrations with multiple talent, and establishing ensemble casts. The three-shot requires careful choreography of blocking to avoid subjects obscuring each other and to maintain clear sightlines between all three figures.

In AI video and image generation, specifying "three people in the frame," "a three-shot of the group," or describing the spatial arrangement of three subjects clearly helps the generation system understand the intended composition. Including details about the relative positions and the scale of framing, such as "three figures in medium shot, one at center, two flanking," produces more reliably composed results.