What is a Money Shot — A Film’s Best & Most Expensive Shot

Money shot meaning

The definition of money shot

If you’ve ever been on set, or been around a photographer at work, you’ve likely heard someone exclaim: “That’s the money shot!” So what do they mean?

By their very definition, money shots are extremely important to a film and visual media generally. Let’s look at how to achieve one.

Filming a money shot

How to get a money shot

In film, money shots can take a variety of forms. In fact, it’s vital that they do. If your movie’s money shot looks derivative, it’s going to likely feel anticlimactic.

Be original

So at its core, a money shot should be unique to your film, something that an audience will likely walk away remembering. This might mean employing cinematic techniques like a showy camera move, dramatic lighting, eye-popping mise-en-scene, or all the above.

Encapsulate your movie

Typically, you’ll want your money shot to deliver on the promise of the premise. In other words, it should show the audience what they came to see. If it’s a monster movie, this is the monster in all their glory. If it’s an action flick, this is the jaw-dropping set piece. A comedy, this is the funniest moment.

Timing is everything

Where you place your money shot is an important consideration. If it’s too early, the rest of your film may risk feeling underwhelming or anticlimactic. Typically, the money shot is near the climax of the story, the result of where the entire movie has been heading.

What are money shots in different media

Money shots across industries

The money shot isn’t just limited to film. It can be found in a wide array of media.

Journalism

In journalism, the money shot refers to an image that will titillate the most viewers. In television news, for example, this may be footage of a natural disaster as it occurs. In print, it might be a choice paparazzi photo that can be prominently featured to get more people to pick up the publication.

Talk shows

Talk shows are all about emotion– getting the guest, and by extension the audience, to feel something. So the money shot in this context is the shot where that emotion is most encapsulated, like a guest breaking down in tears.

Forensics

Yes, the term is even used in law enforcement and surveillance. Here, “money shot” can be used to describe an image that incriminates a suspect, perhaps found off of a spectator’s phone or a security camera.

Money shot examples

Famous money shots

As we’ve said, money shots are memorable. So it’s no surprise that there’s a plethora of famous movie moments that could be categorized as money shots. Remember, it’s all subjective.

King of the World — Titanic

Perhaps the king of all money shots, Jack’s exclamation during Titanic is instantly iconic, and boasts a sweeping wide shot to stun us visually while our emotions swell.

This is the End — Apocalypse Now

A rare moment where the money shot can be found at the beginning of a film, the opening sequence of Apocalypse Now is instantly burned into a viewer’s mind. It meets both qualifications, memorable and extremely expensive.

Atlanta Burning — Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind may be memorable for its many negative qualities, but the burning of Atlanta scene is memorable for its epic visuals. It’s an eye-popping moment in one of the most successful films of all time.

A bird, a plane… — Superman

This is what we’re talking about when we talk about delivering on the promise of the premise. A Superman movie has to show Superman flying, and that moment is particularly memorable in 1978’s Superman, where the visual effects required were cutting edge.

Up Next

Cinematography explained

If you want an effective money shot, you’ll need some good cinematography. As our examples highlight, a cinematographer can elevate a climactic moment to an unforgettable one. We run down what cinematography is, and how one can approach it.

What is cinematography? →