Shot-for-shot


Shot-for-shot is a way to describe a visual work that is transferred almost completely identically from the original work without much interpretation.

Production uses

In the film industry, most screenplays are adapted into a storyboard by the director and/or storyboard artists to visually represent the director's vision for each shot, so that the crew can understand what is being aimed for.

Examples

From comics/graphic novels to film

Some films are remade in an almost identical "frame-to-frame" fashion.
In the early days of sound film, it was common for Hollywood studios to produce foreign language versions of their films using the same sets and costumes but a different set of actors as the original. Although a different director would be brought in for the foreign-language version, they would have access to the daily footage from the English language production and would often use the same shots and camera setups. Often the result would be similar to a 'shot-to-shot' remake, although in some notable examples, the alternate director exercised more creative freedom.

Animation to animation

Many Japanese anime series that are based on a preceding manga series strive to adapt the story without many changes. If the anime and manga are being produced concurrently, however, and should the anime overtake the release of new source material, the producers might then be forced to create their own new ending to the story, go on hiatus, or create a "filler arc" with an original story arc that non-canonically continues the story until more material has been created.

Homage

Some directors pay tribute/homage to other works by including scenes that are identical.
Many comedy works that rely heavily on parody use shot-for-shot as a substance of humor.