das
Shooting
📸 What Exactly is "das Shooting"?
The word Shooting is an Anglicism adopted into German and firmly established. It generally refers to:
- A photo session or Fotoshooting: The professional taking of photographs, often for fashion (Mode), advertising (Werbung), portraits (Porträts), or other purposes.
- Filming or Dreharbeiten for a movie (Film), TV show (Fernsehsendung), or video (Video).
It is always used with the neuter article das: das Shooting.
🚨 Caution: In German, "Shooting" almost exclusively refers to the field of photography and film. The English meaning related to using firearms is expressed differently in German (e.g., die Schießerei, das Schießen).
Article rules for der, die, and das
Many foreign words → mostly neutral.
There are many foreign words, we won't list them all.
📖 Grammar Spotlight: Das Shooting
Das Shooting is a noun of the neuter gender (Neutrum). It is treated like most Anglicisms ending in "-ing".
Declension Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Who/What?) | das | Shooting |
| Accusative (Whom/What?) | das | Shooting |
| Dative (To whom/What?) | dem | Shooting |
| Genitive (Whose?) | des | Shootings |
Declension Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Shootings |
| Accusative | die | Shootings |
| Dative | den | Shootings |
| Genitive | der | Shootings |
Real-life Example Sentences
- Für die neue Werbekampagne ist morgen ein großes Shooting geplant.
(A big shooting is planned for tomorrow for the new advertising campaign.) - Das Model bereitete sich auf das Shooting vor.
(The model prepared for the shooting.) - Wir waren mit den Ergebnissen des Shootings sehr zufrieden.
(We were very satisfied with the results of the shooting.) - Während des Shootings gab es eine kurze Pause.
(There was a short break during the shooting.) - Die Location für die Shootings wurde sorgfältig ausgewählt.
(The location for the shootings was carefully selected.)
🎬 When to Use 'das Shooting'?
Das Shooting is primarily used in contexts related to professional photography or film production.
- Fashion industry (Modebranche): Very common for photographing models and collections (Modeshooting).
- Advertising (Werbung): For product photos or commercials (Werbeshooting).
- Film & TV (Film & Fernsehen): As a synonym for Dreharbeiten (filming).
- Portrait photography (Porträtfotografie): When taking professional photos of people (Porträtshooting).
- Journalism/Media (Journalismus/Medien): In connection with photo or video productions for reports.
It's a relatively modern word and part of the jargon in these industries, but it's also generally understood in everyday language. Older or more formal alternatives include die Fotoaufnahme(n) (photo recording(s)), die Filmaufnahme(n) (film recording(s)), or die Dreharbeiten (filming, plural only).
🧠 Mnemonics for 'das Shooting'
For the Article (das): Think of das Foto or das Bild (the photo, the picture). A shooting produces pictures. Many words for concrete results or events in German are neuter (das Ereignis - the event). So: das Shooting.
For the Meaning: Imagine a photographer taking "shots" with their camera – *click, click, click*. This kind of "Shooting" aims for great pictures, not something harmful. It's a creative process, an event -> das Ereignis -> das Shooting.
🔄 Similar and Opposing Terms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
Antonyms (Opposites - context-dependent):
- Die Pause: The break (during the shooting).
- Die Vorbereitung: The preparation (phase before the shooting).
- Die Nachbearbeitung / Postproduktion: The post-processing / post-production (phase after the shooting).
- Die Absage: The cancellation (if the shooting doesn't happen).
⚠️ Potential for Confusion:
- Das Schießen: Refers to the act of shooting with firearms.
- Der Shoot: Sometimes used colloquially, but "das Shooting" is the correct and standard term.
😂 A Little Joke
(DE) Fragt der Regisseur den Kameramann beim Outdoor-Shooting: "Hast du den Sonnenuntergang im Kasten?"
Antwortet der Kameramann: "Nein, aber ich habe ein tolles Foto von der Wolke gemacht, die davor war!"
(EN) The director asks the cameraman during an outdoor shooting: "Did you capture the sunset?"
The cameraman replies: "No, but I got a great photo of the cloud that was in front of it!"
✍️ Poem about the Shooting
(DE)
Im Studio hell, die Lampen an,
Das Shooting fängt jetzt richtig an.
Die Kamera klickt, ein Blitz erhellt,
Ein Bild entsteht, das uns gefällt.
Model posiert, mal ernst, mal froh,
Der Fotograf ruft: "Ebenso!"
Für Mode, Kunst, perfekt ins Licht,
Entsteht ein Werk, ein Angesicht.
(EN)
In the studio bright, the lamps are on,
The shooting now truly has begun.
The camera clicks, a flash illuminates,
An image forms that fascinates.
Model poses, serious or glad,
The photographer shouts: "Just like that!"
For fashion, art, perfectly in light,
A work appears, a face so bright.
❓ Little Riddle
(DE)
Ich brauch' 'ne Kamera, Licht und oft ein Modell,
Mal drinnen im Studio, mal draußen ganz schnell.
Ob Film oder Foto, das Ziel ist die Kunst,
Wie nennt man die Session mit Können und Gunst?
(EN)
I need a camera, light, and often a model's face,
Sometimes in the studio, or a fast outdoor space.
Whether film or photo, art is the aim,
What do you call this session, this skillful game?
(Solution: das Shooting)
💡 Other Interesting Facts
Word type: Noun, Neuter
Origin (Herkunft): The word "Shooting" is a direct loanword from English ("shooting"). In German, it has specialized to mean photo and film sessions.
Prevalence (Verbreitung): Especially common in the media, fashion, and advertising industries, but also known in general language use.
Compounds (Zusammensetzungen): Often part of compound words like Fotoshooting (photo shoot), Modeshooting (fashion shoot), Videoshooting (video shoot), Outdoor-Shooting (outdoor shoot), Indoor-Shooting (indoor shoot).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Shooting?
The German word "Shooting" is always neuter, so the correct article is das Shooting. It refers to a photo session or film shoot and is a common Anglicism in these fields.