Cinematographers have an advantage over still photographers because they get to put a different photo in front of the eyes of the viewer every 3 seconds. In a movie, especially when there is a shift in location or time, the following sequence of "crops" of the same scene and action are typically used:

Wide establishing shot

Establishes a new scene and provides the context for everything which follows.

Medium Shot

A loosely cropped shot in which the people in it and the background occupy the same amount of space in the frame. It identifies who in important in the scene. A "medium" shot is the most difficult to pull off effectively because if there is too much background in the shot more attention will be given to it at expense of the subject or intended center of interest.

Close-up

Once the context of "actors" and setting are established in the two wider views, it really isn't necessary to even include the background. The camera can zoom in tighter - close enough to see the action from the point of view of an outside observer.

Cutaway

"Cutaway" is a term of art in cinema where the point of view of the camera shifts around to see the action from the point of view of the person in the photo. Up to this point we've been impartial observers of the setting and action. In a cut-away sequence you might see a close up of two starry-eyed lovers in profile looking deeply at each other, followed by a cutaway close up of her face as seen by him, followed by a cutaway close up of his face as seen by her, followed by another "fly on the wall" close up of the two lip-locked -- fade to black - THE END.

Cinematographers think in terms of developing the story on a time line, using the different views and timing if the sequences to create a desired mood. On a perceptual level a progression of tighter crops of the same scene has the effect of pulling the viewer closer to the action which on a emotional level tends to evoke a stronger reaction.

Still photographers, especially beginners, tend to think in terms of how to distill the story into a single perfect shot. Beginners tend to try to make every shot a medium view and as a result wind up with photos filled distractions pull attention away from the center of interest in the foreground.

The cinematic formula works well if trying to tell a complete story with a series of photos for a web page, slideshow or editorial layout. Including a wider establishing shot at the beginning of a series provides the context which allow shooting closer views without a need for distracting background context. There no need to rigidly follow the formula and shoot a scene. It is simply a way to help open up your eyes to the more complete story and how best to convey it to someone else visually so they react on an emotional level the same way. Some close-up detail might attract your attention and motivate taking the first shot. Rather than trying to add background context to what interests you grab the close-up, then back up and shoot the wide and medium shots needed to put the close-up into context. Cutaways add interest because they show a different point of view. If you are shooting a photo of someone doing something, remember to take some close-ups of their hands, tools and the view over their shoulder.

Even when the goal is one shot, shooting the different views will provide a wider range of shots to choose from. It gets you thinking about whether a shot too much or too little context and helps in spotting and eliminating unnecessary distractions.

I created the story below a few years ago using this cinematic approach: