Shining and dark.
Shots are not the only thing governed by genre and theme. For instance, how can one write about both romantic and dramatic archetypes in a story that is, itself, just a drama? Or a story which fluctuates between both genres but requires both archetypes in any given point?
If you have a man smoking on his porch, say, and you have a shot of his hand holding the cigarette, this is a dramatic shot. (You are exaggerating a simple, symbolic element of that moment). A long shot of the man's silhouette against a sunset, however, is a romantic shot. It relates him to nature, it connects him to a larger area. (I am talking solely of visuals. They are, after all, the crux of a proper story).
So. You have a romantic scene in a dramatic story, or vice versa. How can you achieve such focus whilst maintaining cohesion? You apply the romantic/dramatic principle to an element which normally does not have technique attached to it within the context of your story.
An element like blocking (the character's movement):
Example: You are writing a Drama. But your romantic archetype is outside and you want him in a romantic long shot. Go ahead and do it; but ensure that the blocking is dramatic. He stood up. He went inside the house. (This is what I call one beat one beat structure. It is dramatic. A beat is one subject and up to one object).
Opposite: You are writing a Romance. But your dramatic archetype is outside and you want a dramatic shot of his cigarette. This time, do it and ensure that the blocking is romantic. He stood up in one fluid motion and entered his home. (I call this structure dual beat because it connects two actions/possible objects to the same subject stated once. It is also made romantic by the implications that words like fluid and his home bring into the statement; I am asking the reader to accept those implications if I am writing Romance).
In Drama there are NO implications other than what the METAPHORS put there, and the metaphors must be direct and concrete, like the cigarette. You can still have a personalized perspective in Drama; but you must take the subjective elements of that POV and MAKE them objective; whatever is true for that POV is true, period.
Examples:
Romantic: He felt sickness creeping into him; he had a headache.
Dramatic: He pressed sweaty knuckles against his head. He was sick.
You may also notice that I switched the order of statement/description for the dramatic version. That's a Randian thing; it's not necessary but it adds some punch. It's a lesson for another time.
I refer to Romance and Drama because they go well together even though they are different, and they can often cross over. I have just outlined one of countless ways to approach tone in writing. There is no wrong or right way, but there is correct and incorrect. Make your writing correct.