Shots types: what are they and why do we need them?

2 weeks ago, before I started Media Studies, I did not in any way consider shot types when I was looking through magazines or watching films. As the Media Studies lessons progressed, I learnt that shot types are really important in how a television/film is presented. There are many different shot types such as; Close Up, Point-of-view Shot, Wide Shot and Weather Shot. A shot such a weather shot is important because if a news reporter is reporting on a serious weather case somewhere such as a hurricane, it'll be important that there is a weather shot so that the viewers are able to see what is going on and to see the situation for themselves.
We watched a clip of an EastEnders episode, and saw that shot types are used to show different power levels, for example at the start of the clip, the camera was shown from an above angle making Ray look small and powerless (click below to see clip) - clip can be seen at 6 minutes 45 seconds
EastEnders clip