Transcription: The shutter determines the amount of time that the film is exposed to light coming through the lens. Shutters can expose the film for periods as short as 1 8,000th of a second to one second to hours or even days. The shutter speed, in addition to being a key element of exposure, also controls the sharpness of moving images. Fast shutter speeds render a crisp, accurate slice of the action. Slow shutter speeds render a blurred moving object.