Prompt reference

AI Camera Movements — Prompt Reference

Every camera move as a copy-paste prompt. See what each move does to a shot, then drop the prompt into Kling, Seedance, Higgsfield, Runway, or any AI video tool.

Dolly & Tracking

9 moves

The camera physically travels through the scene — the workhorses of cinematic motion.

SHOT 01 Dolly & Tracking

Dolly In

Physical forward push toward the subject in a straight line — builds intimacy and focus.

dolly in. Movement: move the camera physically forward in a straight line toward the main subject, closing the distance smoothly and steadily. Framing: keep the subject centered as it grows larger in frame. Pace: slow and deliberate, one continuous take, no cuts. Hold consistent lens, lighting, and depth of field throughout.

SHOT 02 Dolly & Tracking

Dolly Out

Physical backward pull away from the subject — reveals context, creates isolation or release.

dolly out. Movement: move the camera physically backward in a straight line away from the main subject, opening up the surrounding space. Framing: keep the subject centered as more of the environment is revealed. Pace: slow and smooth, one continuous take, no cuts. Hold consistent lens, lighting, and grain throughout.

SHOT 03 Dolly & Tracking

Tracking Shot

The camera moves alongside a subject, keeping the framing locked as they travel.

tracking shot. Movement: move through the scene with the main subject, traveling at the same speed and direction so the subject stays in the same part of the frame. Framing: hold the subject at a constant size and position. Pace: steady, matched to the subject's motion, one continuous take. Smooth, gimbal-like stability with consistent lighting.

SHOT 04 Dolly & Tracking

Follow Shot / Over-the-Shoulder

Tracking from behind the subject at shoulder height — puts the viewer in their footsteps.

follow shot from behind. Movement: move behind the subject along their route at roughly shoulder height, keeping a consistent distance as they walk. Framing: the back of the subject's head and shoulders stay in the lower third; the path ahead is revealed. Pace: matched to the subject's walking speed, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 05 Dolly & Tracking

Reverse Tracking / Walk-and-Talk

The camera moves backward in front of a walking subject — classic conversational energy.

reverse tracking shot. Movement: move backward in front of the walking subject, retreating at exactly their pace so they stay the same size in frame while facing the camera. Framing: keep the subject centered, face and upper body visible. Pace: steady walking speed, smooth and continuous, no cuts.

SHOT 06 Dolly & Tracking

Side Tracking

Parallel lateral travel beside the subject — strong foreground/background parallax.

side tracking shot. Movement: move parallel beside the subject along their direction of travel, keeping the camera level and perpendicular to their path. Framing: hold the subject in profile at a constant position in frame. Pace: matched to the subject, one continuous take. Foreground elements streak past for parallax.

SHOT 07 Dolly & Tracking

Low Tracking

Ground- or below-waist-level travel alongside the subject — makes motion feel powerful and fast.

low tracking shot. Movement: move at ground or below-waist height alongside the subject, keeping the camera low and level as it travels with them. Framing: subject reads tall and dominant against the sky or ceiling. Pace: matched to the subject, smooth and continuous, no cuts.

SHOT 08 Dolly & Tracking

Vehicle Tracking

The camera follows a moving vehicle along its route at a matched speed.

vehicle tracking shot. Movement: move with the vehicle along its route, matching its speed and direction so it holds a constant position in frame. Framing: keep the vehicle in the same part of the frame while the road and scenery flow past. Pace: matched to the vehicle, one continuous take, stable and smooth.

SHOT 09 Dolly & Tracking

Chase Shot

Fast, energetic pursuit of a quickly moving subject — kinetic and urgent.

chase shot. Movement: follow a moving subject quickly along the action route, staying close as it darts and turns, with slight organic instability. Framing: keep the subject in frame even as it shifts, tolerating a little lag and reframing. Pace: fast and energetic, one continuous take, sense of urgency.

Zoom & Lens

6 moves

The lens focal length changes while the camera body stays put — punch in or pull out on optics alone.

SHOT 10 Zoom & Lens

Slow Zoom In

Gradual focal-length increase for a tighter, more intimate frame.

slow zoom in. Movement: slowly increase lens focal length toward a tighter frame on the main visual target while the camera body stays in place. Framing: keep the target centered as it fills more of the frame. Pace: very slow and smooth, one continuous take, subtle and creeping. Consistent lighting and grain.

SHOT 11 Zoom & Lens

Slow Zoom Out

Gradual focal-length decrease for a wider, more revealing frame.

slow zoom out. Movement: slowly decrease lens focal length toward a wider frame while the camera body stays in place, gradually revealing more of the scene around the subject. Framing: keep the subject centered as the frame widens. Pace: very slow and smooth, one continuous take.

SHOT 12 Zoom & Lens

Fast Zoom In

Quick, decisive focal-length increase — snaps attention to the subject.

fast zoom in. Movement: quickly increase lens focal length toward the main visual target in one decisive push while the camera body stays put. Framing: land with the target centered and tightly framed. Pace: fast and confident, a single continuous zoom, no cuts.

SHOT 13 Zoom & Lens

Fast Zoom Out

Quick, decisive focal-length decrease — reveals the wider context in a beat.

fast zoom out. Movement: quickly decrease lens focal length away from the main visual target in one decisive pull, rapidly revealing the surrounding scene. Framing: keep the target centered as the frame widens. Pace: fast and confident, one continuous zoom, no cuts.

SHOT 14 Zoom & Lens

Crash Zoom In

A very fast, punchy focal-length snap inward — comedic or dramatic emphasis.

crash zoom in. Movement: snap the lens rapidly toward the main visual target so the frame slams to a tight close-up almost instantly. Framing: end locked on the target, centered and large. Pace: extremely fast, punchy, a single aggressive zoom, no cuts.

SHOT 15 Zoom & Lens

Crash Zoom Out

A very fast, punchy focal-length snap outward — sudden reveal or comedic beat.

crash zoom out. Movement: snap the lens rapidly away from the main visual target so the frame slams out to a wide shot almost instantly. Framing: end with the target small and centered in a wide view. Pace: extremely fast, punchy, one aggressive zoom, no cuts.

Drone & Crane

5 moves

Sweeping vertical and aerial travel through open space — scale, grandeur, and reveals.

SHOT 16 Drone & Crane

Crane Up

Smooth vertical travel upward through open space — expands scale and lifts the eye.

crane up. Movement: travel smoothly upward through open space, lifting the camera vertically while keeping the lens roughly level or tilting slightly down to hold the subject. Framing: the subject shrinks as more of the environment opens below. Pace: smooth and graceful, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 17 Drone & Crane

Crane Down

Smooth vertical travel downward through open space — settles into the scene.

crane down. Movement: travel smoothly downward through open space, lowering the camera vertically toward the subject or ground level. Framing: the subject grows as the camera descends into the scene. Pace: smooth and graceful, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 18 Drone & Crane

Drone Push In

Aerial forward glide toward a subject or destination — cinematic approach.

drone push in. Movement: fly smoothly forward through open space toward the subject or destination, maintaining altitude and a steady heading. Framing: the target grows larger and stays centered as the camera closes in. Pace: smooth, gliding, and continuous, no cuts, subtle aerial stability.

SHOT 19 Drone & Crane

Drone Pull Back

Aerial backward retreat from a subject — the classic epic reveal.

drone pull back. Movement: fly smoothly backward away from the subject, gaining distance and revealing the surrounding landscape while holding altitude. Framing: the subject shrinks and stays centered as the world opens up. Pace: smooth, gliding, and continuous, no cuts.

SHOT 20 Drone & Crane

Helicopter Shot

High-altitude flight across a landscape on a broad path — grand and sweeping.

helicopter-style aerial shot. Movement: move from high altitude along a broad, sweeping flight path across the landscape, with a gentle banking curve. Framing: expansive top-down-ish view of terrain and features passing below. Pace: smooth and majestic, one continuous take, no cuts.

Pan & Tilt

7 moves

The camera rotates from a fixed point — the simplest way to redirect the eye.

SHOT 21 Pan & Tilt

Static Shot

A locked-off, fixed camera — lets the action inside the frame carry the shot.

locked-off static shot. Movement: hold one fixed camera position for the full clip with no pan, tilt, zoom, or travel — the frame is perfectly still. Framing: composed and steady; all motion comes from the subject and scene. Pace: motionless camera, one continuous take.

SHOT 22 Pan & Tilt

Pan Right

Horizontal rotation left-to-right around a fixed point — scans across a scene.

pan right. Movement: rotate the camera horizontally from left to right from one fixed point, sweeping the view across the scene. Framing: reveal new subjects entering from the right edge as earlier ones exit left. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 23 Pan & Tilt

Pan Left

Horizontal rotation right-to-left around a fixed point — scans across a scene.

pan left. Movement: rotate the camera horizontally from right to left from one fixed point, sweeping the view across the scene. Framing: reveal new subjects entering from the left edge as earlier ones exit right. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 24 Pan & Tilt

Whip Pan Right

A fast horizontal snap to a right-side target with heavy motion blur.

whip pan right. Movement: rotate rapidly from the starting direction toward a target on the right, with strong horizontal motion blur during the snap, then settle. Framing: begin on the subject, blur across, and land composed on the new target. Pace: very fast whip, one continuous take.

SHOT 25 Pan & Tilt

Whip Pan Left

A fast horizontal snap to a left-side target with heavy motion blur.

whip pan left. Movement: rotate rapidly from the starting direction toward a target on the left, with strong horizontal motion blur during the snap, then settle. Framing: begin on the subject, blur across, and land composed on the new target. Pace: very fast whip, one continuous take.

SHOT 26 Pan & Tilt

Tilt Up

Upward camera rotation from a fixed point — reveals height and grandeur.

tilt up. Movement: rotate the camera upward from one fixed point, sweeping the view from lower to higher. Framing: start low on the subject or ground and rise to reveal what is above. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 27 Pan & Tilt

Tilt Down

Downward camera rotation from a fixed point — reveals what lies below.

tilt down. Movement: rotate the camera downward from one fixed point, sweeping the view from higher to lower. Framing: start high and descend to reveal the subject or the ground below. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take, no cuts.

Physical Moves

11 moves

The whole camera translates or curves through space while the lens direction is intentional.

SHOT 28 Physical Moves

Truck Right

The camera slides bodily to the right while the lens keeps pointing forward.

truck right. Movement: move the camera physically to the right on a straight lateral line while the lens keeps pointing in the same forward direction. Framing: the scene slides leftward across the frame with foreground/background parallax. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take.

SHOT 29 Physical Moves

Truck Left

The camera slides bodily to the left while the lens keeps pointing forward.

truck left. Movement: move the camera physically to the left on a straight lateral line while the lens keeps pointing in the same forward direction. Framing: the scene slides rightward across the frame with parallax. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take.

SHOT 30 Physical Moves

Pedestal Up

The whole camera lifts straight up while the lens stays level.

pedestal up. Movement: move the entire camera vertically upward in a straight line while keeping the lens level and pointed in the same direction. Framing: the vantage rises without tilting — a true vertical lift. Pace: smooth and steady, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 31 Physical Moves

Pedestal Down

The whole camera lowers straight down while the lens stays level.

pedestal down. Movement: move the entire camera vertically downward in a straight line while keeping the lens level and pointed in the same direction. Framing: the vantage lowers without tilting. Pace: smooth and steady, one continuous take, no cuts.

SHOT 32 Physical Moves

Slider Right

A small lateral slide to the right — subtle parallax that adds life to a shot.

slider right. Movement: slide the camera a small distance to the right on a smooth linear track, a short controlled travel. Framing: subject stays roughly centered while foreground and background separate with gentle parallax. Pace: slow and refined, one continuous take.

SHOT 33 Physical Moves

Slider Left

A small lateral slide to the left — subtle parallax that adds life to a shot.

slider left. Movement: slide the camera a small distance to the left on a smooth linear track, a short controlled travel. Framing: subject stays roughly centered while foreground and background separate with gentle parallax. Pace: slow and refined, one continuous take.

SHOT 34 Physical Moves

Push Past / Pass-by Shot

Forward travel past a foreground object into deeper space — layered depth reveal.

push past. Movement: move forward past a visible foreground object so it sweeps close by the lens and out of frame, then continue into the deeper space beyond. Framing: use the foreground element as a wipe that reveals the subject behind. Pace: smooth and continuous, one take.

SHOT 35 Physical Moves

Arc Right

A shallow curved path around the subject toward the right side.

arc right. Movement: move on a shallow curved path around the main subject toward its right side, keeping the lens trained on the subject throughout. Framing: the subject stays centered while the background rotates behind it. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take.

SHOT 36 Physical Moves

Arc Left

A shallow curved path around the subject toward the left side.

arc left. Movement: move on a shallow curved path around the main subject toward its left side, keeping the lens trained on the subject throughout. Framing: the subject stays centered while the background rotates behind it. Pace: smooth and even, one continuous take.

SHOT 37 Physical Moves

Orbit Clockwise

A full circular sweep around the subject in a clockwise direction.

clockwise orbit. Movement: circle clockwise around the main subject at a constant radius, keeping the lens locked on the subject the entire way. Framing: subject stays centered while the environment revolves fully behind it. Pace: smooth and continuous, even angular speed, one take.

SHOT 38 Physical Moves

Orbit Counterclockwise

A full circular sweep around the subject in a counterclockwise direction.

counterclockwise orbit. Movement: circle counterclockwise around the main subject at a constant radius, keeping the lens locked on the subject the entire way. Framing: subject stays centered while the environment revolves fully behind it. Pace: smooth and continuous, even angular speed, one take.

Human Camera

2 moves

Movement that reads as a person holding or wearing the camera — raw, embodied energy.

SHOT 39 Human Camera

Handheld Shot

Operator-held camera at human height with organic, body-driven micro-movement.

handheld shot. Movement: hold the camera at human operator height with natural, organic instability — subtle sway, breathing, and micro-corrections as if carried by a person. Framing: keep the subject roughly centered with a little live reframing. Pace: loose and alive, documentary feel, one continuous take.

SHOT 40 Human Camera

Body-Mounted Camera / Snorricam

Camera rigged to the subject's body — they stay locked in frame while the world spins around them.

body-mounted Snorricam. Movement: keep the camera fixed relative to the subject's torso and face so the subject stays perfectly still and centered in frame while the entire background moves, sways, and rotates around them. Framing: subject locked dead-center. Pace: disorienting and intense, one continuous take.

Specials

6 moves

Signature, effect-driven moves for hooks, transitions, and scroll-stopping reveals.

SHOT 41 Specials

First-Person View

Forward travel from the character's own eye-level perspective — immersive POV.

first-person view. Movement: move forward at human eye height from the character's own point of view, as if the viewer is the one walking through the scene, with subtle head-motion bob. Framing: hands or path may enter frame; the world approaches naturally. Pace: matched to walking, one continuous take.

SHOT 42 Specials

Tilt-Shift

High-angled view with selective focus that makes a real scene look like a miniature model.

tilt-shift miniature view. Movement: hold or glide gently from a high angled view looking down on the scene, with a narrow band of sharp focus and heavy blur above and below it. Framing: wide overhead of small figures and vehicles that read as toys. Pace: slow, subtle glide, one continuous take.

SHOT 43 Specials

Infinite Zoom

A continuous, unending inward zoom toward a single centered target — hypnotic.

infinite zoom. Movement: zoom continuously inward toward the exact center target without stopping, so the frame appears to fall endlessly into the point of focus. Framing: the center target stays fixed while everything expands outward past the edges. Pace: constant, seamless, one continuous take.

SHOT 44 Specials

Earth Zoom Out

A rapid expanding pull from street level all the way out to planetary scale.

earth zoom out. Movement: pull upward from the starting point through street, city, country, and continent scales, accelerating outward until the whole planet is in view. Framing: the origin point stays centered as scale expands massively. Pace: fast, continuous, escalating, one take.

SHOT 45 Specials

Time-Lapse

A fixed camera with time compressed — clouds race, light shifts, crowds blur past.

locked-camera time-lapse. Movement: hold one fixed camera position while time moves quickly — clouds streak, light and shadows sweep across, and people or traffic blur through the frame. Framing: steady, composed, unchanging camera. Pace: real-world time heavily compressed, one continuous take.

SHOT 46 Specials

Pass-Through Objects

Forward travel straight through a surface or barrier into the space revealed beyond.

pass-through movement. Movement: move forward toward a visible object, surface, or barrier and continue straight through it, punching into the space revealed on the other side. Framing: the surface fills and clears the frame as a transition. Pace: smooth and purposeful, one continuous take, no cuts.

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