Camera Academy

The camera is half the prompt.

Students default to describing people. The shots that look professional describe where the camera is and what it does. Learn the vocabulary here, then use it in every prompt you write.

Shot library

Twelve shot sizes and angles

Extreme wide shot

Places a figure in a landscape. Scale and isolation.

Wide shot

Establishes the geography of a scene. Always generate this first.

Medium shot

Waist up. The default conversation and action shot.

Medium close-up

Chest up. Best size for lip sync and presenters.

Close-up

Face fills the frame. One emotion, held.

Extreme close-up

Eyes, hands, a detail. Punctuation between wider shots.

Over the shoulder

Puts the viewer behind a character in a two-person scene.

POV

The camera is the character's eyes. Add handheld for believability.

Low angle

Camera below eye line. Power, threat, scale.

High angle

Camera above eye line. Vulnerability, observation.

Bird's eye

Straight down. Pattern, geometry, a sense of fate.

Dutch angle

Tilted horizon. Unease. Use once per film, not once per shot.

Movement

Camera moves, and how to ask for them

Move	What it does	Write this in the prompt
Dolly / push-in	Moves toward the subject. Builds pressure and attention.	camera pushes in slowly toward her face
Pull-out	Moves away. Reveals context or ends a beat.	camera pulls back to reveal the empty stadium
Tracking	Travels alongside a moving subject at the same speed.	camera tracks beside him at hip height
Crane / rise	Lifts vertically. Turns a moment into an ending.	camera rises above the rooftops
Drone	Large sweeping aerial movement over a landscape.	slow drone push over the harbour at dawn
Pan	Rotates horizontally from a fixed point. Follows or scans.	camera pans right across the workshop
Tilt	Rotates vertically. Reveals height or drops to a detail.	camera tilts up the length of the tower
Orbit	Circles the subject. The product and reveal move.	camera orbits the bottle to the right
Handheld	Small human instability. Documentary and urgency.	handheld, slight sway and focus hunt
Locked off	No movement at all. Comedy timing and clean product shots.	locked-off camera on a tripod

One move per shot

A push-in that also orbits and tilts produces mush. Pick the move that does the shot's job and stop there.

Match the move to the subject

When the subject moves, the camera should travel with it or hold still. Moving both in opposite directions rarely reads.

Slow motion is not a move

Slow motion with a static camera stalls the clip. Combine it with a slow travel, or drop it.