Camera movement is the difference between footage that feels like a slideshow and footage that feels like cinema. AI models understand a wide vocabulary of camera moves — but only if you use the right terms. This guide teaches every essential move, when to use it, and how to prompt it.
Static shots (the underrated foundation)
- Static / locked-off: the camera doesn’t move. Use for dialogue, tension, and letting the subject’s motion carry the shot. “Static locked-off wide shot.”
- Subtle drift: almost imperceptible movement. Adds life without calling attention. “Barely perceptible slow drift.”
Push and pull (the workhorses)
- Push-in / dolly-in: camera moves toward the subject. Builds intensity and focus — the most-used move in dramatic AI video. “Slow dolly-in from medium to close-up.”
- Pull-out / dolly-out: camera moves away. Reveals context, creates relief or loneliness. “Slow pull-out revealing the empty street.”
- Zoom-in: lens zooms rather than camera moving. Feels more artificial and urgent than a dolly — good for reveals and dread. “Slow zoom into her eyes.”
Lateral and orbital moves
- Tracking / dolly lateral: camera moves alongside the subject. The classic walking shot. “Tracking shot moving with the runner, side view.”
- Pan: camera rotates left/right from a fixed position. Follows action or reveals space. “Slow pan across the skyline.”
- Tilt: camera rotates up/down. Reveals height or drops to detail. “Slow tilt up from the shoes to the face.”
- Orbit / arc: camera circles the subject. Dramatic and dimensional — great for products and confrontations. “Slow 180-degree orbit around the character.”
- Crane / jib up: camera rises vertically. Epic reveals, god’s-eye perspective. “Crane shot rising above the rooftops.”
Aerial and FPV
- Aerial establishing: high wide shot, slow forward movement. “Aerial drone shot gliding over the coastline at dawn.”
- FPV dive: fast, aggressive first-person flight. High energy, action content. “FPV drone diving through the canyon.”
Handheld and subjective
- Handheld: slight natural shake. Urgency, realism, documentary feel. “Handheld with subtle shake, following the argument.”
- POV: camera as the character’s eyes. Immersion. “POV shot, hands reaching for the door handle.”
- Whip pan: extremely fast pan between subjects. Energy and transitions. “Whip pan from the detective to the window.”
How to prompt camera moves correctly
- Name the move + direction + speed. “Slow dolly-in” beats “camera moves closer.” Speed words (slow, gradual, fast, rapid) control the feel.
- One move per shot. “Dolly in while panning right and tilting up” confuses the model. Pick the dominant move.
- Anchor start and end framing. “From wide to medium close-up” tells the model the journey. This dramatically improves move quality.
- Match move to emotion. Slow push-in = growing intensity. Fast handheld = chaos. Static = control or tension. The move is storytelling, not decoration.
Moves to avoid (or use sparingly)
- 360-degree spins: models struggle to keep subjects coherent through full rotations. 90–180 degrees is safer.
- Complex compound moves: as above — one move per shot.
- Fast moves on detailed subjects: speed + fine detail = morphing. Slow down or simplify.
- Random movement: “dynamic camera” without specifics produces wandering, seasick footage. Always specify.
Practice drill
Take one subject — a person standing in a street — and generate five versions, each with a different move: static, slow push-in, lateral tracking, orbit, crane up. Watch how the identical subject becomes five different emotional statements. Camera movement is a language; this drill teaches you to speak it. Combine with the full prompting system.