Camera words: 28 terms and the docs that use them
Each page takes one camera or framing term and lists the models whose docs define it, list it as a command or preset, or use it in an example prompt, quoting each. As of 2026-09-25.
A word in the docs is a strong hint the model was taught it; a word only in a preset list may only work through that preset.
Only models whose docs use the word appear on its page.
1On this reel
- Aerial shot — An aerial or drone shot looks down from height, usually moving, to show a landscape or a sense of scale. 5 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Bird's-eye view — A bird's-eye or top-down shot looks straight down on a scene, turning it into something like a map. 4 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Bullet time — Bullet time slows or freezes a moment while the camera appears to travel around it, an effect from action cinema. 3 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Close-up — A close-up frames a face or a detail tightly. 10 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Crane — A crane move lifts or lowers the camera through space, often in a sweep, for reveals and endings. 5 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Dolly — A dolly move carries the whole camera toward, away from or alongside a subject. 7 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Dolly zoom — A dolly zoom moves the camera one way while zooming the other, so the subject keeps its size while the background stretches or shrinks. 4 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Dutch angle — A dutch angle tilts the frame so the horizon runs at a slant, used for unease or disorientation. 2 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Establishing shot — An establishing shot opens a scene by showing where it happens, usually from wide. 3 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Handheld — Handheld means an operator holds the camera, so the frame breathes and shakes. 9 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- High angle — A high angle looks down on the subject from above, making it seem smaller or more exposed. 4 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Low angle — A low angle looks up at the subject from below, making it seem larger or more powerful. 6 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Medium shot — A medium shot frames a person from about the waist up, balancing expression with body language and a little of the setting. 7 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Orbit or arc — An orbit or arc moves the camera around the subject on a curved path, keeping it at the centre of frame. 7 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Over-the-shoulder shot — An over-the-shoulder shot frames one person past the shoulder of another. 3 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Pan — A pan turns the camera left or right from a fixed point, the way a head turns. 9 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Pedestal — A pedestal raises or lowers the whole camera while it keeps looking level. 2 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Point of view — A point-of-view shot shows what a character sees, putting the viewer in the character's place. 3 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Pull-out — A pull-out moves the camera away from the subject to reveal where it is, often closing a scene or showing isolation. 3 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Push-in — A push-in moves the camera slowly toward the subject to build intimacy or tension. 5 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Shallow focus — Shallow focus keeps only a thin slice of the scene sharp, isolating the subject against a soft background. 2 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Static shot — A static or locked-off shot does not move. 7 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Tilt — A tilt turns the camera up or down from a fixed point. 9 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Tracking shot — A tracking shot follows a moving subject, alongside, behind or ahead of it, keeping pace as it moves. 7 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Truck — A truck moves the whole camera sideways, parallel to the subject. 2 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Whip pan — A whip pan turns so fast the image blurs, often used to jump between two subjects or two places. 2 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Wide or long shot — A wide or long shot shows the whole subject and its surroundings, placing a person in a space. 5 of the 24 models' docs use it.
- Zoom — A zoom changes the focal length of the lens, enlarging or shrinking the subject without moving the camera. 9 of the 24 models' docs use it.
2A shot list from a script
Where “Camera words” has to be written by hand, SceneMixer's pipeline writes the shots; its guides explain:
Under the AI edit box sit eight buttons: Change a line, Change an action, Change the mood, Time and weather, Change the camera, Remove someone, Add a voice-over and Change the location.
SceneMixer, The Eight Quick Requests in AI Edit, With Examples That Work (read 2026-10-13)
A location can hold multiple sub-plates for different camera positions, generated together, so cutting around a space stays coherent.
SceneMixer, AI Scene Generator — “Can one location have several camera angles?” (read 2026-10-13)