Establishing shot in AI video prompts: which docs use it
3 of the 24 models' docs use establishing shot: Google Veo, Sora and Wan. An establishing shot opens a scene by showing where it happens, usually from wide. As of 2026-09-25.
An establishing shot opens a scene by showing where it happens, usually from wide.
| Model | How the docs use it | From the docs |
|---|---|---|
| Google Veo | defines it | Wide shot or establishing shot : shows the subject within their broad environment, often used to establish location… |
| Sora | uses it in an example | wide establishing shot, eye level |
| Wan | uses it in an example | Center composition, wide-angle , extreme full shot, backlight, establishing shot, practical light, warm tones. |
Inclusion rule. Models whose own docs define the word, list it as a command or preset, or use it in an example prompt. Order. Alphabetical by model name.
1How the docs use it
Google Veo defines it; Sora and Wan use it in an example.
A word the docs define is one the maker explains to users. A command or preset is one the model is set up to perform on request. A word that appears only in an example prompt is one the maker shows working, without promising more.
The other 21 models' docs do not use it in the pages read: Adobe Firefly, Grok Imagine, Higgsfield, HunyuanVideo 1.5, Kling AI, Leonardo Motion 2.0 and others.
Wide shot or establishing shot : shows the subject within their broad environment, often used to establish location and context at the beginning of a sequence.
Google Cloud, Veo video prompt guide
wide establishing shot, eye level
OpenAI Cookbook, Sora 2 prompting guide
- Camera word: establishing shotThe docs define establishing shot and describe what it does
- Camera word: establishing shotEstablishing shot appears in the docs' own prompt examples
- Camera word: establishing shotEstablishing shot appears in the docs' own prompt examples
2A shot list from a script
Where “Establishing shot” has to be written by hand, SceneMixer's pipeline writes the shots; its guides explain:
SceneMixer generates each character once as a full-body reference sheet — 9:16, plain background, directional key light, identity features written before any technical instruction — and then attaches crops of that sheet to every shot the character appears in.
SceneMixer, AI Character Sheet Generator (read 2026-10-13)
Paste a scene or a short script and SceneMixer gives you a storyboard — numbered shots with framing and seconds — and then a moving version of each segment, which you can join into a rough cut of the scene.
SceneMixer, Using SceneMixer for Previs and Animatics Before a Live-Action Shoot (read 2026-10-13)
3Neighbouring camera words
- wide or long shot: A wide or long shot shows the whole subject and its surroundings, placing a person in a space.
- over-the-shoulder shot: An over-the-shoulder shot frames one person past the shoulder of another.
close-up · medium shot · wide or long shot · over-the-shoulder shot · low angle · high angle · dutch angle · bird's-eye view · point of view · shallow focus