95 techniques
Speak the language of cinema
Video models respond to the vocabulary of filmmaking. Each technique comes with the words to drop into your prompt and real videos that use it.
Shot size
Extreme wide shot
The subject is tiny inside a vast environment, so the place becomes the story.
extreme wide shot, tiny subject dwarfed by a vast environmentWide shot
Shows the whole subject and enough of the surroundings to read the geography of the scene.
wide shot showing the full subject within its surroundingsFull shot
Head to toe framing, ideal for movement, costume and body language.
full body shot, head to toe in frameCowboy shot
Cuts at mid-thigh, keeping presence and the hands in frame.
cowboy shot framed from mid-thigh upMedium shot
Waist up, the natural distance of conversation.
medium shot from the waist upClose-up
Fills the frame with a face or object to bring emotion and detail forward.
close-up filling the frame, fine skin and texture detailExtreme close-up
A single eye, a fingertip, a drop: intimacy pushed until it becomes tension.
extreme close-up on a single detail, macro-level textureInsert shot
A short detail shot that tells the viewer exactly what matters.
tight insert shot of the key objectTwo-shot
Two characters share the frame and the distance between them says everything.
two-shot with both characters sharing the frameOver-the-shoulder
Frames one character past the other’s shoulder, the grammar of dialogue.
over-the-shoulder shot, foreground shoulder softly out of focusEstablishing shot
Opens a sequence by telling us where and when we are.
establishing shot of the location at the start of the scenePOV shot
The camera becomes the character’s eyes.
first-person POV shot through the character’s eyes
Camera movement
Locked-off shot
The camera does not move at all, so every movement in frame counts.
locked-off static camera on a tripod, no camera movementDolly in
A slow move toward the subject that builds focus and tension.
slow dolly in toward the subjectDolly out
Pulling away reveals context or leaves a character alone.
slow dolly out revealing the surroundingsTracking shot
The camera travels with a moving subject and keeps pace.
smooth tracking shot following the subject at their paceLateral truck
Slides sideways, creating strong parallax between foreground and background.
lateral trucking shot with strong foreground parallaxOrbit shot
Circles the subject to make a moment feel monumental.
slow 360-degree orbit around the subjectPan
Rotates left or right from a fixed point to reveal a space.
slow horizontal pan from left to rightTilt
Rotates up or down to reveal scale.
slow tilt up revealing the full heightCrane shot
Rises or descends through space with graceful weight.
sweeping crane shot rising above the sceneAerial drone shot
A high, smooth flight over the landscape.
smooth aerial drone flyover, high altitudeFPV drone
A racing drone that dives, banks and threads through gaps.
fast FPV drone diving and threading through tight gaps, banking hardHandheld
Natural shake that gives urgency and documentary truth.
handheld camera with subtle natural shakeSteadicam
A floating, weightless walk through a scene.
floating steadicam shot gliding through the spaceWhip pan
A pan so fast the image smears, perfect as a transition.
sudden whip pan with heavy motion blurDolly zoom
The subject stays the same size while the background warps: pure vertigo.
dolly zoom, background warping while the subject stays the same sizePush-through
The camera passes through a window, a keyhole or a crowd without a cut.
camera pushes straight through the opening into the next space, no cutOne-take
A single uninterrupted shot that carries the viewer through the action.
single continuous take, no cuts
Camera angle
Low angle
Shooting from below gives the subject power and scale.
low-angle shot looking up at the subjectHigh angle
Shooting from above makes the subject smaller and vulnerable.
high-angle shot looking down at the subjectDutch angle
A tilted horizon that signals something is wrong.
dutch angle with a tilted horizonTop shot
Straight down from above, the scene turns into a graphic pattern.
top-down bird’s-eye view, directly overheadGround-level shot
From the floor up: giants, feet and looming skies.
worm’s-eye view from ground levelProfile shot
A clean side-on view with a graphic silhouette.
clean side profile shot
Lens & focus
Anamorphic lens
Oval bokeh, horizontal flares and the widescreen feel of cinema.
shot on anamorphic lens, oval bokeh, horizontal lens flares, 2.39:1Wide-angle lens
Exaggerates depth and pulls the viewer into the space.
shot on a 24mm wide-angle lensTelephoto lens
Compresses distance, stacking layers and melting the background.
shot on a 135mm telephoto lens, compressed backgroundMacro lens
Reveals a miniature world of textures invisible to the naked eye.
macro lens, microscopic detail, razor-thin focusFisheye lens
An extreme curved distortion, energetic and playful.
ultra-wide fisheye lens with curved distortionShallow depth of field
Only the subject is sharp, everything else dissolves in creamy bokeh.
shallow depth of field, creamy bokeh, f/1.4Deep focus
Foreground and background stay sharp, inviting the eye to explore.
deep focus, foreground and background both sharpRack focus
Focus shifts from one plane to another and redirects attention.
rack focus shifting from the foreground to the backgroundTilt-shift
A narrow band of focus turns real places into miniatures.
tilt-shift lens, miniature effect
Speed & time
Slow motion
Stretches a moment until every detail can be read.
extreme slow motion, 120 fpsTime-lapse
Hours pass in seconds: clouds, crowds, cities waking up.
time-lapse, hours passing in secondsHyperlapse
A time-lapse with a travelling camera, for pure momentum.
hyperlapse moving forward through the cityBullet time
Time almost stops while the camera keeps moving around the action.
bullet time, frozen moment while the camera orbitsSpeed ramp
Real time slamming into slow motion and back, for impact.
speed ramp, real time snapping into slow motion on impact
Lighting
Golden hour
Warm, low sun with long shadows, flattering on everything.
golden hour sunlight, warm low sun, long shadowsBlue hour
Cool dusk light, soft and melancholic.
blue hour, cool twilight, deep blue ambient lightChiaroscuro
Strong contrast between light and shadow, sculpting faces and space.
chiaroscuro lighting, dramatic contrast of light and deep shadowRembrandt lighting
A small triangle of light on the shadow side of the face.
Rembrandt lighting, triangle of light on the cheekLow-key lighting
Mostly darkness, with light used sparingly to create mystery.
low-key lighting, mostly shadow, single light sourceHigh-key lighting
Bright, even and shadowless: clean and optimistic.
high-key lighting, bright and even, minimal shadowsSilhouette
The subject becomes a pure black shape against a bright background.
subject in full silhouette against a bright backgroundRim light
A halo around the edges separates the subject from the dark.
strong rim light outlining the subject against a dark backgroundVolumetric light
Visible beams cutting through fog, dust or smoke.
volumetric god rays cutting through haze and dustNeon lighting
Saturated magenta and cyan reflected on wet streets.
neon lighting, magenta and cyan reflections on wet surfacesPractical lights
Lamps, screens and candles in the frame are the light of the scene.
lit only by practical lamps visible in the frameCandlelight
Warm flickering light, intimate and period.
flickering candlelight, warm glow, deep shadowsMoonlight
Cool, silvery night light with soft edges.
cool silver moonlight, night scene, soft blue shadowsOvercast soft light
A giant natural softbox, even and quiet.
soft diffused overcast daylightLens flare
Light hits the glass and streaks across the image.
natural lens flare streaking across the frame
Composition
Rule of thirds
Off-centre placement that feels natural and dynamic.
subject placed on the left third of the framePerfect symmetry
A mirror-like frame with an unsettling or storybook precision.
perfectly symmetrical composition, centred framingLeading lines
Roads, rails and corridors pull the eye to the subject.
strong leading lines converging on the subjectNegative space
Emptiness around the subject makes it feel isolated, or leaves room for text.
minimal composition with vast negative spaceFrame within a frame
Doors, windows and mirrors re-frame the character.
subject framed through a doorway, frame within a frameLayered foreground
Objects close to the lens give real depth to the shot.
blurred foreground elements passing close to the lens, layered depth
Colour & film look
Teal and orange
The blockbuster grade: warm skin against cool shadows.
teal and orange colour gradeBlack and white
Removing colour brings out form, light and texture.
high-contrast black and whiteBleach bypass
Desaturated, high contrast and metallic: gritty and hard.
bleach bypass look, desaturated, high contrastPastel palette
Soft sugared colours and a storybook calm.
soft pastel colour palette35mm film
Organic grain and the highlight roll-off of real film.
shot on 35mm film, natural grain, soft highlight roll-off16mm film
Heavier grain and a raw, independent feel.
shot on 16mm film, visible grain, slight gate weaveSuper 8
Faded home-movie nostalgia with light leaks.
Super 8 home movie, light leaks, faded coloursVHS tape
Tracking errors, soft detail and 90s colour bleed.
VHS camcorder footage, tracking lines, colour bleed, timestampVintage Technicolor
Rich saturated primaries from the golden age of cinema.
vintage three-strip Technicolor, rich saturated primaries
Style & genre
Film noir
Venetian blinds, cigarette smoke and moral grey areas.
classic film noir, venetian blind shadows, smokeCyberpunk
Rain, holograms and neon megacities.
cyberpunk megacity at night, rain, hologramsGritty realism
Imperfect, tactile and believable.
gritty realism, imperfect tactile textures, naturalisticDocumentary look
Observational framing, as if nobody had planned the shot.
observational documentary style, natural lightFound footage
As if recovered from a camera nobody was meant to find.
found footage shot on a shaky consumer camcorderDreamlike
Floaty logic, soft focus and impossible transitions.
dreamlike atmosphere, ethereal soft glow, floating motionEpic scale
Massive crowds, armies and landscapes that overwhelm.
epic scale, thousands of figures, monumentalStop motion
Handmade, slightly jerky movement frame by frame.
stop-motion animation, handcrafted, on twosClaymation
Fingerprints in the clay and a warm tactile charm.
claymation, visible fingerprints, handmade setAnime
Cel shading, expressive motion and painted backgrounds.
hand-drawn anime, cel shading, painted backgrounds3D animated feature
Soft materials and expressive characters, feature animation quality.
3D animated feature film look, soft subsurface materials, expressive charactersMiniature world
Everything looks like a beautifully crafted model.
handcrafted miniature set, model-scale world
Sound
Ambient soundscape
Describe the room tone and environment for models with native audio.
Audio: rich ambient soundscape, wind and distant city humSpoken dialogue
Put exact lines in quotes and say who speaks and how.
she says quietly: "I never left."Music score
Name the genre, instruments and energy of the score.
Audio: slow orchestral score building with deep stringsSound effects
Name each key sound and when it happens.
Audio: heavy door slam, then a single metallic echo