Shot Types, Camera Angles & Lenses
26 framings every AI video and image model understands, each with a copy-ready prompt phrase and a note on when to use it.
Shot size tells the viewer how close they are to the subject. Camera angle tells them how to feel about it. Models trained on film and photography captions respond to the same vocabulary a camera crew uses, so naming the shot is the most reliable way to control framing.
Copy any phrase below into your prompt, or open the Prompt Builder to combine a shot with motion, lighting and a lens.
Shot size 9
Extreme Wide Shot (EWS)
Shows the world first and the subject second. Use it to open a scene or make a character feel small.
extreme wide shot, establishing view, vast environment, tiny distant subjectWide Shot (WS)
The whole subject plus plenty of surroundings. Good for action and for showing where things are.
wide shot, full figure in frame, environment clearly visibleFull Shot (FS)
Frames the subject from head to toe with little spare room. Best for outfits, posture and movement.
full shot, entire body from head to toe, subject fills the frame heightMedium Long Shot (MLS)
Cuts around the knees. The classic "cowboy" framing: body language and a hint of location.
medium long shot, framed from the knees up, three-quarter bodyMedium Shot (MS)
Waist up. The default for conversation, presenters and anything where hands matter.
medium shot, framed from the waist up, mid shotMedium Close-Up (MCU)
Chest up. Keeps the face readable while leaving a little air around it.
medium close-up, framed from the chest up, head and shouldersClose-Up (CU)
The face fills the frame. Use it when the emotion is the story.
close-up, face fills the frame, tight framingExtreme Close-Up (ECU)
A single detail such as an eye, a mouth or a fingertip. High tension, no context.
extreme close-up, single facial detail, eye fills the frameMacro Shot
Life-size or larger detail of very small things: water drops, insects, textures.
macro photography, extreme magnification, fine surface texture, 100mm macro lensCamera angle 7
Eye Level
Neutral and honest. The camera sits at the height of the subject's eyes.
eye-level shot, camera at eye height, neutral straight-on angleLow Angle
Camera below the subject looking up. Adds power, scale and threat.
low angle shot, camera looking up at the subject, imposing, heroicHigh Angle
Camera above the subject looking down. Makes the subject look small or vulnerable.
high angle shot, camera looking down on the subject, subject looking upWorm's Eye View
Camera on the ground. Exaggerates height and puts the floor texture in the foreground.
worm's-eye view, camera at ground level, looking up from the floorBird's Eye View / Overhead
Straight down from above. Turns streets, tables and crowds into patterns.
bird's-eye view, overhead shot, top-down, camera pointing straight downGod's Eye View
Overhead from very high up. Whole landscapes, armies or cities at once.
god's-eye view, very high altitude, vertical top-down, map-like scaleDutch Angle / Canted Angle
The horizon is tilted on purpose. Signals unease, madness or chaos.
dutch angle, canted frame, tilted horizon, off-balance compositionPerspective 5
Point of View (POV)
The audience sees through the character's eyes. Hands or tools usually enter the frame.
POV shot, first-person perspective, viewer's own hands visible in frameOver-the-Shoulder (OTS)
Shot past one person towards another. The standard framing for dialogue.
over-the-shoulder shot, blurred shoulder in the foreground, focus on the facing subjectTwo-Shot
Two subjects share the frame. Shows a relationship without cutting.
two-shot, two subjects side by side in frame, medium framingSelfie View
Held at arm's length, facing the subject. Reads as casual, social and personal.
selfie angle, arm's length, front-facing phone camera, slight wide-angle distortionIsometric View
A 3D scene with no perspective distortion. Popular for dioramas and game-style art.
isometric view, orthographic projection, miniature diorama, 3D renderLens & camera type 5
Fisheye View
Ultra-wide with heavy curved distortion. Skate videos, music videos, surreal scenes.
fisheye lens, strong barrel distortion, 180-degree ultra-wide view, dark vignetteTelephoto / Compression
A long lens that flattens depth and pulls the background close to the subject.
telephoto lens, long focal length, compressed background, flattened depthDrone View
A smooth aerial camera. Coastlines, cities, reveals and travel footage.
drone shot, aerial view, high altitude, smooth hovering cameraCCTV / Security Cam
A fixed camera in a ceiling corner. Grainy, wide and unflattering by design.
CCTV footage, security camera, high corner angle, grainy low-resolution image, timestamp overlayGoPro / Action Cam
A body-mounted wide camera. Sports, vehicles and anything fast.
action camera footage, chest-mounted body cam, wide angle, barrel distortion, motionNothing matches that filter.
How to use shot types in a prompt
Put the shot size and angle near the start or the end of the prompt, not in the middle of the scene description. Use one shot size per shot. If the model crops the subject badly, add a concrete detail from the card, such as “framed from the waist up” or “entire body from head to toe”, instead of repeating the shot name.
Shot size and angle combine freely: a low angle close-up and a low angle wide shot are both valid and feel very different. Perspective shots such as POV and over-the-shoulder already imply where the camera is, so they need no extra angle.