Storyboard and Filmmaking8 min read
Shot sizes and camera angles every AI filmmaker should know
Wide, medium, close-up, low angle, over the shoulder: the film language that turns random AI clips into scenes, with prompt phrases you can copy.
In short: Shot size is how much of the subject fills the frame, from extreme wide to extreme close-up. Camera angle is where the camera sits compared to the subject: eye level, low, high, overhead, Dutch, over the shoulder or point of view. In AI prompts, name the shot size and angle at the start of the prompt, one of each, and vary them from shot to shot.
Shot sizes and camera angles are the basic words of film language. Shot size controls how close we feel to a character; camera angle controls how we see them, as equal, powerful or small. AI models understand these terms well, so learning them is one of the clearest ways to stop getting random clips and start getting scenes.
Shot sizes
| Shot size | What is in frame | What it does | Prompt phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme wide | A big place, people are tiny | Sets the world, shows scale or loneliness | extreme wide shot |
| Wide | The full location with the person visible | Shows where we are and who is there | wide shot |
| Full | Head to toe | Body language, costume, movement | full body shot |
| Medium wide | Knees up | Two or three people talking, walking | medium wide shot |
| Medium | Waist up | Normal conversation, presenter, vlog | medium shot |
| Medium close-up | Chest up | Talking with feeling, most interviews | medium close-up |
| Close-up | Face fills most of the frame | Emotion, reaction, decision | close-up |
| Extreme close-up | A part of the face or object | Tension, detail, a key moment | extreme close-up |
| Insert | An object or hands doing something | Information: a letter, a phone screen, chai being poured | insert shot of |
A simple way to think about it: wide shots answer "where", medium shots answer "who and what", close-ups answer "how does it feel".
Camera angles
| Angle | Where the camera is | What it does | Prompt phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye level | At the subject's eye height | Neutral, honest, equal | eye level |
| Low angle | Below, looking up | Power, confidence, threat | low angle shot looking up |
| High angle | Above, looking down | Small, weak, watched | high angle shot looking down |
| Overhead or top shot | Directly above | Pattern, design, food and hands | top-down overhead shot |
| Worm's eye | At ground level looking up | Drama, scale | worm's eye view |
| Dutch angle | Camera tilted sideways | Unease, confusion | dutch angle, tilted frame |
| Over the shoulder | Behind one person, looking at another | Conversation, connection | over the shoulder shot |
| Point of view | Through a character's eyes | Puts the viewer inside the scene | first person point of view |
| Profile | From the side | Thought, distance, silhouette | side profile shot |
Camera movement (for video models)
Video prompts also need to say whether the camera moves, and how. Keep it to one move per shot.
- Static: locked off, no movement. Calm, observational.
- Pan: camera turns left or right from one spot. Follows action or reveals space.
- Tilt: camera turns up or down. Reveals height, like a temple gopuram or a tall building.
- Dolly in or out: camera moves closer or further. Push in for tension, pull out for reveal or ending.
- Tracking or truck: camera moves alongside the subject. Walking conversations.
- Crane or jib: camera rises or falls. Openings and endings.
- Handheld: slight natural shake. Documentary, urgency, realism.
- Orbit: camera circles the subject. Use rarely; it draws attention to itself.
Lens feel
You do not need a real camera to use lens language. Models understand it as a look:
- Wide lens feel (around 24mm): more background, a bit of distortion close up, energetic.
- Natural (around 35mm to 50mm): close to how the eye sees, good for most scenes.
- Portrait (around 85mm): flattering faces, soft background.
- Macro: tiny details, like a drop on a marigold petal.
A sequence: dawn at the ghat
Here is how sizes and angles build a short scene of an old boatman starting his day.
| Shot | Size and angle | Move | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extreme wide, high angle | Slow crane down | The river, mist, boats, the city waking |
| 2 | Wide, eye level | Static | The boatman untying his boat |
| 3 | Insert, top-down | Static | His hands on the old rope |
| 4 | Medium close-up, slightly low | Slow push in | His face, looking across the water |
| 5 | Over the shoulder | Static | A first passenger arriving on the steps |
| 6 | Wide, profile | Slow tracking | The boat moving into the light |
Two of these as prompts:
Insert shot, top-down: weathered hands of an old Indian boatman untying
a thick wet rope from a wooden post, river water below, soft blue dawn
light, mist, realistic skin texture, static camera, natural sound of
water lapping.Medium close-up, slightly low angle: an old Indian boatman with a white
stubble beard and a faded saffron gamchha on his shoulder, looking
across a misty river at dawn, warm first sunlight touching one side of
his face, 85mm portrait look, slow push in, gentle river ambience.Notice the order: shot size and angle first, then subject, action, place, light, lens, camera move and sound. That order makes the prompt easy to read for you and clear for the model.
Editing rules that matter for AI films
- Change size when you cut. Cutting from a medium shot to a very similar medium shot of the same person looks like a glitch, a jump cut. Go from wide to medium or medium to close.
- Keep screen direction. If one character looks right and the other looks left in a conversation, keep it that way. This is the idea behind the 180 degree rule.
- Match eyelines. In an over the shoulder pair, both people should look at roughly the same height.
- Establish, then go close. One wide shot early in the scene tells the viewer where they are.
- Save extreme close-ups. If every shot is an extreme close-up, none of them feel special.
Doing it in Kritiverse
Direction Mode in Kritiverse puts these choices on buttons instead of making you remember the words. Press Add Direction and pick shot size, angle, lens, camera move, lighting, mood and colour from more than 1,300 director options, with realism controls for face, skin texture and body. If you are not sure, Auto Direction suggests a setup you can then adjust. You can see how it works on the Direction Mode page. If you only need the prompt text, Real Prompt Generator by Kritiverse builds director-level prompts for free with no signup for the basic builder.
Common mistakes
- "Cinematic" as the only direction. It is a mood word, not a shot. Say what the camera does.
- Contradictions. "Close-up, full body" or "static, tracking shot" confuse the model.
- Two moves in one shot. "Pan left while dolly in and orbit" rarely works. One move per clip.
- Same size for every shot. A whole film in medium shots feels like a slideshow.
- Forgetting the angle. Without it, most models default to eye level, which is fine but flat over a full film.
Questions
How many shot sizes do I need to learn?
Start with five: wide, full, medium, close-up and insert. Add the rest as you need them.
Do AI video models understand camera terms?
Generally yes, standard film terms like close-up, low angle and dolly in are widely understood. Results vary by model, so check the model's own guidance and test.
What is the difference between shot size and camera angle?
Shot size is how much we see. Angle is from where we see it. A close-up can be at eye level, low or high.
Can I use these terms in Hindi prompts?
Keep the camera terms in English inside the prompt, since models read English best. You can plan your shot list in Hindi and translate only the prompt.
Is there a free way to practise this?
Yes. Shoot the same scene on your phone at five sizes and three angles and compare. For prompts, Real Prompt Generator's basic builder is free.