Dolly in
The whole camera rolls toward the subject on a track.
Intimacy. The film leaning closer to listen.
Say it to the machineSlow dolly in toward the chair, smooth and steady, no zoom.The Lexicon
Words a camera understands
Real filmmaking language, each word with what it makes you feel and one line you can hand straight to an AI video model. Use one move per shot. Let the light have a reason.
Camera moves
Dolly out
The camera rolls back, away from the subject.
Distance, loneliness, the reveal of how small someone is.
Say it to the machineSlow dolly out, revealing the empty room around her.Truck (lateral track)
The camera slides sideways, parallel to the scene.
Watching life go past, like a window on a train.
Say it to the machineSmooth lateral tracking shot, left to right, at table height.Pedestal
The camera rises or sinks straight up or down without tilting.
A quiet lift of attention, from the cup to the face.
Say it to the machineSlow pedestal up from the teacup to the window, camera stays level.Crane up
The camera lifts high and away, often while tilting down.
An ending. The world getting bigger than the story.
Say it to the machineCrane up and back from the figure on the pier, revealing the whole bay.Orbit (arc)
The camera circles the subject at a fixed distance.
A moment that matters, held from every side.
Say it to the machineSlow 90-degree orbit around the lamp, keeping it centered.Dolly zoom
Dolly in while zooming out (or the reverse), so the subject stays the same size and the world stretches.
Vertigo. The moment the floor drops.
Say it to the machineDolly zoom: the camera pushes in while the lens zooms out, the hallway behind him stretches.Locked-off
The camera does not move at all.
Patience. The frame trusts the action.
Say it to the machineFixed camera, locked-off tripod shot, no camera movement.Handheld
The camera is held, with small natural breathing and drift.
Now. Nerves. Documentary truth.
Say it to the machineSubtle handheld camera, gentle natural sway, no shake.Shot sizes
Extreme wide (EWS)
The place is the subject; people are tiny.
Scale, solitude, weather.
Say it to the machineExtreme wide shot, a tiny figure at the edge of a frozen lake.Wide (WS)
The whole body and the room around it.
Context: who is where.
Say it to the machineWide shot, full body, the whole kitchen visible.Medium (MS)
Waist up.
Conversation distance. Neutral and human.
Say it to the machineMedium shot from the waist up, eye level.Close-up (CU)
The face fills most of the frame.
Feeling. What they will not say.
Say it to the machineClose-up on her face, shallow depth of field.Extreme close-up (ECU)
One detail: an eye, a fingertip, a match head.
Obsession. Time slowing down.
Say it to the machineExtreme close-up of the match head catching flame.Insert
A cutaway to an object that carries story.
Here is the clue.
Say it to the machineInsert shot: the unsigned letter on the table.Lens and focus
Wide lens (24mm)
More of the world, depth exaggerated, edges stretch.
Space, unease up close.
Say it to the machineShot on a 24mm wide lens, deep focus.Normal lens (50mm)
Close to how the eye sees.
Honest, unshowy.
Say it to the machine50mm lens, natural perspective.Long lens (85–135mm)
Compressed background, soft falloff, faces flattered.
Watching from afar. Tenderness.
Say it to the machine85mm portrait lens, background compressed and softly blurred.Shallow depth of field
Only a thin slice is sharp.
Attention on one thing.
Say it to the machineShallow depth of field, f/1.8, creamy bokeh.Rack focus
Focus shifts from one plane to another mid-shot.
Changing your mind about what matters.
Say it to the machineRack focus from the raindrops on the glass to the woman behind it.Light
Window light
One soft source from the side.
Morning. Realness.
Say it to the machineSoft window light from camera left, gentle falloff into shadow.Rembrandt
Key light high and to the side, a small triangle of light on the far cheek.
Portrait, gravity, old paintings.
Say it to the machineRembrandt lighting, a small triangle of light under the far eye.Practical light
A lamp, candle or screen that is in the shot and actually lights it.
Intimate, believable night.
Say it to the machineLit only by the practical table lamp in frame, warm 2700K.Chiaroscuro
Strong light, deep shadow, little in between.
Secrets. Drama without anyone moving.
Say it to the machineChiaroscuro lighting, deep black shadows, a single hard key.Golden hour
Low warm sun, long shadows.
Nostalgia. The last good hour.
Say it to the machineGolden hour backlight, warm rim light on the hair, long shadows.Blue hour
After sunset: cool, even, and quiet.
Melancholy, calm.
Say it to the machineBlue hour, cool ambient light, one warm window glowing.Motivated light
Every light has a visible reason: a window, a fire, a fridge.
Grounded, lived-in.
Say it to the machineMotivated lighting: the open fridge is the only light, cool on her face.Cuts and continuity
Match cut
Cut between two shots that share a shape or motion.
Two ideas rhymed.
Say it to the machineEnds on the round moon, framed center (for a match cut to a round cup).Shot / reverse shot
Alternate between two people, or a person and what they see.
Conversation, even when no one speaks.
Say it to the machineShot 1: close-up, she looks off right. Shot 2: reverse shot of the empty doorway.Last-frame chain
Use the final frame of one clip as the first frame of the next.
One continuous film from short clips.
Say it to the machine(Upload the last frame of clip 1 as the first frame of clip 2.)Hold
Keep the final frame still for a beat.
Let it land.
Say it to the machineHold the final composition still for the last second.Tip: in Seedance 2.0, write "Shot 1:", "Shot 2:" for cuts, give each shot one camera move, and put sound and style last.