# Show HN: Camera Controls and Motion for AI Video Prompts > Source: > Published: 2026-10-16 18:25:51+00:00 Where the camera sits, how much it sees and how it moves decide whether an AI clip feels directed or random. Below: interactive references for angle, movement and shot size, plus the vocabulary video models respond to. Every prompt copies with one click. Where the camera sits relative to the subject's eyeline. Same person, six heights. PromptCopyEye-level shot. Camera: positioned at the subject's eye height, lens level with no tilt up or down. Framing: natural proportions, the horizon line crossing behind the subject near their eyes. Effect: neutral and honest; the viewer meets the subject as an equal. End: holds a level frame with no camera drift.Eye level — Neutral Lens view · Eye level OverheadHigh angleEye levelHip levelLow angleWorm's-eyeClick a camera position Movement What the camera physically does during the shot. Watch how near and far layers separate. Pan rightPan / Tilt Pan right. Camera: fixed on a tripod, rotates horizontally from left to right at an even speed. Framing: the scene slides across the frame while the horizon stays level. Effect: surveys the space and leads the eye. End: stops on the subject, framed on the right third.Click to copy Tilt upPan / Tilt Tilt up. Camera: fixed in place, pivots vertically upward from the ground. Framing: starts low on the ground and rises to the subject and the sky above. Effect: a reveal that builds scale. End: holds with the horizon in the lower third.Click to copy Zoom inZoom / Lens Slow zoom in. Camera: stays in the same position; only the lens magnification changes, no dolly. Framing: everything enlarges equally, with no parallax between foreground and background. Effect: scrutiny, as if someone is watching. End: holds on a tighter frame of the subject.Click to copy Rack focusZoom / Lens Rack focus. Camera: locked-off, no movement. Framing: focus begins on the foreground object and shifts smoothly to the subject behind it as the foreground melts into blur. Effect: redirects attention. End: holds sharp focus on the subject.Click to copy Dolly inDolly / Track Dolly in. Camera: moves forward on a straight track toward the subject, smooth and steady. Framing: the subject grows from a wide shot to a medium shot while foreground objects slide out of frame. Effect: rising intimacy and focus. End: settles on the medium shot and holds.Click to copy Dolly outDolly / Track Dolly out. Camera: moves backward on a straight track away from the subject, smooth and steady. Framing: the subject shrinks as more of the environment enters the frame. Effect: isolation or release. End: holds on a wide shot.Click to copy Truck leftDolly / Track Truck left. Camera: slides sideways to the left, parallel to the subject, height and angle unchanged. Framing: near objects pass quickly while distant ones barely move. Effect: parallax and depth; a lateral reveal. End: stops with the subject on the right third.Click to copy Clockwise orbitPhysical Clockwise orbit. Camera: circles the subject at a fixed radius, smooth and continuous, travelling clockwise. Framing: the subject pinned centre while the whole world rotates behind them. Effect: gravity and importance; a moment crowned. End: completes its arc with the subject still centred.Click to copy Crane upDrone / Crane Crane up. Camera: rises vertically on a crane arm, tilting down gently to keep the subject in frame. Framing: the ground falls away and the horizon drops as the camera climbs. Effect: release and scale; an ending. End: holds high above the subject.Click to copy HandheldHuman Camera Handheld. Camera: operated by hand, with natural micro-shake, breathing and small reframing corrections. Framing: loosely centred on the subject, never perfectly still. Effect: urgency and documentary realism. End: settles but never locks off.Click to copy Dolly zoomSpecials Dolly zoom. Camera: dollies backward while the lens zooms in at the same rate. Framing: the subject stays the same size while the background stretches and looms behind them. Effect: vertigo; the ground shifting under them. End: holds on the warped perspective.Click to copy Whip panSpecials Whip pan. Camera: fixed on a tripod, snaps horizontally so fast the frame smears with motion blur. Framing: leaves one view and lands abruptly on the next. Effect: energy; a transition hidden inside a move. End: lands cleanly and holds still.Click to copy Shot Size How much of the subject is in frame. Nine sizes, one figure. Drag the marker along the scale. Extreme WideEWS EWSWSFSMWSCOWBOYMSMCUCUECU PromptCopyExtreme wide shot. Camera: far from the subject, static. Framing: the subject a small figure within a vast landscape, occupying a tiny fraction of the frame, horizon and sky dominant. Effect: scale, isolation and a strong sense of place. End: holds the wide view steady.Extreme Wide — EWS Common Terms The vocabulary models respond to. Click a term for its definition and to jump to an example that uses it. Dolly in01 / 09 PromptCopyLow-angle medium close-up with a slow dolly in. Camera: moves forward on a straight track toward her, smooth and steady. Framing: the medium close-up tightens to a close-up, her face held centre. Effect: rising resolve. End: settles on the close-up and holds, no camera drift.Dolly in Pan / Tilt Pan leftpan righttilt uptilt downwhip pantilt revealroll