Mastering AI Video: 42 Camera Movement Vocabulary for Prompts (Visual Guide) Motion Examples

Struggling to get the right motion in your AI videos? This guide provides the essential vocabulary for cinematic control. We test and visualize 42 specific camera movement prompts—from slow dollies to complex FPV drone dives so you can build a professional prompt library and master your AI video output.

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Key Moments:
00:00 The Hardest Part of AI Video: Motion
00:35 Dolly Moves
- Slow Dolly In - Slow dolly in, camera moves slowly forward toward the subject.
- Slow Dolly Out - Slow dolly out, camera moves slowly backwards away from the subject.
- Fast Dolly In - Fast dolly in, camera moves rapidly forward toward the subject's face, urgent motion.
- Vertigo Effect (Zolly) - Vertigo effect, dolly zoom, camera moves backward while zooming in, background expands.
01:24 Infinite Scale Continuity
- Extreme Macro Zoom - Extreme macro zoom, zoom transition from face to micro view of the eye.
- Cosmic Hyper Zoom - Cosmic hyper zoom, fast zoom transition from space down to street level.
01:48 Character-Mounted Framing
- Over the Shoulder (OTS) Shot - Over the shoulder shot, camera mounted behind subject A framing subject B.
- Fisheye or Peephole Lens - Fisheye lens, extreme wide-angle distortion, circular frame.
02:18 Obstacle and Environmental Interaction
- Reveal from Behind (Wipe Movement) - Wipe movement, camera slides laterally from behind the pillar to reveal the street.
- Through Shot (Fly Through Aperture) - Fly through, camera moves through the window opening into the room.
02:48 Focus and Lens Manipulation
- Reveal from Blur (Fade In) - Rack focus, start completely out of focus, slowly pull focus until sharp.
- Rack Focus (Foreground to Background) - Rack focus, focus shifts from the coffee cup to the couple in the background.
03:13 Tripod Moves
- Tilt Up - Tilt up, camera pans vertically up from legs to head.
- Tilt Down - Tilt down, camera pans vertically down from head to feet.
03:42 Slider Moves (Lateral)
- Camera Truck Left - Truck left, camera moves sideways on a track to the left.
- Lateral Truck Right - Truck right, camera moves sideways on a track to the right.
04:10 Orbital Movements
- Orbit 180 - Orbit 180, camera moves in a half-circle around the subject.
- Fast 360 Orbit (The Spin) - Fast 360 orbit, camera spins rapidly 360 degrees around the subject.
- Slow Cinematic Arc - Slow cinematic arc, camera moves in a wide curve to reveal side profile.
04:48 Vertical Movements (Crane or Pedestal)
- Pedestal Down - Pedestal down, camera lowers vertically straight down.
- Pedestal Up - Pedestal up, camera rises vertically straight up from waist to eye level.
- Crane Up (High Angle Reveal) - Crane up, camera lifts high into the air.
- Crane Down (Landing) - Crane down, camera descends slowly to the subject.
05:44 Optical Lens Effects
- Smooth Optical Zoom In - Smooth optical zoom in, lens magnifies subject, camera stays stationary.
- Smooth Optical Zoom Out - Smooth optical zoom out, lens widens, background becomes blurry.
- Snap Zoom (Crash Zoom) - Snap zoom, crash zoom, rapid zoom directly into the eyes.
06:19 Drone / Aerial Views
- Drone Fly Over - Drone fly over, high altitude flight moving forward over the landscape.
- Epic Drone Reveal - Epic drone reveal, rising and tilting down to reveal the scene.
- Large Scale Drone Orbit - Large scale drone orbit, massive sweeping circle around the island.
- Top Down (God's Eye View) - Top down shot, camera pointing straight down, slow twist.
- FPV Drone Aggressive (Drone Dive) - FPV drone dive, aggressive diving motion down the waterfall
07:27 Stylized and Dynamic Movements
- Handheld Documentary Style - Handheld camera, shaky motion, natural movement, documentary style.
- Whip Pan - Whip pan, camera whips violently to the side with extreme directional motion blur.
- Dutch Angle (Roll) - Dutch angle, camera roll, tilted sideways on Z-axis.
08:05 Subject Tracking (Leading & Following)
- Leading Shot (Backward Tracking) - Leading shot, camera moves backward matching the subject's speed.
- Following Shot (Forward Tracking) - Following shot, camera follows behind the subject matching speed.
- Side Tracking (Parallel) - Side tracking, camera trucks alongside the subject.
- POV Walk (First Person Walk) - POV walk, first person camera moving forward with bobbing motion.
08:50 Time and Speed Manipulation
- Hyperlapse (Moving Time-Lapse) - Hyperlapse, camera moves forward rapidly, time accelerated, fast motion, light trails.
- Bullet Time (Frozen Moment) - Bullet time, frozen moment, ultra slow motion, camera orbit right.
09:18 Extreme Orientation and Perspective
- Barrel Roll (Vortex Inception Shot) - Barrel roll, camera spins 360 degrees clockwise while moving forward, disorienting.
- Worm’s Eye Tracking (Ground Level) - Worm's eye view, low angle tracking, camera moves along the ground looking up.