Camera moves: what each one does and the words that get it

The twelve moves at a glance

Every move clip here was made the same way: a start frame made in NOLGIA with Nano Banana Pro (GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst for the pan), then Seedance 2.5 image to video at 720p, 9:16 and 5 seconds, without sound. Each section quotes both prompts exactly as sent, and shows the takes that missed.

Dolly in

What the camera does. The whole camera travels forward toward the subject, as if it were on a track. The frame tightens, and things near the lens slide past faster than the background, so you feel yourself moving into the room.

How it feels. It pulls the viewer closer, the way you lean in when something matters. Use it on a decision, a realization, or the line that counts.

Dolly in. The camera glides slowly and steadily straight forward on a dolly, from this wide shot of the office toward the man at the desk, ending on a medium close-up of him counting the money. A real camera move, not a zoom: the perspective changes as the camera gets closer. He keeps counting; the woman stays at the window.

1990s film still on 35mm: a Manhattan executive office at golden hour. A young man in his twenties with slicked-back dark hair, in a loose chocolate-brown double-breasted suit over an open-collared cream shirt, sits at a large mahogany desk counting a stack of hundred-dollar bills; a young woman in a black satin strapless dress and long black opera gloves, platinum hair in soft waves, stands by the floor-to-ceiling window behind him, the skyline outside. Wide shot from the doorway, symmetrical, warm window light, true-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• The camera slowly dollies in toward him, from a medium shot to a close-up on his face.
• Slow push in on her as she reads the letter.

Dolly out

What the camera does. The camera travels backward, away from the subject, and the frame widens to show more of the place around them.

How it feels. A reveal: where they are, who else is there, or how alone they are. A slow dolly out at the end of a scene says goodbye.

Dolly out. The camera starts close on his face and moves smoothly straight backward on a dolly, revealing the black sedan, the driveway and the fountain around him. A real camera move, not a zoom. He stays still and looks just past the lens. Slow and steady.

1990s film still on 35mm: close-up of a young man in his twenties with short dark curly hair and a light stubble, in a cream linen suit over a terracotta knit polo and gold-rimmed sunglasses, standing in a mansion driveway in bright Los Angeles afternoon sun; a black 1990 sedan and a stone fountain softly visible behind him. An ordinary, unfamous-looking person, not resembling any celebrity. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• The camera slowly dollies out from a close-up of her face to a wide shot of the empty street.
• Pull back from his hands to reveal the whole workshop.

Pan

What the camera does. The camera stays in one spot and turns left or right, like turning your head.

How it feels. The viewer looks around a space from one point of view, or follows someone across it. A slow pan builds a place; a pan that follows a moving car or a walker keeps them in the frame.

Pan right. The camera stays in one spot at the roadside and only turns horizontally to the right, following the red convertible as it drives from left to right along the coast road, so the cliffs and the ocean sweep past behind it. The camera does not travel or move closer. No camera equipment or people appear at the roadside.

An upright, correctly oriented vertical photograph, 1990s film still on 35mm, golden hour on the Pacific Coast Highway. The sky with a low sun is at the top, the ocean and rocky cliffs in the middle, and in the lower third the two-lane coast road runs horizontally across the frame from left to right. A small red convertible is at the far left edge of the road, driving toward the right. Shot from a tripod at the roadside. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

We ran the pan three ways. One used a different start frame, a diner with a waitress walking down the aisle toward the lens; one used this coast road but said the camera stood "fixed on a tripod at the roadside".

Write it like this:

• From a fixed position, the camera pans slowly from left to right across the diner, from the counter to the window.
• The camera pans to follow her as she crosses the room.

Tilt

What the camera does. The camera stays in one spot and tips up or down, like nodding.

How it feels. Tilting up from the shoes to the face sizes someone up and makes them look important. Tilting up a building shows its height; tilting down brings the viewer back to the ground.

Tilt up. The camera stays in one place and tilts slowly upward, from his polished boots, up his suit trousers and jacket, to his face as he straightens his skinny black tie: a young man in his twenties with chin-length dark hair. No sideways or forward movement, only the vertical tilt.

1990s film still on 35mm: low angle close on a young man's black Chelsea boots and slim black suit trousers standing on a marble hotel lobby floor, a brass revolving door and crystal chandeliers softly behind, warm morning light. Only his legs and boots are in frame. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• From a fixed position low to the floor, the camera tilts up from his polished shoes to his face.
• Slow tilt down from the treetops to the cabin.

Whip pan

What the camera does. A pan so fast that the picture smears into motion blur for a moment, then snaps to rest on something new.

How it feels. Energy and surprise. It yanks the viewer's attention from one thing to another, and editors use the blur to hide a cut between two shots.

Whip pan. The camera holds on the doorman for a moment, then swings very fast to the right with strong motion blur and stops sharply on the young man in the leather jacket walking toward the camera. One quick horizontal whip from left to right.

1990s film still on 35mm, at night: a Sunset Boulevard sidewalk outside a nightclub under warm tungsten streetlights and a brass entrance awning. A doorman in a black overcoat stands on the left; on the right a young man in his twenties with messy dark curls, a boxy black leather jacket, wide black trousers and a silver chain walks toward the camera. An ordinary, unfamous-looking person, not resembling any celebrity. Warm amber light only. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• He walks toward the camera; the camera whip pans to the right, the frame blurring, and lands on three friends laughing by the door.
• A fast whip pan from her face to the window, with motion blur.

Crash zoom in

What the camera does. The lens zooms in very fast, from a wide or medium frame to a tight one, while the camera stays where it is.

How it feels. A jolt. It points at something the viewer must not miss: a reaction, a detail, a punchline. Comedy and old action films use it a lot.

Crash zoom in. The camera does not move; the lens zooms in very fast, in under half a second, from this medium wide shot to an extreme close-up of her eyes as she smiles. A sudden, punchy zoom, then hold.

1990s film still on 35mm: a young woman in her twenties with long blonde waves and gold hoop earrings, in a black satin slip dress, leans on a polished wooden bar in a hotel bar, chin resting on her hand, looking toward the camera; brass lamps and bottles behind her, warm light. Medium wide shot. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• Sudden crash zoom in on her face as she hears the news.
• The camera holds still, then snaps into a fast zoom on the gold watch on the bar.

Crash zoom out

What the camera does. The reverse: the lens snaps from a tight frame to a wide one, showing everything around the subject at once.

How it feels. A reveal played for a laugh or a shock: the stern face that turns out to be at a birthday party, the hero who turns out to be surrounded.

Crash zoom out. The camera does not move; the lens zooms out very fast, in under half a second, from the close-up of the birthday cake to a wide shot of the whole dinner table, the man and his friends applauding. A sudden zoom, then hold.

1990s film still on 35mm: close-up of a pink frosted birthday cake with lit candles on a white tablecloth in a wood-panelled steakhouse; a young man in his twenties with a bleached buzz cut, in a black suit over a white tee, leans in behind the cake, slightly out of focus, warm lamp light. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• Start on an extreme close-up of his eyes, then a sudden crash zoom out to reveal the whole restaurant singing to him.
• Fast zoom out from her face to a wide shot of the packed stadium.

Tracking shot

What the camera does. The camera travels with a moving subject, ahead of them, behind them or beside them, and keeps them about the same size in the frame.

How it feels. The viewer goes along. It is the move for walking and talking, chases and entrances.

Tracking shot. The camera moves sideways alongside her at walking pace, keeping her the same size in the same place in the frame, while the shop windows and palm trees slide past behind her. Smooth, like a camera on a dolly track.

1990s film still on 35mm: a young woman in her twenties with a sleek blonde low bun, in an oversized grey blazer worn as a dress with black tights and black loafers, a black handbag on her arm, walks along a Beverly Hills shopping street past boutique windows in bright morning sun, seen from the side at walking height, medium shot. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• Tracking shot: the camera moves backward ahead of him as he walks toward it down the corridor, holding him from the knees up.
• The camera follows behind her through the crowd at walking pace.

Handheld

What the camera does. A person holds the camera, so it sways, breathes and corrects itself a little. Gentle handheld drifts; rough handheld shakes and lurches with the action.

How it feels. Real, close and unplanned, like footage someone caught rather than staged. Use it for documentary, behind the scenes, arguments, and anything that should feel like it really happened.

Handheld camera. The camera is held by a photographer in the crowd: small natural shakes, slight drifts and quick reframes as the man steps out of the car and pushes through the flashing cameras. Documentary feel, not smooth.

1990s film still on 35mm, at night: paparazzi with flash cameras crowd a nightclub entrance as a young man in his twenties with a dark buzz cut and a small silver hoop earring, in an oversized black puffer jacket over a grey hoodie, steps out of a black town car; warm streetlights and camera flashes. An ordinary, unfamous-looking person, not resembling any celebrity. Seen from inside the crowd at shoulder height. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

That is the rough kind. For the gentle kind, describe a real operator instead of writing "shaky camera": a subtle natural hand shake, tiny framing corrections, slight drifting, and a limit such as "no dramatic zooms". Or pick Handheld in the Camera move row and leave the camera out of your own words: at Medium it adds the sentence below when you generate.

Write it like this:

• Handheld camera with natural sway and small framing corrections, a documentary feel.
• Shaky handheld, the camera jostled by the crowd around him.

Orbit

What the camera does. The camera travels in a circle, or part of one, around the subject, keeping them in the middle of the frame while the background wheels past behind them.

How it feels. Importance. It turns someone standing still into an event, and shows them from more than one side. A slow orbit feels like admiration; a fast one, like a spin of the head.

Orbit. The camera circles around her in a smooth half circle from left to right at the same distance, keeping her in the centre of the frame, so the red car and the palm trees swing past behind her. She turns her head slightly to follow the camera.

1990s film still on 35mm: a young woman in her twenties with platinum waves, in a cropped white faux-fur jacket, a pale pink top and wide white cargo trousers, stands beside a red 1990s sports car in a sunny palm-lined Beverly Hills driveway. Full-length shot, subject centred. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• The camera slowly orbits around him, a half circle from his left to his right, keeping him centered as the harbour comes into view behind him.
• A quarter orbit to the right around the car, at the same height.

Dolly zoom

What the camera does. The camera travels one way while the lens zooms the other way, at a speed that keeps the subject the same size. The subject holds still in the frame while the background stretches away or closes in behind them. It is also called the vertigo effect.

How it feels. The ground shifting under someone: dread, shock, a sudden realization. It unsettles because nothing in life looks like that.

Dolly zoom, the Vertigo effect. The camera moves backward along the corridor while the lens zooms in at the same time, so the man stays exactly the same size in the frame while the corridor behind him stretches and the far door seems to rush away. Slow and unsettling. He stays still and stares at the camera.

One single continuous photograph, not a collage or split image. 1990s film still on 35mm, vertical frame: a young man in his twenties with short brown curls, in a navy suit over a pale blue knit, stands in the middle distance of a long hotel corridor, seen from waist up to above his head, centred. Behind him the corridor recedes in symmetrical one-point perspective: wood-panelled walls, brass wall sconces on both sides, patterned carpet, a closed door at the far end. Warm light, true-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• Dolly zoom: the camera pushes in while the lens zooms out, so she stays the same size and the street behind her stretches away.
• Vertigo effect on his face: the camera pulls back as the lens zooms in, and the room closes in behind him.

Bullet time

What the camera does. Time stops, or nearly stops, while the camera keeps moving, around or through the frozen moment. The action hangs in the air: water, glass, cards, a jump.

How it feels. The viewer gets to walk around a peak moment. It turns half a second into a set piece.

Take 1: "time almost freezes"

Kept: "time stops completely"

Bullet time. Time stops completely: she and the poker chips are frozen in mid-air, perfectly still, while the camera alone travels smoothly in a quarter circle around her from left to right, showing the frozen chips from a new angle. Nothing in the scene moves except the camera.

1990s film still on 35mm: in a pool hall, a young woman in her twenties with sleek dark hair, in a cropped black leather jacket, flings a handful of red, white and blue poker chips toward the camera; the chips are mid-air, warm lamp light over the green felt table. True-to-life colour, fine film grain.

Write it like this:

• Bullet time. Time stops completely as the glass shatters; the pieces hang in the air while the camera slowly circles the table. Nothing moves except the camera.
• Time stops completely at the top of his jump; the camera keeps moving around him at normal speed.

More moves, shot sizes and angles

The moves above cover most shots. These are the other words worth knowing: more ways for the camera to travel, then how close it is and where it stands.

Pick the move or write it

In the video composer, under the prompt, is the Camera move row: twenty moves, each with a strength: Subtle, Medium, and Strong. Pick one, and the row shows the exact sentence it will add, after "Added to your prompt when you generate". Picking never edits what you typed: NOLGIA adds that sentence after your prompt when you press Generate video. It works on every video model, for text or a start image, one shot or several.

The row also has moves from the table above: Truck left and Truck right, Crane up and Crane down, Rack focus, Parallax drift, Drone fly-through and Locked off.

Pick it when you want one standard move and do not mind the wording. Write it when the move needs a start and an end ("from his shoes to his face"), a moment ("after she sits down"), a landing ("stops sharply on the young man"), or when the row does not have it, like a crash zoom out or bullet time. The twelve move clips in this guide were written, not picked. Do one or the other: if you write your own camera direction, leave the row empty, or press No camera move, so two directions do not argue.

Enhance, under the prompt, rewrites your prompt for the model you picked and plans the shot around the move you picked in the row. The price is on the button, and Revert puts your words back.

When we tested the row in September, eight moves from one still on Wan 3.0, six came back as picked. Dolly zoom came back as a plain push in at Medium and at Strong, Pan right came back as an orbit, and Pull-back only pulled back at Strong. Single runs, not a measurement, but the lesson holds: a move is a request, so play the clip, and when it misses, run it again or try the next strength up.

A move adds nothing to the price: you pay the model's rate for the clip, shown on the Generate video button before anything runs. The live published rate for Seedance 2.5, the model behind every clip in this guide:

Six rules for writing a move

1. Name the move, then describe it. Every move prompt in this guide opens with the move's name ("Dolly in.", "Whip pan.") and then says what the camera physically does, because the name alone is often read loosely.
2. One move per shot. "Dolly in, then orbit, then crane up" in five seconds comes back as a wobble that is none of them. If you need two, give the second its own moment ("after he sits down"), and consider two shots instead.
3. Say where the camera starts and where it ends, and how fast it gets there: "from his polished shoes, up his suit trousers and jacket, to his face", "Slow and steady". Without an end, the model guesses.
4. Name what stays still. "He keeps counting; the woman stays at the window." "He stays still and looks just past the lens." When the people hold still, the camera is clearly the thing that moves.
5. Keep the action simple. When the person runs, turns and waves while the camera orbits, the model has two moving things to keep straight. Let one lead: a still subject for a big camera move, a still camera for a big action.
6. Describe the move, not the gear. "On a tripod" put a tripod in our pan. Say what the camera does ("stays in one spot", "does not move") and, if it matters, add that no camera equipment appears in the shot.