Choose the Right Shot Size for Your Next AI Video Project 🎥🤖

Whether you're planning your next AI-generated short film or crafting a cinematic sequence in CapCut or LumaFusion, knowing your shot sizes can elevate the storytelling. Each frame tells a story—not just with what’s in it, but how much of it we see.

Here’s a quick guide to 10 essential shot sizes, from sweeping landscapes to intense close-ups:

🏜️ 1. Establishing Shot

Purpose: Set the scene
Use this wide view to introduce the location and mood. Think: opening a sci-fi desert outpost at sunset.

🌍 2. Extreme Wide Shot

Purpose: Isolation or epic scale
Perfect for conveying loneliness or vastness. Your subject is tiny—swallowed by their environment.

🚶♂️ 3. Wide Shot

Purpose: Full-body in context
Shows character movement and their surroundings. Great for action intros or dynamic movement.

🧍 4. Full Shot

Purpose: Show body language and costume
The whole figure fills the frame—ideal when gestures or outfits matter.

🦵 5. Medium Wide Shot

Purpose: Dialogue-friendly
Framed from the knees up, it’s a staple for fast-paced conversation or walk-and-talk scenes.

🤠 6. Cowboy Shot

Purpose: Stylish and classic
Framed mid-thigh up—named for its use in westerns to show holsters. Adds attitude!

🤷 7. Medium Shot

Purpose: The YouTube go-to
Waist-up framing is versatile for vlogging, interviews, and clean dialogue delivery.

💬 8. Medium Close-Up

Purpose: Capture clean emotion
Chest-up framing gives you intimacy without getting too close.

😮 9. Close-Up

Purpose: Impactful emotion
Perfect for revealing a character’s inner world. Use when the performance is key.

👁️ 10. Extreme Close-Up

Purpose: Dramatic detail
Eyes. Hands. Sweat. This is your punch-in moment for ultimate tension or emotional gravity.

---

Pro Tip: When building your AI storyboard or animatic, start wide to establish, then gradually move in to connect emotionally. Varying your shot sizes creates rhythm, tension, and energy.