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Applies camera movement vocabulary (dolly, pan, tilt, crane, track, Steadicam, handheld) to scenes with knowledge of emotional/narrative meaning for deliberate visual storytelling choices.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/grimoire:apply-camera-movement-vocabularyThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Select and apply camera movement types (dolly, pan/tilt, crane, Steadicam, handheld) based on their specific emotional and narrative meanings — making deliberate choices that enhance storytelling rather than adding movement for its own sake.
Select and apply camera movement types (dolly, pan/tilt, crane, Steadicam, handheld) based on their specific emotional and narrative meanings — making deliberate choices that enhance storytelling rather than adding movement for its own sake.
Adopted by: Camera movement is a primary tool of cinematic visual language, codified in film theory (Katz "Shot by Shot," Eisenstein's montage theory) and professional craft manuals (ASC Manual, Mascelli "The Five C's"). Every film school teaches camera movement as a distinct visual grammar. Directors from Kubrick (steadicam, long tracking shots) to Spielberg (dolly-in on reaction) to the Dardenne Brothers (observational handheld) build signature styles on specific movement choices. Impact: Each camera movement type communicates a different emotional and narrative quality that static composition cannot achieve. A dolly-in creates psychological intimacy; a crane rise signals revelation or isolation; handheld following a character creates urgency and proximity. Using the wrong movement type for a scene — or moving the camera without clear motivation — creates visual noise that distracts from performance and narrative. Deliberate movement selection multiplies emotional impact.
Before individual scene decisions, define the overall movement approach:
The project's emotional register determines which approach serves the story.
Static shot: no movement — emphasizes composition, creates tension through stillness; forces audience attention to what is in frame. Bergman, Haneke, Bresson use static shots for emotional weight.
Pan (horizontal rotation on a fixed tripod head):
Tilt (vertical rotation on a fixed head):
Dolly (camera physically moves forward/backward/sideways on a track):
Tracking/lateral dolly (camera moves parallel to action):
Crane/jib (camera rises or descends vertically):
Steadicam (camera mounted on counterbalanced body rig):
Handheld:
Ask: what is this scene's emotional movement — what should the viewer feel?
Beware of movement for its own sake: camera movement that has no narrative or emotional motivation is visual noise. Stillness — the decision NOT to move — is as powerful as any movement.
Different lenses create different spatial relationships during movement:
Movement is choreographed between camera and actor:
Rehearse movements before shooting — camera operators, dolly grips, and actors must be synchronized. An uncalibrated dolly move pulls focus points and changes frame.
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Adds camera movements (pan, tilt, zoom, roll, dolly) to Kling AI text-to-video and image-to-video APIs via Python requests. For creating cinematic shots.