cinematography

name	cinematography
description	Cinematography vocabulary for shot framing, camera angles, subject relationship, and camera movement. Load when the user's request involves shot-type choices or when constructing ask_user options for framing/movement settings.
metadata	{"type":"primitive"}

When to load

Load this skill when:

• The user's request is cinematography-ambiguous (e.g. "a shot of a mountain", "film the character walking") and you need to propose framing or movement options via ask_user.
• The promptIntent for an image or video node requires precise shot-type or movement vocabulary.
• A pattern skill (e.g. storyboard, long-video) asks you to specify shot types per cut.

The full vocabulary is split across seven reference files loaded automatically alongside this skill:

• See references/framing.md — subject size (ECU → EWS)
• See references/camera-angles.md — lens height and tilt angle
• See references/subject-relationship.md — number of subjects, POV, OTS, inserts
• See references/camera-movement.md — movement type (video only)
• See references/lighting.md — light source types, setups, direction, quality, color temperature, time-of-day conditions
• See references/lens-optics.md — focal length, aperture, depth of field, bokeh, lens types, optical effects, camera bodies
• See references/color-grading.md — named looks, shadow/highlight treatment, saturation, film stock emulations, era and genre palettes

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Prompt vocabulary rules

Combine framing + angle + movement into a single cinematography phrase per node:

• "ECU on her eyes, eye-level, static tripod."
• "Wide shot, low angle, slow dolly in over 6 seconds."
• "OTS two-shot at medium distance, handheld, slight drift."
• "Aerial bird's-eye view, drone shot pulling back to reveal the coastline."
• "Dutch angle medium shot, static, subject centered."

Never use vague cinema words — "cinematic", "dramatic", "epic", "beautiful framing" produce inconsistent results. Always name the specific shot type and movement from the reference tables.

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ask_user option guidelines

Surface the 3–5 most relevant options for the described scene. Do not list all types. Use this reasoning:

Scene type	Recommend
Portrait / character focus	CU, MCU, MS, full shot
Action / motion sequence	Wide shot, cowboy shot, tracking shot
Location reveal / scene opening	Establishing shot, EWS, aerial
Dialogue / conversation	OTS, two-shot, MCU
Subjective / immersive	POV, handheld, eye-level
Power / drama	Low angle, dutch angle, crane shot

Option label format: "[Shot type] — [one-line visual description]" Example: "Close-up — face fills the frame, full emotional detail"