| 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
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.
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"
