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- 🎬 Shot types
This week, we’re challenging you to bring the thrills and chills of Halloween to life through spooky visuals and creepy vibes.
Get ready to scare and inspire!
Tips & Prompts
As we mentioned last week, crafting the perfect prompt means not only telling the AI what you want in your image but also how you want it to look.
Today, we’re diving into shot types.
The foundational ways to frame a subject that make all the difference.
Let’s start with the close-ups. An extreme close-up zooms in on tiny details like eyes or hands, making it ideal for intense emotions or focusing on important objects. A close-up, by contrast, pulls back to show the whole face, allowing you to capture those subtle expressions that bring characters to life.
Moving back a bit, a medium close-up frames your subject from the chest up. This shot is great for conversations or when you want to focus on dialogue while still catching some body language. If you pull further out to a medium shot (waist-up), you bring in more of the background, balancing character and surroundings.
For action or movement, a medium full shot (knees up) helps keep the focus on your subject’s actions while still staying personal. A full shot goes even wider, showing the entire body within the scene, ideal when you need to capture both character and environment in equal measure.
And then there’s the extreme full shot, perfect for placing your subject within a grand setting. The character becomes a small part of the bigger picture, and the environment takes on a starring role, adding depth and context.
Extreme long shot. Vast westerns lands. A tiny cowboy riding a horse in the distance.
Ready to try?
Experiment with this prompt structure to see how shot types affect your image:
[Shot type] [Subject] [Details, actions, environment…]
For best results, start your prompt with the shot type. This helps the AI understand how to frame the scene before diving into the details of the subject or action.
 A biker on a Harley-Davidson, wearing a pumpkin-shaped helmet, cruising on a deserted road at sunset. Full-body shot. |  Full-body shot. A biker on a Harley-Davidson, wearing a pumpkin-shaped helmet, cruising on a deserted road at sunset. |
See how changing the order and putting 'Full-body shot' at the end of the prompt changes the focus. Actually, the first image doesn’t show a full-body shot.
Ideas to inspire your AI images or videos:
Dark Shadows and Silhouettes: Use low-key lighting to create a chilling atmosphere. Shadows creeping across the frame will amplify the suspense!
Wide-Angle for Unease: Capture your subject with a wide-angle lens to distort space and make the audience feel unnerved, perfect for haunted house scenes.
Costume Design Focus – Highlight intricate Halloween costumes by zooming in on the textures and details. Use close-ups to build character stories!
Eerie Location Scouting – Film in abandoned places or dark forests to build an unsettling backdrop. Natural elements like fog or the rustling of leaves add to the mood.
Dutch Angles for Tension – Tilt your camera slightly off-center to create a sense of disorientation. This technique works great in moments of rising suspense or dread!
Share Your Vision of Halloween
I’ll go first
 Medium shot. Skeleton captain pirate, feasting on a classic Halloween pumpkin in his dark cabin. |  Medium shot. A pirate with skeletal hands gripping his carved Jack-o'-lantern head tightly, fog swirling on the deck of the ghost ship, deep shadows and flickering candlelight, dramatic cinematic lighting. |
How to participate
You can participate using Instagram, X or Linkedin:
Make sure you follow me in any of them to get more visual ideas!
Promote your work
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Participate now for a chance to have your creation featured and let me know replaying to this email
What topics would you like in the future?
Now is your turn!
"We all float down here. Come back soon."