{
 "slug": "handheld-shot",
 "name": "Handheld",
 "category": "move",
 "group": "Human camera",
 "media": [
  "video"
 ],
 "checked": "2026-10-13",
 "effect": "Feels present and real, as if someone is standing there filming.",
 "use_when": "Documentary, behind the scenes, testimonials with a real feel, creator-style content.",
 "phrase": "handheld shot at the operator's chest height, small natural sway and micro-corrections, the subject stays readable",
 "pitfalls": [
  {
   "text": "Handheld movement hides small generation artefacts in the motion; a stabilised camera can look floaty.",
   "evidence": "unverified",
   "source": "A 2026 model-syntax study for a prompt builder, summarised in Director Chair field notes on video prompting, not measured by us"
  }
 ],
 "per_model": [],
 "external_refs": [
  {
   "site": "aicameramovements",
   "url": "https://aicameramovements.com/",
   "what": "a looping example clip of this move and a free prompt card (link only)"
  },
  {
   "site": "aicameracontrol",
   "url": "https://aicameracontrol.com/",
   "what": "a free 3D stage to place the person and set the lens before you generate"
  }
 ],
 "licensed": [
  {
   "site": "aicameramovements",
   "name": "Handheld shot",
   "text": "handheld shot. Movement: hold the camera at human operator height with natural body movement. Speed: responsive and organic. Framing: keep the subject readable while the frame has subtle sway and micro-adjustments. End: finish with a natural handheld composition.",
   "credit": "AI Camera Movements (aicameramovements.com)",
   "source_url": "https://aicameramovements.com/previews/hq/23-handheld-shot-hq.mp4",
   "group": "Human Camera",
   "intensity": null,
   "cue": null,
   "shot": "Shot 23",
   "family": null,
   "aliases": [],
   "media": {
    "video": "/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq.mp4",
    "card": "/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq-card.mp4",
    "poster": "/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq.jpg",
    "card_poster": "/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq-card.jpg",
    "width": 1280,
    "height": 720,
    "duration": 15
   }
  }
 ],
 "site_names": [
  "Handheld shot"
 ],
 "related": [
  "static-shot",
  "phone-selfie-rig",
  "chase-shot"
 ],
 "rights": "own-work",
 "evidence": "film-craft",
 "source": {
  "url": null,
  "note": "Move names and the seven groups from aicameramovements.com (names and structure only); behaviour and numbers in our own words from Director Chair field notes on video prompting and the first Director Chair spec"
 },
 "body": "## Move card\n\n- **Camera:** held by a person at chest height\n- **Pace:** natural, responsive\n- **Keep:** the subject readable with a little sway and small corrections\n- **Ends:** a natural handheld frame",
 "shown_with": null,
 "url": "https://directorchair.ai/move/handheld-shot",
 "markdown": "https://directorchair.ai/move/handheld-shot.md",
 "prompts": {
  "seedance-2.5": "Scene: [your subject] in [your setting].\nShot 1 (0:00 to 0:05): one continuous shot\nOptics and camera: Handheld shot at the operator's chest height, small natural sway and micro-corrections, the subject stays readable. Camera: held by a person at chest height. Pace: natural, responsive. Keep: the subject readable with a little sway and small corrections. Ends: a natural handheld frame.\nReference clip (Handheld shot): https://directorchair.ai/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq.mp4",
  "seedance-2.0": "Scene: [your subject] in [your setting].\nShot 1: one continuous shot\nOptics and camera: Handheld shot at the operator's chest height, small natural sway and micro-corrections, the subject stays readable. Camera: held by a person at chest height. Pace: natural, responsive. Keep: the subject readable with a little sway and small corrections. Ends: a natural handheld frame.\nReference clip (Handheld shot): https://directorchair.ai/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq.mp4",
  "kling-3": "[your subject]. The scene is [your setting]. Handheld shot at the operator's chest height, small natural sway and micro-corrections, the subject stays readable. Camera: held by a person at chest height. Pace: natural, responsive. Keep: the subject readable with a little sway and small corrections. Ends: a natural handheld frame.\nReference clip (Handheld shot): https://directorchair.ai/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq.mp4",
  "veo-3.1": "Handheld shot at the operator's chest height, small natural sway and micro-corrections, the subject stays readable. Camera: held by a person at chest height. Pace: natural, responsive. Keep: the subject readable with a little sway and small corrections. Ends: a natural handheld frame. [your subject] in [your setting]. Framing and subject stay as in the start image.\nReference clip (Handheld shot): https://directorchair.ai/media/aicameramovements/23-handheld-shot-hq.mp4"
 },
 "licence": {
  "code": "MIT",
  "text": "CC BY 4.0",
  "third_party": "Clips and card texts inside a \"licensed\" block belong to their makers and are shown with permission and credit."
 }
}