# Dolly zoom (vertigo)

Camera / Camera move / Zoom and lens. Checked 2026-10-13.

The background stretches or shrinks around a subject who stays the same size: dread, shock, a world tilting.

- Use when: A moment of realisation or panic.
- Phrase: dolly zoom: the camera moves toward her while the lens zooms out, she stays the same size and the background behind her stretches away
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/move/dolly-zoom
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/move/dolly-zoom.json

## Watch out

- Models get this wrong when it is only named. Describe both halves and the visible result: the background warps, the subject stays the same size. (unverified; A 2026 model-syntax study for a prompt builder, summarised in Director Chair field notes on video prompting, not measured by us)

## Move card

- **Camera:** travels toward the subject while the lens widens, or the reverse
- **Pace:** slow and continuous
- **Keep:** the subject the same size the whole time
- **Ends:** the background visibly stretched or squeezed

## Prompts

### Seedance 2.5

```
Scene: [your subject] in [your setting].
Shot 1 (0:00 to 0:05): one continuous shot
Optics and camera: Dolly zoom: the camera moves toward the subject while the lens zooms out, the subject stays the same size and the background behind the subject stretches away. Camera: travels toward the subject while the lens widens, or the reverse. Pace: slow and continuous. Keep: the subject the same size the whole time. Ends: the background visibly stretched or squeezed.
```

### Seedance 2.0

```
Scene: [your subject] in [your setting].
Shot 1: one continuous shot
Optics and camera: Dolly zoom: the camera moves toward the subject while the lens zooms out, the subject stays the same size and the background behind the subject stretches away. Camera: travels toward the subject while the lens widens, or the reverse. Pace: slow and continuous. Keep: the subject the same size the whole time. Ends: the background visibly stretched or squeezed.
```

### Kling 3.0

```
[your subject]. The scene is [your setting]. Dolly zoom: the camera moves toward the subject while the lens zooms out, the subject stays the same size and the background behind the subject stretches away. Camera: travels toward the subject while the lens widens, or the reverse. Pace: slow and continuous. Keep: the subject the same size the whole time. Ends: the background visibly stretched or squeezed.
```

### Veo 3.1

```
Dolly zoom: the camera moves toward the subject while the lens zooms out, the subject stays the same size and the background behind the subject stretches away. Camera: travels toward the subject while the lens widens, or the reverse. Pace: slow and continuous. Keep: the subject the same size the whole time. Ends: the background visibly stretched or squeezed. [your subject] in [your setting]. Framing and subject stay as in the start image.
```

## Look further

- https://aicameramovements.com/ : a looping example clip of this move and a free prompt card (link only)
- https://aicameracontrol.com/ : a free 3D stage to place the person and set the lens before you generate

## Goes well with

- Dolly in (push in): https://directorchair.ai/move/dolly-in
- Slow zoom out: https://directorchair.ai/move/slow-zoom-out

## Source

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

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.