Frames the person from the waist up, balancing the person and their surroundings. The most neutral distance.
When to use it
Explaining an action (how to use a product), linking two shots.
Example videos
Medium Shot In Film: Examples and Film Theory — Explainer: Shows with movie scenes how a waist-up medium shot holds a person and the surroundings together.Every Film Shot Size Explained — Explainer: From 3:55, the medium shot section. Compare its size with the medium wide shot right before it.20 Cinematic Camera Moves & Shots for Seedance and Kling | AI FIlmmaking Tutorial — AI: From 4:55, it shows a medium shot made with AI, along with the prompt.
Will AI handle it well?
Public AI example available — Veo guide 'Medium shot'
One-click prompt
Medium shot, waist-up, a gardener in a straw hat waters tomato plants in a sunny greenhouse, natural posture, rows of seedlings slightly visible in the background, 35mm lens, soft diffused daylight, calm relaxed mood, locked-off camera, 5-second shot.
Tell the AI like this
medium shot, waist-up, natural posture, background slightly visible