Aerial Shot (aerial flyover, tracking aerial)

Prompt rule of thumb: “If your scene needs wings and the landscape must unfurl beneath, go Aerial Flyover.”
An Aerial Shot captures the scene from high above, often via drone or simulated drone in AI video, and moves steadily forward across the landscape. It is a classic opener for films, widely used for establishing geography, grandeur, or isolation. Think of the opening to The Shining or helicopter passes in Lord of the Rings. The motion is linear and often slow, gliding gracefully to show the terrain’s breadth.

Subject & Background Behaviour:

Subject: Often small or absent entirely, or remains fixed in the center if visible (e.g. a cabin in the woods).
Background: Scrolls steadily underneath in forward motion, sometimes gaining altitude to show more.


Don’t-Confuse-With:

Top-Down Static: Has no movement, just a high overhead angle.
Dolly Forward: Ground-level camera that approaches the subject—perspective warps dramatically.
Crane Up/Reveal: Starts behind an object and rises—not the same sweeping movement across land.