How to Write One Shot

Quick answer: A shot is one marker chip with its seconds, then a few sentences that say what the camera sees: the framing (close-up, medium, wide), whether the camera moves, who is in the picture (named with @ chips), the one thing that happens, and the line if there is one. Write what a viewer would see and hear, in the order they would notice it. Treat each new shot as a cut to a new framing. Keep to one action per shot, and give it enough seconds to happen.

Still from “The Eagle's Vow”, an AI short drama generated end-to-end by SceneMixer (9 characters, 1 episode) — Sample: “The Eagle's Vow” — Realistic HD, 1 episode, produced end-to-end by SceneMixer from the script · watch the episodes

Open a finished episode and read three shots in a row. Every one of them follows the shape below.

The shape

[Shot 3] 4s: Medium shot, fixed camera. @Mara at the head of the table, @Jules on her right. She slides the @Sealed letter across to him and holds his eye. @Mara (low, steady): Read it before you say no. (voice: 🔊Mara) @Jules lips closed, no lip movement. Rain on the window behind them.

Marker and seconds. Framing and camera. Who is where. What happens. The line, with its delivery note and voice chip. What the other person is doing. What we hear. That order is the one a viewer notices things in, and it is the order that reads best.

A storyboard segment: location, time and weather fields, then numbered shots with durations, asset chips and spoken lines — Two shots from a finished segment: marker and seconds, framing, who is in it, what happens, the line, the ambience.

Framing and camera

Say the size of the picture: close-up, medium close-up, medium shot, full shot, wide shot. Say whether the camera is still or moving: fixed, handheld, tracking, a slow push in. Say the angle if it matters: over @Jules’s shoulder, from the doorway, from the passenger window. One framing per shot; a change of framing is a new shot.

You do not have to write the camera position at all. Say who faces whom and the scene’s automatic AI 3D staging puts the camera where that is true. How positions hold.

Who is in the picture

Name everyone visible with an @ chip. For one person, add In frame only: @Mara. Do not name someone who is only heard or only nearby. A listener gets lips closed, no lip movement. Who is in frame.

One thing happens

A shot is one beat: she slides the letter; he picks it up; she looks away. Two beats are two shots. Write what is visible — hands, faces, bodies, objects — not what someone is thinking. “She hesitates, then slides the letter across” works; “she decides to trust him” gives the shot nothing to draw.

Start the first shot with Opening: and the first frame; start each later shot with the cut, such as Cut to close-up:. When the same people are in two shots in a row, change the framing or the angle between them, or the join looks like a skip. Say posture when it is not standing: kneeling, seated, leaning on the rail.

The line

@Name (how it is said): the words. Then the voice chip from the @ menu. Delivery notes are short and physical — low, steady; through her teeth; calling from the stairs. A line from outside the picture starts its note with (voice-over) or (off-screen). Dialogue lines.

Give the line its seconds: about three words a second in English. Shot seconds.

What we hear

End the shot with the sounds of the place if they matter: Ambient: rain on the glass, a clock in the hall. A shot with no speech gets No dialogue so nobody is made to talk.

Three shots to copy

A reaction. [Shot 4] 3s: Close-up. In frame only: @Jules. He looks down at the letter, jaw tightening. No dialogue. Ambient: rain.

A line with movement. [Shot 5] 6s: Medium shot, handheld. @Mara stands and crosses to the window, back to him. @Mara (quiet, not turning): I already know what it says. (voice: 🔊Mara)

A reveal. [Shot 6] 4s: Slow push in on the @Sealed letter on the table; the seal is broken. No dialogue. Ambient: the clock.

Part of the shot	Example
Marker and seconds	[Shot 3] 4s:
Framing and camera	Medium shot, fixed camera / Close-up, slow push in
Who is where	@Mara at the head of the table, @Jules on her right
One thing that happens	She slides the letter across and holds his eye
The line	@Mara (low, steady): Read it before you say no. (voice: 🔊Mara)
The listener	@Jules lips closed, no lip movement
Sound	Ambient: rain on the window

FAQ

How long should a shot be?

Two or three seconds for a look or a gesture, four to six for a line and its reaction, longer for movement. The shots add up to the segment.

Do I have to write the camera position?

No. Name who faces whom and the staging places the camera. Write a position when you want a specific one.

Can a shot have two actions?

Better not. Split it into two shots; each gets its own seconds.

What if nobody speaks?

Write No dialogue at the end of the shot.

Should I describe what a character is thinking?

Describe what shows: the face, the hands, the pause. A thought with no visible sign gives the shot nothing to draw.

Write one shot and generate it

Open a segment, rewrite a single shot in this shape, save, and regenerate that segment.

Open the editor

Updated October 2, 2026