Locked-On
A locked-on shot keeps one object or face glued in frame while the world streams past, as if the camera were bolted to a vehicle, a fall, or a spinning set. The subject is the only stable point.
Narrative function
One thing is the only law in a moving world. A steering wheel, a spinning astronaut, a driver's eyes: everything else is weather.
The constraint is rigidity to the subject, not a vest walking nearby. It is the wrong tool when you wanted a body-mounted face rig, and the wrong tool when a normal track should keep a walking distance.
Bolted is not following.
How it works
Mount to the subject, the vehicle, or match-move as if bolted. Distance and angle to the chosen object stay nearly constant; background parallax and rotation can be extreme.
Prompt a locked-on move, camera glued to one object or face, environment streaming past, as if bolted to a vehicle or a falling body.
When to use it
Use it when one thing is the only stable point in a moving world. Concrete beat: a close steering wheel and dash while the city smears the windows.
Do not use it for a sidewalk follow.
Compared with similar shots
A SnorriCam is a specific body-mount facing the actor. Tracking Shot holds distance to a mover but is not bolted; the relationship can breathe.
Locked-on is a rigid constraint: the camera and the chosen subject share a mount or a match-move as if they did.
In film
Gravity treats falling bodies and visors as the stable mount while Earth streams. Baby Driver bolts attention to drivers, wheels, and the car's interior while streets smear.
Use the rigid glue, not the soundtrack.
Prompt it
Locked-on move with [Subject], camera glued to one object or face while the environment streams past, as if bolted to a vehicle or a falling body. For motion: the camera stays locked on [Subject] while the environment streams past them.
What usually goes wrong
The usual wrong cousin is a Follow Shot or SnorriCam. The tell is a walking offset behind a person, or a chest rig whose job is the face as tripod for a sidewalk.
The fix: name the mount, keep subject scale and angle constant, let only the world stream.
Questions
What is Locked-On in film?
It is a camera rigidly tied to one subject so that object stays glued in frame while the environment moves around it.
Locked-On vs SnorriCam
SnorriCam is a body-mount facing the wearer. Locked-on is the broader bolt: a car, a helmet, a falling body, any subject as the only stable point.
When should I use Locked-On?
When a vehicle, a fall, or an object should be the still law. Do not use it as a synonym for following someone down a hall.
How do I prompt Locked-On for AI image or video?
Write camera glued to [Subject], as if bolted, environment streaming past, subject size and angle constant. Name the mount.
Melies can generate this Locked-On
Melies is the AI filmmaking workspace. This Locked-On opens with the camera path and prompt already loaded, so you generate the move instead of describing it from scratch.