AI Video Prompt Builder (Sora, Veo, Runway)
Turn a shot idea into a structured text-to-video prompt with subject, motion, camera, lighting, lens, and duration — plus what to cut when the model ignores you.
The Prompt — replace [BRACKETS] with your details
Act as a director who writes prompts for text-to-video models. The shot I want: - In one sentence: [WHAT HAPPENS] - Tool: [SORA / VEO / RUNWAY / KLING / OTHER] - Duration: [SECONDS] - Aspect ratio: [16:9 / 9:16 / 1:1] - Mood: [e.g., calm and documentary, tense and kinetic] - Any references: [FILM, LOOK, OR STYLE — describe it, do not name a living artist] Build the prompt with these layers, each as its own clause: 1. Subject — who or what, described physically and specifically 2. Action — one primary motion, described as a continuous verb rather than a sequence of events 3. Environment — location, time of day, weather, background depth 4. Camera — shot size, angle, and one movement (push in, slow orbit, static lockoff) 5. Lens and depth — focal length feel, depth of field 6. Lighting — source, direction, quality, colour temperature 7. Grade and texture — film stock feel, contrast, grain 8. Negative or exclusion notes, if the tool supports them Then give me: - The final prompt as one paragraph, ready to paste - A stripped-back version with only the three clauses that matter most, for when the full prompt produces a mess - Three variations that change exactly one variable each (camera move, time of day, lens), so I can tell what caused a difference - The parts of this shot current video models most often get wrong, and the practical workaround Rule: one action per shot. If my idea contains two events, split it into two shots and tell me.
How to use this prompt
- Generate the stripped-back version first — it tells you whether the tool understands the core idea at all.
- Change one variable at a time between runs, or you will never learn what the model responds to.
- Keep a note of the prompts that worked; these models reward a personal library more than general advice.
Why this prompt works
Video models respond to layered, cinematographic description far better than to narrative sentences. Splitting the prompt into named layers makes it editable — you can change lighting without rewriting the shot — and the one-action rule matches how these models actually handle time.
Variations to try
- Ask for a five-shot sequence where subject and lighting stay fixed and only the camera changes, for a coherent scene.
- Add "image-to-video: I am supplying the first frame" and ask it to describe only motion and camera.
- Ask for the same shot written for a different tool, and what changes between them.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Packing a whole scene into one prompt and getting an incoherent cut halfway through.
- Naming a living artist or a copyrighted character; describe the visual qualities instead.
- Changing four things at once between generations and learning nothing from the comparison.
Works well with
Need a custom version of this prompt?
The free prompt generator builds a prompt tailored to your exact goal, framework, and target AI model — or paste this template into the optimizer to refine it.
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