Great AI video starts with a great sentence. Here is how to write prompts that give you the shot you pictured, not the one the model guessed.
A prompt is a shot list, a casting call and a lighting plan in one breath. Write it loosely and the model fills the gaps with defaults. Write it with intent and it follows your lead. This page breaks prompt writing into habits you can use on every project, from a product ad to a short film.
Every strong shot answers five questions: who, doing what, where, seen how, and in what light. Miss one and the model guesses for you. Fill all five slots and the guessing stops.
[Subject] [action] in [setting], [camera angle and movement], [lighting and mood]. One clear, continuous shot.Lead with who or what the shot is about. When the subject comes first, everything after it describes their world. Keep the description identical between takes so they stay recognizable.
[Age and build] [person or object] with [one distinctive detail], [action], in [setting]. Medium shot, natural light.Stillness reads as a photograph. Give the subject one clear, physical verb and the shot comes alive. Pick a verb you could act out, not a feeling.
[Subject] [physical verb, such as lifts, turns or pours] [object] in [setting], the motion slow and deliberate, [camera framing].Light is where mood lives. Name the source, the direction and the color, and the emotion follows. Golden window light from the left says more than warm and cozy ever will.
[Subject] [action] in [setting], lit by [light source] from [direction], [color temperature] tones, [mood word] atmosphere.Adjectives are vague and nouns are pictures. A cracked leather armchair beats a beautiful old chair because the model can actually draw it. Swap every adjective you can for a thing.
[Subject] beside a [specific object with material and condition] in a [specific room or place], [specific prop] in the foreground, [camera framing], [light source].A shot that tries to say three things says nothing. Give each generation a single beat: a look, a reveal, a gesture. Stack ideas across shots, not inside one.
[Subject] [single action] and nothing else happens, [camera framing] holding steady, [lighting]. One beat, one moment.What you leave out matters as much as what you put in. Every extra detail competes for attention in the frame. Cut anything that does not serve the moment and the shot breathes.
[Subject] alone in [minimal setting], wide empty space around them, [single light source], [camera framing]. Clean, uncluttered frame.Some looks are hard to put into words. A reference image carries palette, wardrobe and composition in a single upload. Use the image for the look and the prompt for the motion.
Using the reference image for [palette, wardrobe or composition], show [subject] [action] in [setting], [camera movement]. Keep the look of the reference.When the story needs a real person, a video reference lets them appear consistently in generated scenes. Film a short clip of the person, then direct them into new places. Your audience sees you, not a stand-in.
Using the video reference of [person], show them [action] in [setting], [camera framing], [lighting]. Keep their face, build and wardrobe consistent.Director Mode lets you direct a film shot by shot with a cast. Define each character once, in detail, before the first shot. Every later prompt just names them and gets on with the scene.
Cast: [character name], [age, look, wardrobe, one signature detail]. Shot: [character name] [action] in [setting], [camera framing], [lighting].Change the light, the lens and the setting at once and you will never know which one worked. Lock everything, adjust a single slot, and compare. Small changes teach you fast.
Same prompt as the last take, change only [one slot: subject, action, setting, camera or light] to [new value]. Keep every other word identical.Explore with short, rough takes before you commit to the long one. Find the framing and the motion first, then spend your effort on the version that matters. Seedance 2.5 can carry a finished idea up to 30 seconds in one continuous take with native audio.
Draft: [subject] [action] in [setting], [camera], short test take. Final: the same prompt as one continuous take with [audio cue] and [lighting refinement].Your best prompt is the one you can find again. Save every keeper with a note on what you changed and why. Over time the log becomes your personal style guide.
Keeper: [prompt text]. Changed: [slot] from [old value] to [new value]. Result: [what improved]. Use next for: [project type].