A chase
Too thin
a man running in a city, cool, cinematic
Directed
Low angle, wet asphalt, sodium streetlights. A man in a grey wool coat sprints past a shuttered kiosk, coat hem snapping, shallow focus, cinematic night.
Prompt craft
How to Write Cinematic Prompts for AI Video
A generic prompt gets a generic picture. A directed shot names the lens, the light, the person, and the one thing they do. That is how you ask for a film frame instead of clip-art.
The formula
Angle, light, subject, action, style.
- Camera angleWhere the lens sits: wide, medium, close, low, overhead.
- LightingThe time and the source: golden hour, noon, tungsten, a single practical, rain.
- SubjectWho, specifically. Age, clothes, and one detail the audience can track.
- ActionOne verb. What they do in this shot, not their whole biography.
- StyleThe look: cinematic, desaturated, shallow focus. One style, not five genres.
Examples
The same idea, written like a shot.
A letter
Too thin
woman with a letter, dramatic
Directed
Close-up, overcast window light. A woman in her forties with a silver streak in short dark hair breaks the wax seal on a cream envelope, hands steady, muted film color.
A product ad
Too thin
ad for headphones, luxury
Directed
Medium shot, soft key light from camera left. A commuter on a night train lifts matte black headphones from a linen case, city lights streaking the window, clean commercial grade.
FAQ
Prompts and the lock are different jobs.
Will a perfect prompt fix a changing face?
No. A precise prompt describes the shot. Character Lock is what carries the same person into the next shot. Use both.
How long should a cinematic prompt be?
Long enough for angle, light, subject, action, and one style. A paragraph of moods usually fights itself. One action is enough.
Do I still write prompts inside Filmoyo?
The Director Canvas drafts shots from a logline, and you can still edit the prompt, angle, shot type, and lighting before you render. The point is you are not inventing every shot from a blank box.
Or hand the first draft to the canvas
You can still edit the shot after the logline.
The review, the price, and the 50 cinematic prompts bonus sit next to this formula.