OpenMontage/skills/creative/video-gen-prompting.md

Video Generation Prompting — Universal Guide

When to Use

When writing prompts for the video generation family (video_selector, seedance_video, heygen_video, wan_video, hunyuan_video, ltx_video_local, ltx_video_modal, cogvideo_video). This skill covers the universal prompt vocabulary that works across all video generation models. For the preferred premium default, see the Seedance 2.0 row in the table below.

For model-specific tips, see the linked guides below.

Model-Specific Guides

Model	Guide	Key Insight
Seedance 2.0 (standard / fast)	creative/prompting/seedance-prompting.md + Layer 3 .agents/skills/seedance-2-0/	Preferred premium default when FAL_KEY or HeyGen is configured. Single-pass synced audio, multi-shot generation, director-level camera, lip-sync from quoted dialogue, reference-to-video (9 img + 3 vid + 3 audio). Elo 1269 (#1 on Artificial Analysis).
Sora 2 / Sora 2 Pro	OpenAI Sora 2 Cookbook	Richest structured template. Advanced fields: lenses, filtration, grade, diegetic sound, wardrobe, finishing.
VEO 3.1 / VEO 3	Vertex AI Prompt Guide	Best vocabulary reference tables. 14-component prompt structure.
Grok Imagine Video	creative/prompting/grok-prompting.md	Best when prompts need reference-image placeholders like <IMAGE_1> and identity/product carryover.
LTX-2	LTX Prompting Guide	6-element structure. Audio/voice prompting. Strong "what to avoid" section.
HunyuanVideo 1.5	Tencent Prompt Handbook	Formula: Subject + Motion + Scene + [Shot] + [Camera] + [Lighting] + [Style] + [Atmosphere].
Runway Gen-4	Runway Prompting Guide	"Focus on motion, not appearance." One scene per clip. Simplicity wins.
Kling 2.6	Kling Prompt Guide	4-part structure. Supports ++emphasis++ syntax for key elements.
Wan 2.1 / CogVideoX	Use this generic guide	No official prompt guide. Standard cinematographic vocabulary works well.

Order Matters

When listing multiple subjects or events:

• Temporal order when events unfold over time ("First X enters, then Y reacts").
• Prominence order when temporal isn't relevant — humans before objects, largest/most-centered first, then secondary subjects.

Self-Contained Prompt

Write the prompt so that someone who has never seen the intended video could picture the subjects, scene, motion, and camera work from your text alone. If a reader could not picture it, a generation model will not render it.

Universal Prompt Formula

Prior work (CMU/Harvard, "Building a Precise Video Language with Human-AI Oversight") shows VLMs reliably describe subject + scene but fail on motion, spatial, and camera. Forcing prompts to fill all five slots is the highest-leverage change.

The OpenMontage canonical 5-aspect skeleton:

[Subject]        type + key visual attributes + how to disambiguate when multiple
[Subject Motion] actions in temporal order; subject↔object and subject↔subject interactions; group action
[Scene]          overlays (separately!) + POV + setting + time of day + scene dynamics
[Spatial]        shot size + position-in-frame + depth (FG/MG/BG) + camera-height-relative
                 — and how those CHANGE during the clip
[Camera]         playback speed → lens distortion → height → angle → focus/DoF → steadiness → movement

Shorter prompts = more creative freedom. Longer prompts = more control.

Prompt Length by Model

Empirical sweet spots from the paper's Section 6 findings — different models reward different prompt densities:

Model	Sweet Spot	Notes
Seedance 2.0	200–400 words for hero shots, 80–150 for inserts	Reward long, structured 5-aspect prompts
Wan 2.2	200–400 words	Fine-tuned on long captions
Sora 2 / VEO 3.1	100–250 words	Plateau past ~250
LTX-2	≤ 80 words	Degrades past that, keep tight
Runway Gen-4	≤ 60 words	"Focus on motion, not appearance"

Overlays Are Not Scene Depth

Overlays (titles, HUD, subtitles, watermarks, framing graphics) are NOT part of the scene's foreground/midground/background depth axis. List them separately with content and placement. Never say "overlay in the foreground."

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Camera Shot Types

Shot	When to Use
Wide / establishing shot	Open a scene, show location context
Full / long shot	Subject head-to-toe with environment
Medium shot	Waist up, balances detail with context
Medium close-up	Chest up, conversational intimacy
Close-up	Face or key object, emphasize emotion
Extreme close-up	Isolated detail (eye, drop, texture)
Over-the-shoulder	Conversation framing, connection
Point-of-view (POV)	Viewer becomes the character
Bird's-eye / top-down	Map-like overview, omniscient feel
Worm's-eye view	Looking straight up, emphasize height
Dutch / canted angle	Tilted horizon, unease or tension
Low-angle	Subject appears powerful, dominant
High-angle	Subject appears small, vulnerable

Camera Movements

The paper shows current models confuse translation, rotation, and lens-only changes — group your prompts so the model can't conflate them:

Group	Primitives	Rule
Translation (camera physically moves)	dolly in/out, truck left/right, pedestal up/down	"dolly forward toward subject"
Rotation (camera pivots in place)	pan left/right, tilt up/down, roll CW/CCW	"pan right across the room"
Lens-only (no camera move)	zoom in/out, rack focus, pull focus, focus tracking	"zoom in" ≠ "dolly in"
Hybrid / signature	dolly zoom (vertigo), arc/orbit, crane, whip pan, tracking/follow, handheld	"vertigo" only at moments of revelation
Stillness states	static (NO movement at all — strict), micro-shake, locked-off	"static" requires zero movement, focus change, or zoom

dolly ≠ zoom. dolly is camera translation; zoom is focal-length change. Models follow whichever token dominates. pan ≠ truck. pan rotates, truck translates laterally.

Static shot is strict. A static shot has zero movement, zero focus change, zero zoom. If any of those occur, do NOT write "static camera" — pick the right movement primitive.

Camera Height (relative to ground)

Primitive	Example
Aerial-level	"drone-altitude wide of the city"
Overhead-level	"rooftop height looking across the street"
Eye-level	"framed at eye level"
Hip-level	"hip-height tracking shot"
Ground-level	"low to the ground, ankle height"
Water-level	"skimming the water surface"
Underwater	"submerged below the surface"

Camera Angle (relative to subject)

Primitive	Definition
Bird's-eye	strict top-down. Not the same as aerial.
High angle	looking down on subject
Level angle	camera and subject at same height
Low angle	looking up at subject
Worm's-eye	looking straight up
Dutch angle (fixed)	tilted horizon held steady
Dutch angle (rolling)	horizon tilt changes during shot

bird's-eye = strict top-down. aerial = altitude. A drone shot at 45° looking down is a high angle from aerial height, NOT bird's-eye.

Point of View (POV)

POV	Example
First-person	"the camera follows the character's viewpoint as they walk"
Drone	"aerial drone footage of city skyline"
Over-the-shoulder	"OTS framing of the laptop screen"
Top-down oblique	"top-down view of the chess board, tilted slightly"
Dashcam	"vehicle dashcam framing of the road"
Objective / Neutral	(default — use when no specific POV)

Lighting Vocabulary

Term	Effect
Natural light	Soft, realistic (morning sun, overcast, moonlight)
Golden hour	Warm sunlight, long shadows, romantic
High-key	Bright, even, cheerful — comedy, lifestyle
Low-key	Dark, high contrast — thriller, drama
Rembrandt	Triangle of light on cheek, classic portrait
Film noir	Deep shadows, stark highlights
Volumetric	Visible light rays through atmosphere (fog, dust)
Backlighting	Light behind subject, silhouette effect
Side lighting	Strong directional, dramatic shadows
Practical lights	In-frame sources (lamps, candles, neon signs)
Rim / edge light	Highlights subject outline, separates from background

Lighting direction modifiers: key light, fill light, bounce, rim, spill, negative fill.

Color temperature: warm (tungsten, amber), cool (daylight, blue), mixed.

Lens & Optical Effects

Effect	Result
Wide-angle lens (24-35mm)	Broader view, exaggerated perspective
Telephoto (85mm+)	Compressed perspective, subject isolation
Anamorphic	Stretched aspect, signature lens flares
Lens flare	Streaks from bright light hitting lens

Lens Distortion

The paper distinguishes two primitives that models honor as separate effects — they are NOT interchangeable:

Primitive	Effect
Fisheye	extreme curvature, edges bent strongly outward
Barrel	mild distortion, straight lines bow slightly outward

Focus / Depth of Field

Primitive	Definition
Deep focus	everything sharp, FG to BG
Shallow DoF	subject sharp, background bokeh
Extremely shallow DoF	razor-thin focal plane
Rack focus	shifts focus between two subjects mid-shot
Pull focus	gradual focus shift (slower than rack)
Focus tracking	focus follows a moving subject

When DoF changes during a shot, label start AND end focal plane (FG/MG/BG/out-of-focus).

Subject Transitions

When subjects enter, leave, or hand off focus, name the transition explicitly:

Primitive	When
Subject revealing	a new subject enters frame (by subject movement OR camera movement)
Subject disappearing	a subject exits frame
Subject switching	focus shifts from one subject to another (often via rack focus or camera move)
Complex alternating	subjects alternate focus multiple times

Always name the cause: "by subject movement" or "by camera movement". This unlocks reveal-style camerawork in multi-shot prompts.

Identity Anchoring for Multi-Shot Prompts

Models lose character identity across cuts unless you re-state it. In every shot of a multi-shot prompt, repeat the same 3–6 disambiguating visual attributes for each named subject verbatim. Pronouns and "the same character" do not work.

Example: "Aang — bald, blue arrow tattoo on forehead, orange-and-yellow robes — plants his staff. … Aang — bald, blue arrow tattoo on forehead, orange-and-yellow robes — turns to camera."

Style & Aesthetic References

Cinematic Styles

• Film noir, period drama, thriller, modern romance
• Documentary, arthouse, experimental film
• Epic space opera, fantasy, horror
• 1970s romantic drama, 90s documentary-style

Animation Styles

• Studio Ghibli / Japanese anime
• Classic Disney, Pixar-like 3D
• Stop-motion, claymation
• Hand-painted 2D/3D hybrid
• Cel-shaded, low-poly 3D

Art Movements

• Impressionistic, surrealist, Art Deco, Bauhaus
• Watercolor, charcoal sketch, ink wash
• Graphic novel, blueprint schematic

Film Stock / Grade

• Kodak warm grade, Fuji cool tones
• 16mm black-and-white, 35mm photochemical contrast
• Vintage grain overlay, halation on speculars
• Teal-and-orange color grade

Temporal Effects

Playback Speed

The paper defines six explicit playback-speed primitives. Use the right one — they're not synonymous:

Primitive	Definition
Time-lapse	events significantly faster than real time (clouds racing)
Fast-motion	slightly faster than real (1x–3x)
Slow-motion	slower than real
Stop-motion	frame-by-frame discrete movements
Speed-ramp	mix of fast and slow within the same shot
Time-reversed	plays in reverse

Other Temporal Devices

Effect	Use
Freeze-frame	Dramatic pause
Rapid cuts	Energy, urgency
Continuous / long take	Immersion, tension
Fade in / fade out	Scene transitions
Match cut	Visual continuity between scenes

Audio Descriptions

Models that support audio generation (LTX-2, Sora 2, VEO 3) respond to:

Ambient: wind, rain, traffic, crowd murmur, forest birds, mechanical hum Diegetic sound: footsteps, door creaking, glass clinking, keyboard typing Voice style: whisper, calm narration, energetic announcer, gravitas Music mood: "soft piano in background", "upbeat electronic"

Put dialogue in quotation marks: Character says: "Hello world."

What to Avoid

Replace emotional adjectives with the visual cause of the emotion.

• "sad character" → "tears on cheek, shoulders slumped, staring at empty chair"
• "cinematic mood" → "low-key Rembrandt key + 35mm anamorphic + crushed shadows, lifted-by-2-stops shadow detail"
• "epic" → "low-angle, 24mm wide, sun directly behind subject, lens flare on the rim"

"Inspiring," "powerful," "moody," "epic" do not constrain pixels.

Static shot is strict. A static shot has zero movement, zero focus change, zero zoom. If any of those occur, do NOT write "static camera" — pick the right movement primitive.

Don't	Why	Do Instead
"Beautiful scene"	Too vague, no visual info	"Wet cobblestone street, warm streetlamp glow reflecting in puddles"
"Person moves quickly"	No visible action	"Woman sprints three steps and vaults over the railing"
"Cinematic look"	Every model already tries this	Specify: "anamorphic lens, shallow DOF, golden hour lighting"
"Sad character"	Internal states aren't visible	"Tears on cheek, shoulders slumped, staring at empty chair"
Readable text / logos	Models can't render text reliably	Avoid signs with text, or accept imperfect rendering
Complex physics	Chaotic motion causes artifacts	Keep physics simple; dancing/walking OK, explosions risky
Multiple characters talking	Multi-person dialogue breaks sync	One speaker per clip, or use reaction shots
Overloaded prompts	Too many elements = incoherent	Start simple, layer complexity one element at a time
Conflicting lighting	"Bright noon" + "dark shadows"	Pick one lighting setup and commit

Prompt Iteration Strategy

1. Start simple — subject + action + setting. See what the model gives you.
2. Add one element at a time — camera, then lighting, then style.
3. If a shot misfires — strip back. Freeze camera, simplify action, try again.
4. For consistency across clips — repeat the same style/lighting/grade description.
5. Use seed values — when you find a good result, save the seed for variations.
6. For Grok reference-image video — assign each source image a clear role in the prompt using <IMAGE_1>, <IMAGE_2>, etc.

Example: Generic Prompt Template

[Shot]: Medium close-up, slight low angle
[Camera]: Slow dolly-in
[Subject]: A weathered fisherman in his 60s, salt-and-pepper beard,
           dark wool sweater, calloused hands gripping a rope
[Action]: He pulls the rope hand-over-hand, muscles straining,
          then pauses and looks out to sea
[Setting]: Wooden dock at dawn, calm grey ocean, distant fog bank,
           seagulls wheeling overhead
[Lighting]: Soft overcast with warm break in clouds on the horizon,
            gentle rim light from the rising sun
[Style]: Documentary cinematography, 35mm film grain,
         muted earth tones with a cold blue-grey palette
[Audio]: Rope creaking, water lapping, distant gull cries, wind