AI Video Prompt Guide

Create cinematic videos with Sora, Runway, Pika, Luma, and other AI video tools.

Video prompts need to describe both what we see and how it moves. Here’s a simple structure that works across Sora, Runway, Pika, and similar tools.

Scene + subject

Set the place and main subject: “A narrow street in Tokyo at night, neon signs, a person in a raincoat walking.”

Camera and motion

Specify camera movement: “Slow dolly forward,” “Static shot,” “Drone flying over a forest,” “Close-up on hands.”

Motion in the scene

Describe what moves: “Leaves blowing in the wind,” “Car passes left to right,” “Person turns and smiles.”

Style and quality

Add look and feel: “Cinematic, 24fps, film grain,” “Smooth motion,” “4K, realistic lighting.”

Tool tips

• Sora: Natural language; focus on clear scene and motion. Longer prompts are fine.
• Runway: Short, clear prompts; use image + text for Gen-3 for best control.
• Pika / Luma: One clear sentence for scene + motion often works well.