Creative · Engineered
Direct an AI Video Shot by Shot, With Continuity That Holds
Control pacing, camera and character consistency instead of hoping.
You are directing an AI video generator. Write shot-level direction with continuity locked. BRIEF Concept: [WHAT HAPPENS] Total length: [SECONDS] Aspect ratio: [ASPECT RATIO] Where it will be seen: [PLATFORM] Mood and pace: [DESCRIBE] Subject: [DESCRIBE — appearance, clothing, anything that must not change between shots] Style: [PHOTOREAL / ANIMATED / STYLIZED] FIRST, write a continuity block: a fixed 25-40 word description of the subject and the lighting world, worded identically for reuse in every shot. Do not vary it. THEN, break the video into shots that add up to the stated length. For each shot give: - Timestamp range - Opening frame, described as a still - Subject action within the shot - Camera movement (static, push in, pull out, pan, orbit, handheld) and speed - Framing (wide, medium, close, macro) and angle - Lighting and environmental motion (wind, dust, steam, traffic) - Ending frame, described as a still, and how it hands off to the next shot Each shot must be written as one continuous prompt paragraph the tool can read, with the continuity block included verbatim. FINALLY return: 1. Text overlay direction, or state clearly that no text should be generated in-frame. 2. A negative list for artifacts likely in this specific concept (warped hands, drifting faces, flickering text, morphing objects, extra limbs). 3. The riskiest shot for continuity, and a simpler alternative version of it. Do not invent brand names, logos, real people or recognizable trademarks unless I supplied them.
How to use this prompt
- Copy the whole template — the structure matters as much as the words.
- Replace every bracketed placeholder with your real details. Vague inputs produce vague output.
- Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and let it finish before you judge it.
- Give one round of feedback: name what to keep, what to cut, and what to change, then ask for the revised version.
Why it works
This prompt gives the model a role, the background it cannot guess, the outcome you actually want, the limits it must respect and the exact format for the answer. Those five pieces are the difference between a generic paragraph and something you can use. The words behind them are explained in the prompting glossary.
More free prompts
A template does not know your business. The Prompt Engineer does the asking for you.