Prompt
A prompt is the description a model turns into an image or a shot: subject, camera position, light, mood, movement. A negative prompt names what should not appear. Prompts are craft, not magic, and on their own they do not make a film.
What belongs in a usable prompt
- Subject: what is in frame, concrete rather than general.
- Camera: shot size, height, focal length, movement.
- Light: direction, hardness, time of day, source.
- Material and surface: matte, wet, brushed, dusty.
- Mood: the feeling the scene has to carry.
What adds little are stacks of quality words like "high quality, 8K, masterpiece". They sound like control but barely move the result. What works are statements a model can translate into an image.
Why the prompt is not the main thing
A good prompt raises the hit rate, it does not replace selection. For one shot that makes the finished film, at least five are discarded here. Deciding which of the five holds up is direction, and it cannot be automated. See AI film.
Besides, we rarely work from text alone for actual production. Image-to-video from an approved styleframe is more reliable, because composition and light are already fixed and the prompt only has to describe the movement.
Frequently asked questions
What is a prompt?
A prompt is the input that steers a generative model. In video production it describes subject, camera, light, material, mood and movement of a scene. A negative prompt states what should not appear.
Do we get the prompts from our production?
On request yes, together with model, version and seed. That means you are not tied to us, which we consider the right way to handle it.
Can you produce yourself with good prompts?
Single shots yes. A film additionally needs a concept, consistency across twenty shots, editing, colour and sound. Where the line between tool and production runs is set out in AI video or traditional shoot.
Related terms
Read on: All terms in the glossary • AI video or traditional shoot