A video prompt is a shot list for one shot. Image prompts describe a moment; video prompts have to describe a moment, what changes during it, where the camera is and how it moves, and, with current models, what it sounds like. Leave any of those out and the model fills it in, usually with a slow drift toward nothing in particular.
This guide covers the parts of a good video prompt, how Veo and Seedance prompts differ, and example prompts written for each. The video prompt generator writes both formats from a one-line idea if you want to skip ahead.
One prompt, one shot
The most common mistake is writing a whole story into one prompt: a person wakes up, makes coffee, walks to work and meets a friend. In a clip of 5 to 10 seconds, that is four scenes competing for the same few seconds, and the result is a blur of half-finished actions.
Write one shot. One subject, one action, one camera move. If the idea needs more, either split it into several prompts and edit the clips together, or, on Seedance, name the shots explicitly (more on that below).
A useful test: could a camera operator film this in a single take without stopping? If not, it is more than one shot.
The six parts of a video prompt
- Subject and look. Who or what, with enough detail to stay consistent: "a woman in her 30s with short gray hair and a yellow raincoat".
- Action. What happens, with physical detail: "steps off the curb, her umbrella catching the wind and turning inside out".
- Setting. Where, and what is moving in the background.
- Camera. Position and movement: static, slow push-in, orbit, handheld follow, drone pull-back. Name one move.
- Light and grade. Time of day, light source, colour palette.
- Sound. Ambience, effects and any spoken words.
The length belongs in the prompt too. A model told "8 seconds" paces the action differently from one told nothing.
Writing for Veo
For Veo we write one paragraph describing the shot (subject, action, setting, camera move, lens, light and grade), then a separate Audio line, then a Duration line. Veo generates sound with the picture, and keeping audio on its own line stops sound words from leaking into the visuals.
Dialogue in Veo
For spoken lines, put the words in quotes on the Audio line and say who speaks. Keep it short: one or two sentences fit comfortably in 8 seconds.
Writing for Seedance
For Seedance we use short separate lines instead of one paragraph: subject and look, motion, camera move, setting and light, then the duration. Seedance handles more than one shot in a single generation, so when an idea needs a cut, name each shot.
Multi-shot prompts
Keep the subject's description identical across shots, and keep the light the same unless the change is the point. That is what holds a multi-shot clip together.
Camera moves that read well
Video models follow simple, named moves far better than complicated choreography. These six cover most needs:
| Move | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Static | Locked-off frame | Product shots, dialogue, ASMR-style clips |
| Push-in (dolly in) | Camera moves toward the subject | Reveals, tension, focus on a detail |
| Pull-back | Camera moves away | Endings, revealing a location |
| Orbit | Camera circles the subject | Products, characters, statues |
| Handheld follow | Slight shake, follows the subject | Vlogs, street scenes, documentary feel |
| Drone | High, smooth aerial movement | Landscapes, coastlines, roads |
Pick one per shot. "Push-in while orbiting while the drone rises" usually produces a confused camera.
Starting from an image
Both models accept a start frame. If you have a product photo or a still you made with an image model, upload it and write the prompt about what happens next: "the steam rises and the camera slowly pushes in", not a full description of the cup. The image already sets the look; the prompt should spend its words on motion, camera and sound. The image to video tool in the studio is set up for exactly this.
When the clip goes wrong
- Nothing happens. The action is too vague. Replace "walks around" with a specific movement and a direction.
- Too much happens. Cut to one action, or name shots on Seedance.
- The subject changes halfway. Add identifying detail (clothes, colours, hair) and avoid actions that turn the subject away from the camera for long.
- The camera does something odd. Name one move and its speed: "slow push-in", "static".
- The sound is wrong. On Veo, move every sound description to the Audio line and be specific: "rain on a tin roof", not "rainy sounds".
Prompts to start from
The video library has prompts with our own renders, sorted into hubs: cinematic, product video, social video and nature. The lighthouse example above is a shorter version of lighthouse in a storm, and the perfume bottle water splash is a good reference for product motion.
To write your own, open the video prompt generator, pick Veo, Seedance, Sora, Kling or Runway as the target, choose a duration, a camera move and a style, and describe the idea in a sentence. Send the result to the studio to run it on Veo or Seedance, or paste it into the tool you already use.
