Learn with KlipZi · 8 min read
How to Write an AI Video Prompt: A 7-Part Formula With Examples
Start with one scene you can picture. Say who or what is in it, what happens and how we see it. Then add the details that matter to your idea. You do not need a long list of cinematic buzzwords to get started.
The seven-part prompt formula
Subject + action + setting + camera + lighting + style + framing
Use these seven parts as a checklist, not a rule that every prompt must be long. A simple joke may need only a subject and action. Add the other parts when you want to make a specific creative choice.
Subject: Who or what should we watch?
Name the main subject and one or two identifying details. Keep them consistent throughout the scene.
For example: A small red delivery robot with a square parcel
Action: What visibly happens?
Choose a main action that fits a short clip. Describe something the viewer can see instead of an abstract feeling such as success or excitement.
For example: The robot carefully places the parcel on a doorstep
Setting: Where does it happen?
Give the scene a location and a few relevant surroundings. Leave out background details that compete with the main event.
For example: Outside a blue front door on a quiet suburban street
Camera: Where is the viewer, and does the camera move?
Choose a viewpoint and one camera behaviour. A fixed doorbell view and a sweeping aerial shot suggest very different videos.
For example: A fixed wide-angle doorbell camera watches the doorstep
Lighting: What gives the scene its light?
Name a light source or time of day you can picture. Keep the choice consistent with the setting.
For example: Soft daylight on an overcast morning
Style: What should the footage feel like?
Pick a coherent visual treatment. Ordinary phone footage, stop-motion clay animation and a polished product advert are different directions.
For example: Everyday home-security footage with a playful mood
Framing: What must fit inside the shot?
Describe the composition, then choose the actual aspect ratio and duration in KlipZi’s creation controls. Words such as vertical or ten seconds do not replace those settings.
For example: Keep the whole robot and the welcome mat visible in a portrait composition
A template you can reuse
[Subject] [main action] in [setting]. [Camera viewpoint and movement]. [Lighting]. [Visual style]. [Framing and the details that must stay visible].
Put it together
A small red delivery robot carefully places a square parcel on the welcome mat outside a blue front door on a quiet suburban street. A fixed wide-angle doorbell camera watches the doorstep. Soft daylight on an overcast morning. Everyday home-security footage with a playful mood. Keep the whole robot and the welcome mat visible in a portrait composition.
Five before-and-after prompt rewrites
These are original writing examples to try in KlipZi, not claims of tested before-and-after video results. The revised versions make the intended shot clearer; the generated result still depends on the model and settings you select.
1. A funny animal clip
Starting idea
A funny cat video.
More directed prompt
A fluffy ginger cat sits at a small office desk and slowly pushes a closed notebook onto the floor, then looks straight at the camera. One fixed medium shot at the cat’s eye level. Soft window light in an ordinary home office. Realistic phone-video style. Keep the cat’s face and the edge of the desk in frame.
What changed: The humour now has a visible setup and payoff. The camera has a clear place to look, and the action stays small enough to follow.
2. A product close-up
Starting idea
Make a cool coffee advert.
More directed prompt
A matte green ceramic mug stands on a wooden cafe table as a thin curl of steam rises from the coffee. The camera slowly moves closer from table height. Warm morning light from a nearby window, with the cafe softly out of focus behind it. A calm, polished product-film style. Keep the whole mug visible with open space above it.
What changed: The brief names one product, one movement and one visual mood. Open space gives you room to add your own headline later.
3. A cinematic landscape
Starting idea
An epic mountain scene.
More directed prompt
A lone hiker in a yellow jacket stands on a rocky ridge, watching clouds drift through the valley below. A wide shot from behind the hiker, with the camera slowly rising. Cool dawn light touches the distant peaks. Naturalistic adventure-film style. Keep the hiker small in the lower part of the frame so the valley fills the view.
What changed: The scale comes from the composition rather than the word epic. The yellow jacket gives the viewer a clear point of interest.
4. A tiny animated world
Starting idea
A magical forest animation.
More directed prompt
A tiny clay fox nudges a glowing mushroom with its nose in a handmade forest of felt trees. One close shot with a gentle sideways camera move. The mushroom casts warm light onto the fox against a dark blue background. Tactile stop-motion style with visible clay texture. Keep the fox and mushroom together in the centre of the shot.
What changed: The materials and lighting support the same visual idea. One small interaction makes the scene easier to describe than a whole fantasy story.
5. A simple visual joke
Starting idea
A robot makes a mess at work.
More directed prompt
A small red office robot tries to place one sheet of paper into a printer, but the sheet folds into a concertina and drops onto the desk. The robot pauses and tilts its head. A fixed high-corner security-camera view of a quiet office. Flat overhead lighting and slightly grainy CCTV-style footage. Keep the printer, robot and falling paper visible in one continuous shot.
What changed: The revised prompt chooses a specific mishap and a reaction. A single viewpoint connects the two without asking for multiple scene changes.
Explore real KlipZi prompts and results
These existing gallery pages pair the original prompt with its generated video. Watch them to compare the instructions with the result.
Office Robot Meltdown Caught on CCTV
Read the short original prompt and watch its result. Notice how the subject, office setting and CCTV treatment are specified in just a few words.
The Doorstep Waffle Delivery Disaster
Compare this longer scene description with the robot prompt. Look for the delivery setup, the waffle payoff and the repeated instruction to keep one doorbell-camera viewpoint.
Try the formula in KlipZi
- Copy the template or one of the examples, then replace the subject and setting with your own idea.
- Open Create in KlipZi and paste the prompt. Choose the available model, aspect ratio and duration in the creation controls before generating.
- Watch the result once for the main action and once for framing. Write down the most important difference between your intention and the result.
- Revise that one instruction first. If the scene is too busy, remove an action; if the subject is too small, ask for a closer shot. Keep your settings the same while comparing prompt changes.
Four useful revisions when a prompt misses
- Too much happens at once
- Reduce the scene to one main event and a short reaction. Save extra locations or plot points for another clip.
- The camera feels confused
- Choose one viewpoint. Replace mixed directions such as fixed CCTV plus sweeping cinematic orbit with the one you actually want.
- The result misses the important detail
- Move that detail into the main description and explain where it belongs in the frame. Remove decorative instructions that matter less.
- A headline or logo needs to be exact
- Plan space for it in the shot and add the finished graphic in an editor. Review any generated lettering closely before using it.
Common questions
How long should an AI video prompt be?
Long enough to describe the choices that matter. Start with a few clear sentences for one scene. Add a detail when it solves a specific ambiguity, rather than trying to reach a word count.
Do I need all seven parts every time?
No. The formula is a planning checklist. A short prompt can leave room for surprise; a more directed scene benefits from clear camera, lighting and framing instructions.
Does writing 9:16 or a duration set the video format?
Use KlipZi’s aspect ratio and duration controls for the actual output settings. Your prompt can describe portrait framing or the pace of the action, but it does not replace those controls.
Can I use the same prompt with different models?
You can use it as a starting point. Models may interpret the same wording differently, so compare the results and adapt the prompt. Keep your first attempt focused on the subject, action and composition.
What if I am starting from an image?
Use the image to establish the appearance, then describe the motion you want: what the subject does, how the camera moves and what changes in the environment. Check the selected model’s available image options in Create.