AI Video Prompting: Runway, Kling, Sora & Beyond

AI Video Generation in 2026

AI video has matured rapidly. Runway Gen-3, Kling 2.5, Sora, Pika 2.0, and Veo 2 can now generate 10-60 second clips with temporal consistency, camera control, and cinematic quality. But prompting video is fundamentally different from prompting images.

The Key Difference: Time

Image prompts describe a single moment. Video prompts must describe movement through time:

• What happens at the start
• What changes during the clip
• How the camera moves
• What the subject does

The Video Prompt Formula

[Camera movement] shot of [subject] [action/motion] in [setting], [lighting], [mood], [style]

Example:

Slow dolly-in shot of a woman walking through a neon-lit Tokyo alley at night, rain reflecting city lights on wet pavement, cinematic color grading, shallow depth of field, 24fps film look

Camera Movement Vocabulary

Term	What It Does	Best For
Static	Camera doesn't move	Portraits, product shots, dialogue
Pan	Camera rotates left/right	Revealing landscapes, following action
Tilt	Camera rotates up/down	Revealing height, dramatic reveals
Dolly in/out	Camera moves toward/away from subject	Building tension, establishing shots
Tracking shot	Camera follows a moving subject	Action sequences, walking scenes
Orbit	Camera circles the subject	Product showcases, hero moments
Crane/Boom	Camera rises or descends	Establishing shots, dramatic reveals
Handheld	Slight shake, documentary feel	Realism, urgency, intimacy
Zoom	Lens zooms in/out (not camera movement)	Dramatic emphasis, surprise
FPV	First-person perspective flying through	Action, exploration, immersive

Shot Types

Shot	Frame	Use
Wide/Establishing	Full scene visible	Setting context, opening shots
Medium	Waist up	Conversation, general action
Close-up	Face or detail	Emotion, important details
Extreme close-up	Eyes, texture, small object	Intensity, product detail
Over-the-shoulder	Behind one person looking at another	Dialogue scenes
Bird's eye	Directly above	Patterns, scale, mapping
Low angle	Looking up at subject	Power, dominance, heroism
Dutch angle	Camera tilted	Unease, tension, stylistic

Platform-Specific Tips

Runway Gen-3

• Best at: consistent motion, professional quality
• Tip: Use their Motion Brush for precise control over what moves
• Supports: image-to-video, text-to-video, camera presets
• Length: up to 10 seconds per generation

Kling 2.5

• Best at: human motion, facial expressions
• Tip: Very cost-effective for social media content
• Strong lip-sync capabilities
• Length: up to 10 seconds

Sora

• Best at: cinematic quality, complex scenes
• Tip: Responds well to film terminology (aspect ratio, lens, film stock)
• Understands physics and spatial relationships well
• Length: up to 60 seconds

Pika 2.0

• Best at: stylized, creative effects
• Tip: Great for adding motion to still images
• Fun effects: inflate, melt, explode, crush
• Length: 3-5 seconds (effects-focused)

Veo 2

• Best at: long-form coherent video
• Tip: Google's model understands natural language well
• Good at maintaining consistency across longer clips
• Length: up to 60+ seconds

Writing Better Video Prompts

Level 1: Basic

A cat sitting on a windowsill

Result: static, boring, no movement direction

Level 2: Adding Motion

A cat sitting on a windowsill, slowly turning its head to look at a bird outside, soft afternoon light

Result: clear motion, better lighting

Level 3: Cinematic

Slow push-in shot of an orange tabby cat on a sunlit windowsill, the cat's ears perk up and it slowly turns its head tracking a bird flying past outside, golden hour light casting long shadows, shallow depth of field with bokeh from the garden outside, warm color palette, shot on 85mm lens, 24fps cinematic

Result: professional, intentional, cinematic

Common Mistakes

1. No motion described — AI might generate a static video
2. Too many things happening — keep to 1-2 actions per clip
3. Conflicting movements — "zoom in while pulling back" confuses the model
4. Forgetting lighting — lighting sells the cinematic quality
5. Overly long descriptions — video models prefer concise, clear prompts

Workflow for a Complete Video Project

1. Storyboard — plan your shots as individual prompts
2. Generate variations — create 4-8 versions of each shot
3. Select best takes — pick the ones with best motion and consistency
4. Edit in sequence — use a video editor to arrange clips
5. Add audio — music, SFX, and voiceover in post-production
6. Color grade — match the look across all clips for consistency