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Prompt craft / Field notes

The anatomy of a cinematic prompt

A reusable framework for describing the shot you actually want. Separate subject, action, camera, light, and constraints so each revision has a purpose.

4 min readPrompt framework
THE STARTING POINT

A prompt to play with.

IMAGE / CONCEPT PROMPT
SUBJECT: [one clear focal subject]
SETTING: [place, time, atmosphere]
ACTION: [one main action]
CAMERA: [shot size, angle, one move]
LIGHT: [source, direction, softness]
LOOK: [materials, color palette, texture]
CONTINUITY: [details that must stay unchanged]
AVOID: [specific unwanted changes]
DELIVERY: [aspect ratio and intended use]

Make the idea your own.

  1. 01

    Start with a sentence you can visualize

    Describe one subject doing one thing in one place. If that sentence is unclear, adding style words will rarely help.

  2. 02

    Choose the camera deliberately

    A locked wide shot and a handheld close-up tell different stories. Use one clear camera instruction rather than mixing incompatible moves.

  3. 03

    Name the things that cannot change

    Specify the identity, architecture, materials, or product details that need to remain consistent across frames.

  4. 04

    Change one variable at a time

    Save each prompt alongside its output. Compare one lighting or motion change per iteration, and keep the version that best serves the story.

KEEP THIS ONE

All the notes, in one place.

Download the prompts and workflow as a simple Markdown file you can keep, edit, and use.

A LITTLE SOMETHING TO MAKE

Keep the idea.
Make it yours.

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