AI Video Prompt Basics: Three Elements for Your First Effective Prompt

Many people encounter the same problem when using AI video generation tools for the first time: the picture in their mind is crystal clear, but the text they type out falls flat, and the generated video looks nothing like what they imagined.

The problem isn't the model — it's the Prompt. A prompt is the bridge between your creative vision and the final video. Write it well, and the model can faithfully recreate the scene in your head; write it vaguely, and the result will be far from what you expected.

This article is based on the video generation capabilities of Hailuo AI (MiniMax), starting from the most basic formula to help you get up to speed quickly.

---

1. The Basic Prompt Formula: Three Elements That Build a Video

If you don't have strict requirements for camera work and just want to use AI to spark inspiration and get imaginative visuals, the basic formula is all you need:

Basic Formula = Main Subject + Scene Space + Movement/Change

What are these three elements?

• Main Subject: The core information carrier of the video. It can be a person, animal, object, or even an imaginary entity that doesn't exist.
• Scene Space: The environment surrounding the subject. It can be a specific location like a library or café, or a fictional fantasy setting.
• Movement/Change: The state of the subject in the video — stillness, motion, or environmental transformation.

Here are a few examples:

• A puppy running in a park
• A woman walking on a rainy street holding an umbrella
• A stream flowing quietly in a valley

These three prompts cover animals, people, and natural landscapes respectively. The structure is simple yet information-complete, and the model can generate coherent visuals from them.

You'll notice that each prompt contains three pieces of information: "who, where, doing what." This is exactly consistent with how we describe a scene in everyday life — the underlying logic of AI video generation is essentially translating natural language into visuals.

---

2. The Precise Prompt Formula: Adding Camera and Aesthetics

When you have specific requirements for the visual presentation and need more professional output, add two dimensions to the basic formula:

Precise Formula = Main Subject + Scene Space + Movement/Change + Camera Movement + Aesthetic Atmosphere

• Camera Movement: Use professional terms like push, pull, pan, tilt, boom, and dolly to define how the frame is presented.
• Aesthetic Atmosphere: Define the visual style and mood of the image to get results that better match your expectations.

Compare these examples:

• "A couple sits on a park bench talking, camera holds fixed on the couple, warm color tone, cozy atmosphere"
• "A lamb lowers its head to graze in a meadow, camera slowly pushes in on the lamb, natural realistic color tone"
• "A man in a suit eats noodles with a serious expression in a noodle shop, camera gradually pulls back to reveal the noisy shop environment, natural color tone"

As you can see, adding camera and atmosphere descriptions gives each prompt a distinctly different "director's intent." The same action of someone eating — pull back with natural tones creates a documentary feel; close-up with warm tones instantly turns it into a heartwarming short film.

---

3. Two Fundamental Principles

The formulas above are not rigid rules — every conversation with AI may produce different results. But overall, two principles apply:

• More precise expression → more accurate video information rendering
• Richer expression → better video generation quality

Precision and richness are not contradictory: first pinpoint the core elements precisely, then wrap them in rich detail — this often yields the best results.

Think of it this way: the basic formula is the skeleton, and the precise formula is the flesh. Get the skeleton right and the video won't go off-topic; make the flesh full and the video will have texture. When practicing, start with the basic formula to get the workflow down — confirm the subject and scene are correct, then gradually add camera and atmosphere descriptions.

---

4. Try It Yourself

Now that you've mastered the most basic formulas, try this prompt to feel the difference between the basic and precise formulas:

Basic version:

A cat sits on a windowsill looking at the rain outside

Precise version:

An orange tabby sits on a wooden windowsill, fine rain falls outside, raindrops hit the glass. The camera slowly pushes in on the cat's face, cool blue color tone, quiet and melancholic atmosphere.

Try sending both prompts to the model and compare the generated results. You'll find that the few extra words — "wooden," "slowly pushes in," "cool blue," "quiet and melancholic" — each correspond to a visual change. This is the power of prompts: every word you write shapes the final image.

In the next article, we'll dive into advanced techniques — how to use precise camera control, aesthetic control, and Prompt rewriting techniques that combine both to generate cinema-quality video frames.