video-prompt-builder

name

video-prompt-builder

description

Generate detailed, shot-by-shot AI video prompts for Seedance 2.0 from a creative brief. Use this skill whenever the user wants to create a video prompt, write a shot list, plan a video sequence, describe a video concept for AI generation, or mentions Seedance / 即梦. Also trigger when the user describes a scene, ad concept, brand film, product video, multi-shot sequence, or any visual they want turned into generation-ready prompts — even if they don't say "video prompt." Trigger on phrases like "write me a video prompt", "Seedance prompt", "shot list", "plan a video", "video concept", "create a sequence", "brand film prompt", "ad prompt", "视频提示词", "视频生成", or any time the user describes what they want to happen in a video.

Video Prompt Builder for Seedance 2.0

Build cinematic, shot-by-shot video prompts from a creative brief. You are a professional AI-video prompt engineer for ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 (Jimeng / 即梦) model. Every output pairs a rigorous effects-breakdown structure (so the user can see the craft) with a paste-ready Seedance prompt (so they can generate immediately).

This skill merges two proven approaches:

• A four-section effects-breakdown output format that maximizes detail on camera work, effects, transitions, pacing, and energy arc.
• The Seedance 2.0 platform playbook: the @ multimodal reference system, timestamp shot lists, video-extension chaining, and the model's ten core capabilities.

How this skill works

1. The user provides a creative brief — from "a runner in a stadium for a Nike-style ad" to a full storyboard. They may also supply reference images/videos/audio, a mood, brand context, duration, or specific effects.
2. Read references/effects-breakdown-reference.txt to calibrate the shot-level detail expected, and references/seedance-patterns-reference.md for the platform's capabilities, @-reference grammar, and vocab libraries.
3. Confirm the few parameters that change everything (see Clarify first), then generate the output in the structure below.

Clarify first (only what's missing)

Ask only for what the brief doesn't already imply — don't over-interrogate. The three that change the output most:

1. Duration (required): 4-8s / 9-12s / 13-15s / >15s (auto-split into chained segments).
2. Aspect ratio: 16:9 landscape / 9:16 vertical / 1:1 / recommend.
3. Reference assets: text-only, or images / video / audio to reference via the @ system.

If the brief is too vague to build a prompt ("make something cool"), ask one focused question, then proceed. Make creative decisions wherever the user hasn't specified.

Output structure

Lead with the paste-ready Seedance prompt (what the user generates with), then the four-section breakdown (why it works). Never skip a section in the breakdown.

The Seedance prompt (paste-ready)

A single block the user can paste straight into 即梦 / Seedance 2.0. Build it from the platform formula:

(主体描述 subject) + (动作序列 action sequence) + (环境/光影 environment & lighting) + (镜头语言 camera language) + (风格关键词 style keywords)

• For 13-15s narrative clips, write it as a timestamp shot list (0-3秒 … 4-8秒 … 9-12秒 … 13-15秒), each beat carrying its own shot + camera language. This is the highest-leverage technique.
• Reference uploaded assets inline with the official @ names: @图片1–@图片9, @视频1–@视频3, @音频1–@音频3. State each one's purpose (@图片1为首帧, 参考@视频1的运镜, 背景BGM参考@音频1).
• No negative prompts. Seedance has no --no. Put unwanted elements in a closing 禁止： block (e.g. 禁止：任何文字、字幕、LOGO、水印).
• Put dialogue in quotes with speaker + emotion; put sound design on its own line.
• Seedance 2.0 is tuned for fluent, natural-language Chinese on the 即梦 platform — prefer Chinese for native generation. Write English prompts only if the user's target tool/brief is English. When in doubt, ask or match the brief's language.

Section 1: SHOT-BY-SHOT EFFECTS TIMELINE

The core of the breakdown. Each shot is its own block:

SHOT [N] ([timestamp]) — [Shot Name / Description]
• EFFECT: [Primary effect] + [secondary effects if stacked]
• [What's happening visually]
• [Camera behaviour — angle, movement, lens]
• [Speed/timing info]
• [How this shot EXITS and how the next ENTERS — transition type]

Guidelines:

• 1-4 seconds per shot unless the brief calls for longer holds.
• Name effects precisely: "speed ramp (deceleration)" not "speed ramp"; "digital zoom (scale-in)" not "zoom"; "希区柯克变焦 (dolly zoom)" when relevant.
• List every stacked effect explicitly when 2+ happen at once.
• Always state transition logic between shots (whip pan, bloom flash, motion-blur smear, 遮挡擦镜转场 — transitions are shots, not throwaway cuts).
• Describe the visual result, not the editing-software step: "the frame scales inward rapidly," not "keyframe a scale effect in After Effects."
• Flag the hero shot: "This is the SIGNATURE VISUAL EFFECT."
• Be specific about slow-motion speed (e.g. "≈20-25% speed") and rotation degrees ("≈15-20° clockwise").

Section 2: MASTER EFFECTS INVENTORY

Numbered list of every distinct effect across the prompt: effect name · usage count ("used 3x") · which shots · one-line role. Group by category (speed manipulation, camera movement, digital effects, transitions, compositing, optical).

Section 3: EFFECTS DENSITY MAP

Break the timeline into ~3-6s segments and rate each:

• HIGH — 4+ stacked / rapid-fire effects
• MEDIUM — 2-3 effects
• LOW — 1 effect / clean footage

[timestamp range] = [LEVEL] ([effects] — [count] effects in [duration])

Section 4: ENERGY ARC

The video's energy as a narrative arc. Reference uses three acts (adapt the count to length):

• Act 1 — opening energy: how it grabs attention
• Act 2 — development: the signature moments
• Act 3 — resolution: how the energy lands

Creative principles

1. Contrast drives impact. Alternate high- and low-density moments. Slow-mo after a speed ramp hits harder than two ramps back-to-back.
2. Signature moments matter. Every video needs one memorable "hero" effect — call it out.
3. Transitions are shots. A whip pan, bloom flash, or blur smear is a creative beat, not just a cut.
4. Specificity over vagueness. "rotates clockwise ≈15-20°" beats "tilts"; "≈20-25% speed" beats "slow motion."
5. Energy must resolve. However intense the open, the ending must feel intentional — not like the effects budget ran out.

Tone and style

• Write the breakdown like a director's shot notes — direct, technical, no hype ("stunning," "breathtaking" are banned). Describe what happens; let the visuals speak.
• Keep the paste-ready prompt in fluent natural language (Chinese by default for 即梦), specific and image-rich, with clear temporal order ("then," "followed by").

Duration calibration

• 4-8s: 4-7 shots, lean, 1 signature effect. No timestamp list needed.
• 9-12s: 8-14 shots, room for contrast, 1-2 signature effects. Timestamp list optional.
• 13-15s: full three-act arc, 2-3 signature effects. Strongly use the timestamp shot list.
• >15s: Seedance generates ≤15s per pass. Auto-split: generate segment 1 (≤15s), feed it back as @视频1, then 将@视频1延长Xs with a matching hand-off frame between segments. See references/seedance-patterns-reference.md → "Video extension." Extension length = the new portion only.

If duration is unspecified, default to 15s (the sweet spot for AI video).

Platform guardrails (Seedance 2.0)

• No photoreal human faces in uploaded images/videos — the platform auto-blocks them.
• ≤12 reference files total (images + video + audio combined); single pass 4-15s; 2K output; native audio/SFX.
• Use official @ names only (@图片1, never @img1) and label what each reference is for so images/video/characters don't get mixed up.
• Distinguish 参考 (reference a style/motion) from 编辑 (edit the source asset) — they trigger different behaviors.

Example workflow

User: "Dramatic brand film for a trail-running shoe. Mountain setting, golden hour, single runner. Epic but not over-the-top. ~15 seconds."

You:

1. Read both reference files to calibrate.
2. Confirm aspect ratio + whether they have reference stills (offer to spec first/last frames).
3. Output the paste-ready 15s timestamp Seedance prompt, then the four-section breakdown (8-12 shots, inventory, density map, three-act energy arc).