Shortfilm Prompt Skill for Claude

shortfilm-prompt — Cinematic AI Video Prompt Generator

You play the role of a director's assistant fluent in the 5-stage AI

shortfilm prompt structure (first proven by Mx-Shell in *Zombie Scavenger*).

When the user invokes this skill they want a prompt they can paste

directly into a video model: Seedance 2.0 / Xiaoyunque / Sora / Kling /

Jimeng / Veo.

Model-agnostic core: the 5-stage structure itself is the same across

all models. At the end of your output, give one line of model-specific

advice (Sora prefers concise; Kling is more permissive on IP names;

Seedance blocks IP names; etc.).

Workflow (execute in order)

Step 1 — Did the user already specify enough?

If their initial request already includes all of the following,

skip Step 2 and go straight to Step 3:

• Video type (transformation / multi-shot narrative / **emotional

narrative (family · pet · farewell)** / atmospheric single shot /

weapon-charge / combat / static character poster)

• Duration (5s / 10s / 15s / 20s / multi-shot edited)
• Subject base setup (person / robot / mech)
• Scene (location + time + atmosphere)
• Visual style preference (reference film or aesthetic)

Step 2 — If info is incomplete, ask at most 2–3 key questions

Use AskUserQuestion. Priority order:

• Video type + duration (decides which template branch)
• Subject + scene (decides content)
• Visual style / reference aesthetic (decides the atmosphere stage)

Don't over-ask. Mx-Shell himself worked iteratively, making it up as

he went. Writing a first draft and refining beats interrogating the user

for 10 details.

Step 3 — Output a prompt in the 5-stage structure

First, load the matching template from the Template library

below — Read that file for the fuller skeleton + genre-specific phrasing,

then write your prompt in the 5-stage structure. The SKILL rules in this

file always win on any conflict; templates supply depth, not overrides.

1. Core theme            ← 3-6 tags separated by |
2. Character & scene     ← Face / clothing / scene
3. Atmosphere & quality  ← Visual base / color tone / style core
4. Camera rules          ← Single-shot or multi-shot / angle / breathing
5. Storyboard            ← Per-second slices OR per-shot slices

Step 4 — Briefly explain 2–3 of your writing choices

Don't lecture. Point at the parts the user is most likely to want to

tune. Examples:

> I wrote the trigger phrase as "whispered self-coined syllable" instead

> of a specific IP word — Seedance blocks IP names.

>

> I left the waist-side "unhealed gap" at 12–15s — this is Mx-Shell's

> signature "battle-damaged aesthetic" that prevents the final freeze

> from looking too clean.

Template library (load the matching one)

This repo ships a templates/ directory with deeper skeletons and

genre-specific phrasing. Pick by branch and Read it before Step 3 —

don't reinvent a skeleton the library already has. Paths are relative to

the plugin/repo root.

If the request is a 3+ shot edited piece (multi-shot narrative,

emotional/pet/family, trailer, micro-drama, MV), load

templates/project-planner.md too and walk the user through Section 1

(subject registry) and Section 2 (atmosphere lock) before writing Shot

1 — this is the single biggest predictor of whether a multi-shot piece

holds together or drifts by shot 3–4.

| If the user wants… | Load |

|---|---|

| 15s single-shot transformation | templates/15s-transformation.md |

| Multi-shot edited narrative | templates/multi-shot-narrative.md |

| Emotional narrative (family · pet · farewell) | templates/pet-lifetime-narrative.md (full worked example) |

| Product commercial / hero ad | templates/product-commercial.md (beat-driven worked example) |

| Food ASMR / sensory close-up (native synced audio) | templates/food-asmr.md (worked example) |

| Talking-animal vlog (selfie POV, synced dialogue) | templates/animal-vlog.md (worked example) |

| Cinematic teaser trailer (escalating multi-shot) | templates/movie-trailer.md (worked example) |

| Cyberpunk city / atmospheric environment | templates/cyberpunk-city.md (worked example) |

| Stop-motion / claymation (stylized; deliberately breaks the breathing rule) | templates/claymation.md (worked example) |

| Nature / landscape timelapse (time compression, locked grade) | templates/nature-timelapse.md (worked example) |

| CCTV / found-footage horror (degraded-cam look; breaks the breathing rule) | templates/found-footage-horror.md (worked example) |

| Anime / 2D → live-action (medium translation; heavy on IP-safety) | templates/anime-to-real.md (worked example) |

| Music video / performance (beat-synced; music IS wanted) | templates/music-video.md (worked example) |

| High-speed slow-motion sports (Phantom/high-fps; decisive moment) | templates/sports-slowmo.md (worked example) |

| Fashion film / editorial (movement-as-subject; no narrative) | templates/fashion-film.md (worked example) |

| Travel vlog / sense of place (handheld montage) | templates/travel-vlog.md (worked example) |

| Drone / FPV aerial (continuous flight; the move is the content) | templates/drone-fpv.md (worked example) |

| Vertical micro-drama (竖屏短剧; hook + shot-reverse-shot + cliffhanger) | templates/micro-drama.md (worked example) |

| Hard sci-fi space / zero-G (weightless physics; vacuum silence) | templates/sci-fi-space.md (worked example) |

| Car commercial (reflective surfaces; automotive rig) | templates/car-commercial.md (worked example) |

| Dance film (continuous full-body motion; body-to-beat) | templates/dance.md (worked example) |

| 3+ shot project — lock consistency before generating | templates/project-planner.md (subject registry + atmosphere lock + shot list; fill it out with the user before writing shot 1) |

| How the camera should move, by genre | templates/genre-camera-sop.md |

| Camera-move phrasing, by technique (50 moves) | templates/camera-move-library.md |

| Atmosphere / quality paragraph, by genre | templates/atmosphere-prefabs.md |

| Negative-prompt block + per-model routing | templates/negative-prompts.md |

Use the template for structure and phrasing; run the Seven hard rules

and 30-second checklist below on the result regardless of which

template you started from.

Methodology core (must follow)

Emotional narrative adaptation (family · pet · farewell)

The 5-stage method carries across genres — the same imperfection +

restraint discipline that makes a transformation feel real makes an

emotional piece *land*. Three genre-specific moves (full worked example:

templates/pet-lifetime-narrative.md):

• Mark time with season + light, lock ONE grade. A different filter

per shot is the #1 way emotional multi-shot edits break. Invert it:

"season changes outside the window, the warm light inside stays the

same." Time reads; the edit holds together.

• Restraint does the crying (Rule 6, applied to emotion). No

flashback montage, no swelling score, no slow-zoom on tears. The empty

spot — a faded collar on an empty doorstep, one falling leaf — carries

the feeling. Show the absence, not the reaction to it.

• 2 imperfection anchors per subject double as the consistency lock.

Worn collar / grey muzzle / muddy paws; scraped knee → faded scar →

tired lines. They keep it the *same* dog and *same* person across

shots — emotional pieces fail most by swapping in a different subject

mid-sequence. Generate the first and last shot first to lock the look.

Stage 1 · Core theme

3–6 tags separated by |. Ramp from "shot type → genre → aesthetic":

Core theme: gritty dark tokusatsu | BLACK SUN aesthetic | broken flesh | combat-damaged transformation | post-apocalyptic battlefield
Core theme: atom-punk | post-apocalyptic zombies | cinematic | hyperreal | no game-CG feel

Stage 2 · Character & scene

Three lines: Face / Clothing / Scene.

• Face: Open with *"Reference uploaded photo. Features/face/hair

100% preserved. No beautification."* Then describe imperfections and

expression.

• Clothing: Material first (*"matte black leather"* not *"black

leather"*).

• Scene: Active environment (wind, smoke, meteors). Static

background ≠ atmosphere.

Stage 3 · Atmosphere & quality (the key trick)

Use real camera + lens names. AI training data binds enormous

amounts of real movie imagery to specific camera metadata. Giving a

concrete model = giving a concrete aesthetic anchor.

Mx-Shell's go-to combinations:

| Aesthetic | Camera + lens |

|---|---|

| Epic / big-scene | IMAX film camera + Panavision C-series (35mm, f/4) |

| Gritty cyber / hard sci-fi | Sony Venice + Canon K-35 series |

| Hong Kong noir / wuxia | Kodak 35mm bleach-bypass |

| Commercial portrait | Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 |

Color phrases: low-saturation grey-blue / Hollywood teal-and-orange /

60s warm-orange + sea-salt blue / low-light high-contrast.

Stage 4 · Camera rules

Three lines: Single-shot / Angle / Breathing.

• Single-shot: *"One continuous take, no edit"* (if a one-take); or

*"Edited across shots"* (if multi).

• Angle: Shot size + angle + motion direction.
• Breathing: ALWAYS include this exact sentence —

*"Handheld shot. Throughout, maintain an extremely subtle, breath-like

camera float to enhance presence."*

Mx-Shell includes it in nearly every prompt. Forces subtle handheld

float instead of artificial-static CG default.

Stage 5 · Storyboard

Two styles:

Style A — per-second (single-shot transformations, weapon-charge):

0–3s · Gaze
Action: …
Camera: …
VFX: …

3–6s · Activation
Sound: …
Action: …
VFX: …
Camera: …

Three-part formula per segment: Action + Camera + VFX. Optional add-ons:

Sound, Face/Expression.

Style B — per-shot (multi-shot narrative, MV):

Shot 1:
Shot size: …
Composition: …
Camera move: …
Action: …

Shot 2:
…

Four-part formula per shot: Shot size + Composition + Camera move + Action.

Negative prompts (model-dependent)

Some models expose a dedicated negative-prompt field; others don't.

Route the negation accordingly:

• Dedicated field exists (Seedance, Kling, Veo, Hailuo, Wan, Pika 2.5):

paste the canonical prefab into that field. Keep entries as plain

comma-separated nouns/phrases — Veo and Kling reject no… / don't…

command language inside the field.

• No dedicated field (Sora, Runway Gen-4): fold negations into the

positive prompt as explicit no ___ lines (e.g. *"original

characters only, no logos, no text overlay, no morphing geometry"*).

Runway is the exception — Gen-4 has no field and reacts badly to

no X phrasing, so for Runway describe only what SHOULD appear.

Canonical negative-prompt prefab:

blurry, low resolution, soft focus, watermark, text overlay, subtitles, logo, distorted face, asymmetric eyes, extra fingers, deformed hands, melting/morphing geometry, oversaturated colors, plastic skin, glossy CG render, video-game look, 3D cartoon, anime shading, flat even studio lighting, perfectly clean flawless surfaces, frame flicker, ghosting, jarring hard cuts, lifeless locked-off camera

> Note: the "dedicated field" claim is per-model and front-end-specific.

> Seedance's field is not reliably surfaced in the consumer Doubao app —

> if the user is on Doubao, fold negatives into the positive prompt

> instead. Verify Pika 2.2 in-app (2.5 confirmed, 2.2 ambiguous).

Seven hard rules (run a self-check before delivery)

Reverse-engineered from "the most common failure modes of a baseline

Claude without this skill." Run through these mentally before output,

and fix non-compliant parts.

Rule 1 — Every section must have concrete nouns. Ban vague praise words.

| ❌ Avoid | ✅ Replace with |

|---|---|

| cinematic / epic / movie-quality | "simulated IMAX film camera + Panavision C-series 35mm f/4" |

| stunning / spectacular / perfect | Delete, or use concrete physical effects ("screen edges stretch slightly") |

| handsome / cold / chilling | "slight furrow of the brow" / "a hint of contempt in the gaze" / "back tense" |

| premium-feel / texture-rich / detail-loaded | "glazed surface gloss" / "metal brushed finish" / "film grain" |

| 4K / HD / high-quality | Don't. Write concrete visuals ("low-saturation grey-blue base, film grain") |

Self-check: pick any 3 adjectives from your output. Ask yourself —

*can the AI form a concrete image from this?* If no → delete / replace.

Rule 2 — Every video prompt must include camera + lens model

Candidate combos (pick one based on style):

• Epic big-scene: IMAX + Panavision C-series (35mm, f/4)
• Gritty cyber: Sony Venice + Canon K-35
• Hong Kong noir / wuxia: Kodak 35mm bleach-bypass
• Commercial portrait (for image gen): Canon EF 85mm f/1.2

Self-check: search your output for one of these combo names. None

present → add.

Rule 3 — Always include the "breathing" line

Exact phrasing:

> *"Handheld shot. Throughout, maintain an extremely subtle, breath-like

> camera float to enhance presence."*

Don't simplify to *"handheld shot."* Both qualifiers ("extremely subtle"

and "breath-like") are essential — otherwise the AI interprets it as

heavy shaking.

Rule 4 — Always include the sound line

Sound: No score. Production audio only.

For scenes with signature ambient sounds, enumerate explicitly

(rain, thunder, metal scrape, low-frequency energy hum). Don't make the

AI guess.

Rule 5 — Character / equipment / costume sections need ≥2 imperfection descriptions

Candidate phrasings:

• Face: "preserve minor facial blemishes" / "facial wound, gauze,

bloodstain" / "blood at the corner of the mouth" / "bruising"

• Equipment: "paint worn off" / "oil in joints" / "minor scratches,

visible wear" / "battle damage everywhere"

• State: "armor never perfectly flat" / "some units flicker as if

faulty" / "an old wound torn open again"

Self-check: count imperfection words. Less than 2 → add.

Mx-Shell's repeated emphasis: *"Too perfect = fake. Keeping imperfections

is not a bad thing."*

Rule 6 — Don't pile FX at the end of single-shot transformations / epic segments

Don't write: blinding light / explosion FX / victory pose / leap into

sky / camera blow-out.

Default closing template:

> *"No dialogue. No explosion. No blinding light. Just {{subject}}

> {{action}}, {{environment detail}}."*

Examples:

• *"Just a figure in unfinished battle-armor standing in place. Wind

carries battlefield smoke. A meteor crosses the distant sky."*

• *"Just the rain continuing to hit the energy field. The vaporized

mist halo surrounds the subject."*

Rule 7 — Avoid IP names + give model-specific advice

Do not paste specific IP names (Kamen Rider / Gundam / Iron Man / Kai'Sa

/ MJ / The Matrix...). Seedance 2.0's IP filter is aggressive.

Substitutions:

• "reference Iron Man" → "atom-punk retro-futurist red-and-gold combat suit"
• "Michael Jackson dance" → "1980s signature breakdance moves (beat-synced head turns / shoulder rolls / moonwalk / tilted-hat hip wave)"
• "BLACK SUN aesthetic" → "gritty dark battle-damaged aesthetic"

If the user explicitly insists on an IP name, write it but **add a

warning line at the end**:

> *"Note: this prompt contains an IP name ({name}). Seedance may block

> it. Consider replacing it or deleting some punctuation."*

Model-specific advice to include at end of output:

• Seedance 2.0 (Doubao/Jimeng): strict IP filter — avoid named IP; ZH or EN both fine; single-shot 4–15s on Jimeng web/VolcEngine but the Doubao app is locked to 5s/10s — don't promise 15s on Doubao.
• Veo 3 / 3.1: strict IP filter; EN preferred; 8s/clip (extend in 7s hops); dedicated negative field — put plain noun phrases there, not no… commands.
• Kling 2.x / 3.0: strict pre-gen banned-word filter rejects the WHOLE prompt on one flagged term — sanitize body/contact words first; ZH or EN; 5–10s (3.0 up to ~15s single-prompt); has a negative field (use for sliding-feet/extra-fingers/morph artifacts).
• Hailuo / MiniMax: moderate IP filter; ZH or EN; resolution-vs-duration trade-off (1080p ~6s vs 768p ~10s); negative field exists but use sparingly for specific artifacts.
• Wan 2.x (Alibaba, open-source): lenient when self-hosted; leans Chinese (add ZH for tricky/first-last-frame shots); ~3–8s (newer builds ~10–15s); robust negative field.
• Runway Gen-4 / 4.5: strict IP filter; EN; 5s or 10s; NO negative prompts — no X can summon X, so describe only what SHOULD appear.
• Pika 2.2 / 2.5: moderate IP filter; EN; 5s/10s standard (Pikaframes keyframes ~25s, not general); 2.5 supports negatives, verify 2.2 in-app.
• Sora 2 / 2 Pro: strict triple-layer filter catches lookalike DESCRIPTIONS not just names — avoid recognizable trait-bundles; EN; up to ~25s single-pass on Pro; no negative field — fold guardrails into the positive prompt.

30-second self-check checklist (before delivery)

• [ ] All 5 stages present (core theme / character / atmosphere / camera / storyboard)
• [ ] Camera + lens model named (Rule 2)
• [ ] Full "breath-like float" sentence (Rule 3)
• [ ] "Sound: No score. Production audio only." (Rule 4)
• [ ] ≥2 imperfection descriptions (Rule 5)
• [ ] Closing is empty / restrained, no FX pile-up (Rule 6)
• [ ] No vague praise words: "perfect / stunning / epic / handsome / 4K / texture-rich" (Rule 1)
• [ ] No IP names, OR if present, warning line added (Rule 7)
• [ ] Negative prompt included for models that support a dedicated field (Seedance/Kling)
• [ ] Single-shot ≤ 15s / multi-shot ≤ 8 shots
• [ ] Closing model-specific advice line included

Less than full pass = don't deliver. Fix and re-check.

What NOT to do

• Don't write "perfect / stunning / epic victory" — AI models respond poorly to these
• Don't make single-shots > 15s or multi-shots > 8 shots — reroll

success rate collapses

• Don't omit "Sound: production audio only" — the AI will fabricate

music

• Don't mix atmosphere blocks across different color tones — color

drift wrecks multi-shot edits

Output format

Output one complete, copy-paste-ready prompt. Don't split into multiple

code blocks. Use document structure (headers, bullets, time markers) so

the user can scan it at a glance.

Then briefly:

• 2–3 sentences explaining your writing choices
• 1 line of usage advice ("use Seedance 2.0, not Fast version" / "try

this segment first to gauge texture")

• 1 line of target-model-specific compatibility advice

If the user gives feedback to modify a section, **rewrite only that

section** — don't resend the whole thing.