About Prompt
- Prompt Type – Dynamic
- Prompt Platform – ChatGPT, Grok, Deepseek, Gemini, Copilot, Midjourney, Meta AI and more
- Niche – WWI Realism
- Language – English
- Category – Atmospheric FX
- Prompt Title – Fog Rolling Through Trenches VFX Prompt
Prompt Details
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### **Optimized Dynamic AI Prompt for WWI Trench Fog VFX**
This prompt is designed as a modular framework. You are meant to select, combine, and modify the components within the brackets `[…]` to create a highly specific and tailored final prompt. This dynamic structure allows for infinite variations while maintaining a core of high-quality, descriptive language that all major AI platforms can interpret effectively.
#### **I. Prompt Structure Breakdown**
The prompt is built from several key blocks. Combine at least one option from each essential block for a complete prompt.
**Structure:**
`[Core Concept] + [Scene Setting] + [Fog Characteristics] + [Time of Day & Lighting] + [Trench Details & Conditions] + [Human Element – Optional] + [Camera & Cinematography] + [Artistic Style & Rendering] + (Optional Platform-Specific Parameters)`
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#### **II. Dynamic Component Library**
**1. [Core Concept] – (Essential – Start with this)**
This is the foundational statement that establishes the primary subject matter.
* **Option A (Standard):** `Cinematic VFX shot of dense, realistic fog rolling through a World War I trench.`
* **Option B (Action-Oriented):** `Atmospheric FX sequence capturing the silent, creeping advance of a thick fog bank into a WWI frontline trench system.`
* **Option C (Focus on Realism):** `Ultra-photorealistic, historically accurate depiction of ground fog settling in a muddy WWI trench.`
**2. [Scene Setting] – (Essential – Choose one)**
Define the specific location within the trench system.
* `…in a frontline fire trench at the Somme.`
* `…through a narrow, claustrophobic communication trench connecting the rear lines.`
* `…across the devastated landscape of No Man’s Land, as seen from the trench parapet.`
* `…at the entrance to a dark, timber-reinforced dugout.`
* `…in a waterlogged section of a captured German trench near Ypres.`
**3. [Fog Characteristics] – (Essential – Combine 1-3 descriptors)**
Describe the fog’s physical properties and behavior. This is crucial for the atmosphere.
* **Density/Opacity:** `thick, pea-soup fog,` `oppressively dense fog obscuring all visibility beyond ten feet,` `wispy, ethereal tendrils of mist,` `a low-lying, heavy ground fog that clings to the mud,` `a translucent, hazy mist.`
* **Movement:** `slowly rolling and churning,` `creeping silently over the sandbags,` `swirling in eddies created by the wind,` `a static, stagnant blanket of fog,` `drifting in sheets across the battlefield.`
* **Color/Texture:** `cold, grey-white morning fog,` `a sickly, yellow-tinged fog reminiscent of gas (but not explicitly gas),` `damp and clinging fog that beads on surfaces,` `a smoke-infused fog from nearby shellfire.`
**4. [Time of Day & Lighting] – (Essential – Choose one)**
Lighting is the single most important factor for mood.
* **Dawn:** `The weak, cold light of pre-dawn breaking through, creating faint god rays (crepuscular rays) in the thick fog.`
* **Day:** `A bleak, overcast midday, with flat, diffused light filtering weakly through the oppressive fog bank.`
* **Dusk:** `The last light of dusk, casting long, distorted shadows and giving the fog a faint, gloomy orange or purple hue.`
* **Night:** `Eerie moonlight struggling to penetrate the thick fog, creating areas of deep shadow and soft, ghostly highlights on wet surfaces.`
**5. [Trench Details & Conditions] – (Essential – Combine 2-4 details)**
Ground your scene in gritty reality. These details tell a story.
* **Trench Structure:** `cracked and splintered wooden duckboards,` `decaying, mud-caked sandbags,` `walls reinforced with corrugated iron and timber shoring,` `barbed wire coils lining the parapet.`
* **Ground Conditions:** `deep, viscous mud reflecting the gloomy sky,` `slick, water-filled shell craters within the trench line,` `rain-soaked ground,` `frozen, frosty mud.`
* **Debris:** `discarded ammunition crates,` `a forgotten Lee-Enfield rifle leaning against the wall,` `spent shell casings,` `a tattered piece of burlap sacking.`
**6. [Human Element] – (Optional but Recommended – Choose one)**
Adding a human presence drastically increases the emotional impact.
* **Lone Sentry:** `A lone, silhouetted soldier in a Brodie helmet, standing guard on the fire step, his form partially obscured by the swirling mist.`
* **Group:** `A small group of exhausted soldiers huddled together for warmth, their greatcoats damp, their faces grim and barely visible.`
* **Waiting:** `The tense stillness of soldiers waiting for the whistle, their bayonets fixed, seen as dark shapes in the oppressive fog.`
* **No Humans:** `An empty, hauntingly silent trench, suggesting a recent departure or a ghost-like stillness.`
**7. [Camera & Cinematography] – (Essential – Choose 1-2)**
Dictate how the scene is framed and shot. This tells the AI you want a “filmed” look, not a static painting.
* **Shot Type:** `Extreme wide shot,` `low-angle shot from the trench floor,` `eye-level medium shot,` `point-of-view (POV) shot.`
* **Lens/Focus:** `Shot on a wide-angle lens to emphasize the claustrophobia,` `shallow depth of field with focus on a specific detail,` `anamorphic lens flare from a distant light source.`
* **Movement:** `A slow, steady tracking shot moving along the duckboards,` `a static, painterly composition.`
**8. [Artistic Style & Rendering] – (Essential – Combine 2-4 descriptors)**
Specify the final look and feel.
* **Realism:** `Hyperrealistic,` `photorealistic,` `gritty realism,` `documentary style.`
* **Detail Level:** `Insanely detailed,` `8K resolution,` `sharp focus,` `intricate textures on mud and fabric.`
* **Color Palette:** `Desaturated and monochromatic color palette,` `cool blue and grey tones,` `sepia-toned,` `high dynamic range (HDR).`
* **Atmosphere:** `Somber,` `oppressive,` `foreboding,` `hauntingly beautiful,` `tense.`
* **Influences:** `Cinematic style of “1917” by Sam Mendes,` `visuals inspired by historical WWI photography.`
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#### **III. Best Practices for Use**
* **Be Specific:** Instead of just saying “fog,” use the library above to say “low-lying, heavy ground fog that clings to the mud.”
* **Combine & Remix:** Take elements from different categories to create unique scenes. For example, combine `Dusk` lighting with `yellow-tinged fog` for a particularly ominous feel.
* **Iterate:** Generate an image, see what the AI focused on, and then refine your prompt to add more detail to other areas or change the elements that didn’t work.
* **Negative Prompts:** For platforms that support them, consider adding negative prompts like: `-neg modern equipment, clean uniforms, bright colors, fantasy elements, clear sky, sunshine.`
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### **Example Prompt in Practice**
Here is a complete prompt generated using the dynamic structure above, demonstrating how the components come together.
**Title:** *Pre-Dawn Stand-To at Passchendaele*
**(Core Concept)**
`Cinematic VFX shot of dense, realistic fog rolling through a World War I trench,`
**(Scene Setting)**
`set in a waterlogged section of a frontline fire trench at Passchendaele.`
**(Fog Characteristics)**
`The scene is dominated by a low-lying, heavy ground fog that clings to the mud, swirling in eddies and obscuring visibility beyond ten feet.`
**(Time of Day & Lighting)**
`The weak, cold light of pre-dawn is just beginning to break, creating faint, ethereal god rays that pierce the thickest parts of the fog.`
**(Trench Details & Conditions)**
`The trench floor is a mess of cracked wooden duckboards submerged in deep, viscous mud that reflects the gloomy light. Decaying, mud-caked sandbags sag at the parapet, where tangled barbed wire coils are visible.`
**(Human Element)**
`A lone, silhouetted British soldier in a wet Brodie helmet stands on the fire step, his form partially obscured, his breath misting in the cold air as he stares into the impenetrable wall of white.`
**(Camera & Cinematography)**
`This is a low-angle shot from the trench floor, looking up at the soldier, captured with a wide-angle lens to emphasize the claustrophobic and oppressive environment.`
**(Artistic Style & Rendering)**
`The style is gritty photorealism, insanely detailed, with a desaturated and monochromatic color palette of browns, greys, and muted greens. The mood is tense, somber, and foreboding, with a cinematic quality inspired by the film “1917”. 8K resolution, sharp focus on the wet textures of the mud and uniform.`
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**Final Assembled Prompt (for copy-pasting):**
`Cinematic VFX shot of dense, realistic fog rolling through a World War I trench, set in a waterlogged section of a frontline fire trench at Passchendaele. The scene is dominated by a low-lying, heavy ground fog that clings to the mud, swirling in eddies and obscuring visibility beyond ten feet. The weak, cold light of pre-dawn is just beginning to break, creating faint, ethereal god rays that pierce the thickest parts of the fog. The trench floor is a mess of cracked wooden duckboards submerged in deep, viscous mud that reflects the gloomy light. Decaying, mud-caked sandbags sag at the parapet, where tangled barbed wire coils are visible. A lone, silhouetted British soldier in a wet Brodie helmet stands on the fire step, his form partially obscured, his breath misting in the cold air as he stares into the impenetrable wall of white. This is a low-angle shot from the trench floor, looking up at the soldier, captured with a wide-angle lens to emphasize the claustrophobic and oppressive environment. The style is gritty photorealism, insanely detailed, with a desaturated and monochromatic color palette of browns, greys, and muted greens. The mood is tense, somber, and foreboding, with a cinematic quality inspired by the film “1917”. 8K resolution, sharp focus on the wet textures of the mud and uniform.`