About Prompt
- Prompt Type – Dynamic
- Prompt Platform – ChatGPT, Grok, Deepseek, Gemini, Copilot, Midjourney, Meta AI and more
- Niche – Disaster Movies
- Language – English
- Category – Cinematic Simulation
- Prompt Title – City Destruction Aftermath VFX Prompt
Prompt Details
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### **Optimized Dynamic AI Prompt for Cinematic City Destruction Aftermath**
This prompt is designed as a modular template. You can copy the entire structure and replace the bracketed `[VARIABLE]` placeholders with your specific concepts. The comments (`// …`) are for your guidance and should be removed before pasting into an AI platform.
#### **The Dynamic Prompt Template**
“`
// — PRIMARY DIRECTIVE —
// High-level concept. Start with the most important elements.
cinematic wide shot, epic scale, photorealistic, [SCENE_DESCRIPTION], aftermath of [CAUSE_OF_DESTRUCTION].
// — FOCAL POINT & DETAILS —
// Specify what the viewer should focus on and the specific textures/details.
The focal point is a [FOCAL_POINT]. Visible details include [SPECIFIC_DETAIL_1], [SPECIFIC_DETAIL_2], [SPECIFIC_DETAIL_3], and the pervasive sense of desolate silence.
// — ATMOSPHERE & ENVIRONMENT —
// Control the mood, weather, and particle effects.
The atmosphere is [ATMOSPHERE_TYPE], with [AIR_PARTICLE_EFFECT] hanging in the air. The time of day is [TIME_OF_DAY], casting long, dramatic shadows. The weather is [WEATHER_CONDITIONS].
// — LIGHTING & COLOR —
// Define the lighting source, quality, and overall color grading.
Lighting is [LIGHTING_STYLE], with the primary light source being [PRIMARY_LIGHT_SOURCE]. The color palette is dominated by a [COLOR_PALETTE], creating a mood of [MOOD_WORD].
// — COMPOSITION & CINEMATOGRAPHY —
// Dictate the camera work and framing.
Shot on a [CAMERA_TYPE] with a [LENS_TYPE] lens. The composition follows the [COMPOSITION_RULE], with a low camera angle emphasizing the colossal scale of the destruction.
// — STYLE & RENDERING —
// Define the final aesthetic and technical quality.
Style: Hyper-realistic disaster movie concept art, VFX plate, ultra-detailed, sharp focus, 8K resolution. Rendered in Unreal Engine 5, Octane Render. Inspired by the visual style of [FILM_OR_ARTIST_INSPIRATION].
// — NEGATIVE PROMPTS —
// List elements to exclude to refine the output.
-neg vibrant colors, clean, undamaged structures, people, crowds, cartoony, illustration, blurry, low-resolution, vegetation, clear skies.
// — PARAMETERS —
// Platform-specific commands.
–ar 16:9 –style raw –quality max
“`
—
### **Breakdown and Best Practices for Using the Template**
This template is structured to guide the AI from the general concept to the finest details, which is a best practice in prompt engineering.
**1. `[SCENE_DESCRIPTION]`**
* **Purpose:** This is your “what” and “where.” It sets the main stage.
* **Examples:** “a ruined downtown Manhattan,” “the flooded streets of a coastal Japanese city,” “the cratered remains of a futuristic metropolis,” “a skeletal framework of a European capital city.”
**2. `[CAUSE_OF_DESTRUCTION]`**
* **Purpose:** This provides crucial context that informs the *type* of damage. This is the storytelling element.
* **Examples:**
* **Kaiju Attack:** “a colossal monster battle” (implies giant footprints, claw marks on buildings, crushed vehicles).
* **Earthquake:** “a 9.5 magnitude earthquake” (implies cracked earth, pancaked buildings, twisted bridges).
* **Alien Invasion:** “an alien orbital bombardment” (implies laser burns, strange craters, melted metal, exotic debris).
* **Nuclear Event:** “a nuclear detonation” (implies vaporized structures, widespread ash, skeletal buildings, radioactive glow).
* **Superstorm/Flood:** “a cataclysmic mega-tsunami” (implies waterlogged ruins, mud, sand deposits, boats stranded on rooftops).
**3. `[FOCAL_POINT]`**
* **Purpose:** Gives the AI a clear subject to anchor the composition, preventing a chaotic or unfocused image.
* **Examples:** “toppled Statue of Liberty half-submerged in water,” “a single, miraculously intact yellow taxi cab amidst miles of rubble,” “the gaping, skeletal maw of a collapsed skyscraper,” “an abandoned military tank covered in dust.”
**4. `[SPECIFIC_DETAIL_#]`**
* **Purpose:** These are the small details that sell the realism and the story. Be highly descriptive.
* **Examples:** “exposed rebar twisting like metallic vines,” “shattered glass covering the streets like a layer of frost,” “flickering emergency lights from a buried vehicle,” “ash gently falling like snow,” “water pouring from the side of a damaged office building.”
**5. `[ATMOSPHERE_TYPE]`**
* **Purpose:** Sets the overall mood.
* **Examples:** “heavy and oppressive,” “eerie and silent,” “chaotic and dangerous,” “somber and melancholic.”
**6. `[AIR_PARTICLE_EFFECT]`**
* **Purpose:** Adds depth and texture to the scene.
* **Examples:** “thick, choking dust,” “swirling radioactive ash,” “a dense, low-hanging fog,” “glowing alien spores,” “fine, misty rain.”
**7. `[TIME_OF_DAY]`**
* **Purpose:** Directly influences lighting and shadows.
* **Examples:** “dawn,” “midday,” “golden hour,” “dusk,” “the dead of night.”
**8. `[WEATHER_CONDITIONS]`**
* **Purpose:** Complements the atmosphere.
* **Examples:** “overcast skies,” “storm clouds gathering,” “acid rain drizzling,” “an unnatural, calm stillness.”
**9. `[LIGHTING_STYLE]`**
* **Purpose:** Defines the quality and mood of the light.
* **Examples:** “dramatic and high-contrast,” “soft and diffused,” “harsh and direct,” “crepuscular rays (God rays).”
**10. `[PRIMARY_LIGHT_SOURCE]`**
* **Purpose:** Specifies where the light is coming from.
* **Examples:** “the low sun breaking through smoke clouds,” “the eerie glow of uncontrolled fires,” “the bioluminescence of alien flora,” “sporadic lightning flashes.”
**11. `[COLOR_PALETTE]`**
* **Purpose:** Controls the color grading of the final image.
* **Examples:** “desaturated and monochromatic with a single accent color (e.g., red),” “sickly greens and yellows,” “cold, sterile blues and grays,” “fiery oranges and deep, crushed blacks.”
**12. `[MOOD_WORD]`**
* **Purpose:** Reinforces the desired emotional tone.
* **Examples:** “hopelessness,” “survival,” “awe,” “terror.”
**13. `[CAMERA_TYPE]` & `[LENS_TYPE]`**
* **Purpose:** Mimics real-world cinematography for a more cinematic feel.
* **Examples:** “Arri Alexa camera,” “RED cinema camera,” “IMAX camera.” For lenses: “anamorphic wide-angle,” “35mm prime,” “telephoto.”
**14. `[COMPOSITION_RULE]`**
* **Purpose:** Guides the AI in arranging elements for a visually pleasing result.
* **Examples:** “rule of thirds,” “leading lines” (using a ruined highway), “golden ratio.”
**15. `[FILM_OR_ARTIST_INSPIRATION]`**
* **Purpose:** Provides the AI with a strong stylistic reference point.
* **Examples:** “Denis Villeneuve,” “Roland Emmerich,” “Christopher Nolan,” “concept art by Sparth.”
—
### **Example Prompt in Practice**
Here is a filled-out version of the template for a specific, high-concept disaster scenario.
**Scenario:** The aftermath of an otherworldly, bio-mechanical entity’s attack on Chicago, with the city now partially flooded by a ruptured Lake Michigan.
“`
cinematic wide shot, epic scale, photorealistic, the flooded and ruined downtown Chicago, aftermath of a biomechanical alien terraforming event.
The focal point is the damaged Willis Tower, its top floors shattered and entangled with pulsating, glowing organic tendrils. Visible details include an oily, rainbow sheen on the murky floodwaters, abandoned cars submerged up to their roofs, and strange, crystalline alien structures growing on the sides of broken buildings.
The atmosphere is eerie and silent, with a fine, bioluminescent mist hanging in the air. The time of day is dawn, casting long, dramatic shadows. The weather is unnaturally calm with heavy, low-hanging clouds.
Lighting is dramatic and high-contrast, with the primary light source being the soft morning sun piercing through the toxic-looking clouds and the pulsating internal glow from the alien structures. The color palette is dominated by a cold, sterile teal and gray, accented by vibrant, sickly magenta from the alien biology, creating a mood of beautiful horror.
Shot on an IMAX camera with an anamorphic wide-angle lens. The composition follows the rule of thirds, with a low camera angle from just above the water’s surface, emphasizing the colossal scale of the transformed skyline.
Style: Hyper-realistic disaster movie concept art, VFX plate, ultra-detailed, sharp focus, 8K resolution. Rendered in Unreal Engine 5, Octane Render. Inspired by the visual style of ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005) and the art of H.R. Giger.
-neg vibrant greens, healthy trees, people, boats, clear water, sunny day, cartoony, illustration, blurry, low-resolution.
–ar 16:9 –style raw –quality max
“`