About Prompt
- Prompt Type – Dynamic
- Prompt Platform – ChatGPT, Grok, Deepseek, Gemini, Copilot, Midjourney, Meta AI and more
- Niche – Post-Apocalypse
- Language – English
- Category – Cinematic / Storyboard
- Prompt Title – Sora Apocalyptic Survival Prompt for Thriller Movies
Prompt Details
This template is designed to be platform-agnostic, using descriptive natural language that advanced video AI models like Sora can interpret effectively for high-quality, cinematic results.
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### **Optimized Dynamic AI Prompt Template: Apocalyptic Survival Thriller**
This template is structured to give the AI a layered understanding of the scene, moving from the high-level concept to granular cinematic details. Fill in the bracketed `[VARIABLES]` to create your unique scene.
**Instructions for Use:**
Copy the entire structure below and replace the bracketed `[VARIABLES]` with your specific details. The more descriptive and evocative your language, the better the AI’s output will be.
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**1. **`// Core Scene Concept & Logline`**
* **Logline:** A one-sentence summary of the scene.
* `[SUBJECT(S)] must [ACTION/OBJECTIVE] in a dangerous [LOCATION] while contending with [IMMEDIATE THREAT OR OBSTACLE].`
**2. **`// Primary Subject(s) & Character Details`**
* **Protagonist(s):** `[NUMBER] survivor(s).`
* **Appearance:** `Describe the main character(s) in detail. Example: A lone woman in her late 20s named Anya, with a gaunt face, determined eyes, wearing patched-up canvas gear, and carrying a makeshift spear. Her movements are cautious and economical.`
* **Emotional State:** `The character’s expression and body language should convey [EMOTION – e.g., quiet desperation, hyper-vigilance, weary resilience, stark terror].`
* **Key Prop(s):** `The character is interacting with or carrying [IMPORTANT OBJECT – e.g., a flickering oil lamp, a crackling geiger counter, a tattered map, a crying baby wrapped in rags].`
**3. **`// Environment & World-Building`**
* **Primary Location:** `[SPECIFIC LOCATION – e.g., a flooded and abandoned subway station, the skeletal remains of a skyscraper overgrown with mutated vines, a dust-choked desert highway littered with rusted-out cars].`
* **Time of Day & Weather:** `[TIME & WEATHER – e.g., eerie twilight during a toxic ash fall, harsh midday sun under a bleached-white sky, the dead of night illuminated only by a sickly green moon].`
* **Sensory Details:** `The scene is filled with specific details: [SENSORY INFO – e.g., dust motes dancing in slivers of light, the sound of wind whistling through broken buildings, the metallic tang of rust and decay in the air, water dripping rhythmically into a dark pool].`
* **State of Decay:** `The world feels [AGE OF APOCALYPSE – e.g., recently collapsed, decades-overgrown, petrified by a cataclysm]. Signs of the “old world” are [VISIBLE REMAINS – e.g., faded advertisements, skeletons in cars, toys half-buried in mud].`
**4. **`// Key Action & Narrative Sequence (Storyboard)`**
* **This section breaks down the action beat-by-beat to guide the AI’s “storytelling.”**
1. **Opening Beat:** `The scene begins with [INITIAL ACTION – e.g., the character cautiously pushing open a heavy door, siphoning gasoline from a vehicle, huddling by a small fire].`
2. **Inciting Incident:** `Suddenly, [THE EVENT – e.g., a distant scream echoes, a floorboard creaks from the floor above, a mutated creature scurries into the shadows, a tripwire is snagged].`
3. **Reaction:** `The character’s reaction is [SPECIFIC REACTION – e.g., to freeze instantly, dropping what they’re holding, their eyes widening in fear. They slowly raise their weapon and extinguish their light source].`
4. **Concluding Beat:** `The scene ends with [FINAL MOMENT – e.g., the character hiding behind a concrete pillar, holding their breath as footsteps approach; or a tense standoff, with the character staring down the unseen threat in the darkness].`
**5. **`// Cinematic & Stylistic Direction`**
* **Overall Visual Style:** `Cinematic realism, gritty, highly detailed, photorealistic. The visual tone is inspired by the cinematography of [FILM OR DIRECTOR – e.g., “Children of Men,” “The Road,” Denis Villeneuve, Alfonso Cuarón].`
* **Film Stock & Quality:** `Shot on professional cinema camera like an Arri Alexa, 35mm film grain, extremely high-definition 8K RAW footage.`
* **Camera Work & Movement:**
* `The camera movement is [STYLE OF MOVEMENT – e.g., tense and claustrophobic handheld, smooth and deliberate dolly tracking shot, a slow, revealing pan].`
* `Use a [SPECIFIC SHOT – e.g., dolly zoom to heighten tension, a whip pan to the source of a sound, a slow push-in on the character’s face].`
* **Shot Composition & Framing:**
* `The scene uses a mix of [SHOT TYPES – e.g., an extreme wide shot to establish the desolate scale, followed by a tight medium shot focusing on the character’s anxiety, and an extreme close-up on their terrified eyes].`
* `Framing should feel [COMPOSITIONAL STYLE – e.g., oppressive, using negative space to imply unseen threats, shallow depth of field to isolate the character from their surroundings].`
* **Lighting:** `[LIGHTING STYLE – e.g., Naturalistic, dramatic chiaroscuro lighting. God rays (crepuscular rays) pierce through the dusty air from a broken ceiling. Long, dark shadows create a sense of dread. The primary light source is [SOURCE – e.g., the failing sun, a flickering torch, moonlight]].`
* **Color Grading:** `The color palette is [COLOR SCHEME – e.g., heavily desaturated with a cold, blue-steel tint; or a sickly, yellow-green palette suggesting toxicity; or a monochromatic, high-contrast black and white]. Muted earth tones dominate.`
**6. **`// Atmosphere & Mood`**
* **Core Mood:** `The atmosphere is overwhelmingly [MOOD – e.g., tense, suspenseful, desolate, oppressive, haunting, dreadful].`
* **Pacing:** `The pacing of the scene should be [PACING – e.g., slow, deliberate, and suspense-building, with moments of sudden, heart-pounding terror].`
**7. **`// Negative Prompts (Exclusions)`**
* **Exclude:** `No bright or vibrant colors, no clean clothes or surfaces, no healthy-looking vegetation (unless mutated), no modern technology, no smiling, no crowds, no UI elements, not a video game.`
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### **Example Prompt in Practice**
Here is the above template filled out for a specific, high-tension scene.
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**1. **`// Core Scene Concept & Logline`**
* **Logline:** A lone survivor must scavenge for supplies in a flooded, derelict cathedral, but realizes he is being hunted by something lurking in the murky water.
**2. **`// Primary Subject(s) & Character Details`**
* **Protagonist(s):** One survivor.
* **Appearance:** A man in his 40s, named Kael, with a thick, unkempt beard and deep-set, exhausted eyes. He wears a tattered raincoat over layers of ragged clothing. He moves with a limp, using a long iron pipe as both a walking stick and a weapon.
* **Emotional State:** His expression and body language convey hyper-vigilance and a bone-deep weariness, but his grip on the pipe shows he’s ready to fight.
* **Key Prop(s):** A weak, flickering headlamp that casts a narrow, nervous beam of light across the water’s surface.
**3. **`// Environment & World-Building`**
* **Primary Location:** The nave of a grand, gothic cathedral, now flooded with three feet of stagnant, black water. Ornate stone pillars rise out of the murk. The vaulted ceiling is shattered, exposing the sky.
* **Time of Day & Weather:** Late evening, just after a chemical rainstorm. The air is heavy and humid, and a sickly grey light filters through the broken ceiling.
* **Sensory Details:** The scene is filled with the sound of Kael’s sloshing steps and the constant, unnerving drip of water from the ceiling. The air smells of mildew, rot, and ozone. Debris and forgotten hymnals float on the water’s surface.
* **State of Decay:** The apocalypse happened decades ago. Thick moss clings to the stone pillars, and the remaining stained-glass windows are shattered and opaque with grime.
**4. **`// Key Action & Narrative Sequence (Storyboard)`**
1. **Opening Beat:** The scene begins with Kael wading slowly and deliberately through the dark water, his headlamp beam cutting through the gloom as he scans the floating debris for anything useful.
2. **Inciting Incident:** He spots a sealed medical kit snagged on a half-submerged pew. As he reaches for it, a large, sudden ripple emanates from the far end of the cathedral, a disturbance too large to be a drip.
3. **Reaction:** Kael freezes instantly. His hand hovers over the kit. He slowly extinguishes his headlamp, plunging the scene into near-darkness. He tightens his grip on the iron pipe, his breathing becoming shallow and ragged.
4. **Concluding Beat:** The scene ends with an extreme close-up on Kael’s face, illuminated only by the faint ambient light. His eyes are wide with terror, staring into the darkness as he listens to the sound of something large and silent moving towards him beneath the water’s surface.
**5. **`// Cinematic & Stylistic Direction`**
* **Overall Visual Style:** Cinematic realism, gritty, highly detailed, photorealistic. The visual tone is inspired by the cinematography of “A Quiet Place” and the oppressive atmosphere of the video game “The Last of Us.”
* **Film Stock & Quality:** Shot on a digital Arri Alexa camera, capturing deep blacks and detail in low light. A subtle 35mm film grain is applied to add texture.
* **Camera Work & Movement:**
* The camera movement is a slow, low-angle tracking shot that follows Kael from just above the water’s surface, making the viewer feel vulnerable.
* Use a jarring rack focus from Kael’s face to the ripple in the background to emphasize the new threat.
* **Shot Composition & Framing:**
* The scene uses an extreme wide shot to establish the immense, haunting space of the cathedral, followed by a tight over-the-shoulder shot as he reaches for the kit. The final shot is an extreme close-up on his terrified eyes.
* Framing feels claustrophobic despite the large space, using the towering pillars to box him in. Shallow depth of field keeps the threat in the background out of focus and mysterious.
* **Lighting:** Dramatic chiaroscuro lighting. The only significant light source is Kael’s weak headlamp at the start, creating a moving spotlight with deep, dancing shadows. After he turns it off, the scene is lit by dim, ambient twilight filtering from above.
* **Color Grading:** The color palette is heavily desaturated with a cold, blue-green tint, emphasizing the dampness and decay. The only warmth comes from the headlamp beam before it is extinguished.
**6. **`// Atmosphere & Mood`**
* **Core Mood:** The atmosphere is overwhelmingly suspenseful and dreadful. The initial sense of desolation gives way to palpable, claustrophobic terror.
* **Pacing:** The pacing is incredibly slow and methodical, designed to build maximum tension, punctuated by the sudden shock of the ripple in the water.
**7. **`// Negative Prompts (Exclusions)`**
* **Exclude:** No fast-moving creatures visible, no dialogue, no bright colors, no sunlight, no clean water, no CGI-looking monsters, not an animation.