Technical Specifications

Pre-Filled Template

### 1 · Core theme
`vertical micro-drama | dialogue confrontation | hook-heavy cold open | shot-reverse-shot | grounded performance, no soap-opera overacting`

### 2 · Character & scene

**Characters:** {{a}} and {{b}}. Reference uploaded photos, features 100%
preserved, no beautification. Real, restrained emotion — a tight jaw, a
flicker in the eyes, a held breath — not theatrical overacting.
Imperfections: tired eyes, a stray hair, real skin, a slightly creased
collar. The realism makes the drama land.

**Scene:** a lived-in office at night (or your setting) — practical desk
lamp, papers, a cold city window. Vertical 9:16 framing built around faces.

### 3 · Atmosphere & quality
Shot on ARRI Alexa with vintage primes, restrained cinematic grade,
shallow focus that isolates faces. **Composed for vertical (9:16):** faces
sit in the upper-middle, eye-lines respected for shot-reverse-shot. Film
grain, motivated practical light, real shadow.

### 4 · Camera rules
**Shot-reverse-shot dialogue grammar:** a clean single on {{a}}, a reverse
single on {{b}}, a tighter push as the tension rises. Vertical framing
keeps each face large.
- *Breathing:* "Handheld shot. Throughout, maintain an extremely subtle,
  breath-like camera float to enhance presence." — subtle, keeps the scene
  alive and immediate.
- *Sound:* No score, or a single low tension drone under the turn — not a
  swelling soap-opera string. Production audio: dialogue, room tone, a
  desk-lamp hum, a chair shift. Let silence sharpen the beats.

### 5 · Storyboard (3 beats, ~12s — built to hook + cliffhang)

```
0–2s · Cold open (the hook — survive the swipe)
Action: Straight in, no setup: [Hook]. The shocking beat lands in the
        first two seconds, before anyone can scroll away.
Camera: A punch-in single on {{a}}, vertical, face large.
Sound:  The sharp diegetic sound of the hook; then dead quiet.

2–8s · Confrontation (shot-reverse-shot)
Action: {{a}}: "[Conflict]" — cut to {{b}}'s reaction, then back. The
        tension escalates line by line, faces tightening.
Camera: Clean single / reverse single, a slow push on each as it heats up.
Sound:  Dialogue and room tone; maybe one low drone entering.

8–12s · Cliffhanger (the unanswered turn)
Action: [Cliff] — a reveal or reversal that flips the scene, left
        unresolved.
Camera: Hold on the frozen reaction, push in slightly.
Close:  No resolution, no music sting, no "to be continued" card needed —
        cut on the frozen face mid-reaction. The unanswered question is
        what makes them tap the next episode.
```

### Negative prompt (Seedance / Kling — paste into the dedicated field)
```
blurry, low resolution, watermark, text overlay, subtitles, logo, theatrical overacting, exaggerated soap-opera expressions, plastic CG skin, glossy idol render, video-game look, 3D cartoon, flat even studio lighting, horizontal letterboxing, faces too small in frame, distorted face, asymmetric eyes, extra fingers, lip-sync mismatch, melting/morphing geometry, swelling melodramatic score, frame flicker, jarring hard cuts, lifeless locked-off camera
```

---

Raw Template with Variables

### 1 · Core theme
`vertical micro-drama | dialogue confrontation | hook-heavy cold open | shot-reverse-shot | grounded performance, no soap-opera overacting`

### 2 · Character & scene

**Characters:** {{a}} and {{b}}. Reference uploaded photos, features 100%
preserved, no beautification. Real, restrained emotion — a tight jaw, a
flicker in the eyes, a held breath — not theatrical overacting.
Imperfections: tired eyes, a stray hair, real skin, a slightly creased
collar. The realism makes the drama land.

**Scene:** a lived-in office at night (or your setting) — practical desk
lamp, papers, a cold city window. Vertical 9:16 framing built around faces.

### 3 · Atmosphere & quality
Shot on ARRI Alexa with vintage primes, restrained cinematic grade,
shallow focus that isolates faces. **Composed for vertical (9:16):** faces
sit in the upper-middle, eye-lines respected for shot-reverse-shot. Film
grain, motivated practical light, real shadow.

### 4 · Camera rules
**Shot-reverse-shot dialogue grammar:** a clean single on {{a}}, a reverse
single on {{b}}, a tighter push as the tension rises. Vertical framing
keeps each face large.
- *Breathing:* "Handheld shot. Throughout, maintain an extremely subtle,
  breath-like camera float to enhance presence." — subtle, keeps the scene
  alive and immediate.
- *Sound:* No score, or a single low tension drone under the turn — not a
  swelling soap-opera string. Production audio: dialogue, room tone, a
  desk-lamp hum, a chair shift. Let silence sharpen the beats.

### 5 · Storyboard (3 beats, ~12s — built to hook + cliffhang)

```
0–2s · Cold open (the hook — survive the swipe)
Action: Straight in, no setup: {{hook}}. The shocking beat lands in the
        first two seconds, before anyone can scroll away.
Camera: A punch-in single on {{a}}, vertical, face large.
Sound:  The sharp diegetic sound of the hook; then dead quiet.

2–8s · Confrontation (shot-reverse-shot)
Action: {{a}}: "{{conflict}}" — cut to {{b}}'s reaction, then back. The
        tension escalates line by line, faces tightening.
Camera: Clean single / reverse single, a slow push on each as it heats up.
Sound:  Dialogue and room tone; maybe one low drone entering.

8–12s · Cliffhanger (the unanswered turn)
Action: {{cliff}} — a reveal or reversal that flips the scene, left
        unresolved.
Camera: Hold on the frozen reaction, push in slightly.
Close:  No resolution, no music sting, no "to be continued" card needed —
        cut on the frozen face mid-reaction. The unanswered question is
        what makes them tap the next episode.
```

### Negative prompt (Seedance / Kling — paste into the dedicated field)
```
blurry, low resolution, watermark, text overlay, subtitles, logo, theatrical overacting, exaggerated soap-opera expressions, plastic CG skin, glossy idol render, video-game look, 3D cartoon, flat even studio lighting, horizontal letterboxing, faces too small in frame, distorted face, asymmetric eyes, extra fingers, lip-sync mismatch, melting/morphing geometry, swelling melodramatic score, frame flicker, jarring hard cuts, lifeless locked-off camera
```

---

How to use this prompt

1. Review the pre-filled example and source files above.
2. Replace each variable ({{cliff}}, {{conflict}}, {{hook}}) with your own value.
3. Copy the template or download prompt-shortfilm-storyboard-vertical-micro-drama.txt, then use it in your model, IDE, or workflow tool.
4. Compare your result with the sample output when one is provided.

Frequently Asked Questions