How to Write "Cinematic" AI Prompts: Stop Using Generic Words

By the Arab Seed News Creative Lab

If you are still writing prompts like “A man walking in the street, 8K, highly detailed, realistic,” then you are wasting the potential of your AI tools. In 2026, AI models like Sora, Kling, and Runway have moved past simple keyword recognition. They now understand the language of cinematography.

At Arab Seed News, we spent the last month “reverse-engineering” the most successful AI video generations. We discovered that the difference between a “video game look” and a “Hollywood look” isn’t in the AI model you use—it’s in the vocabulary you use to guide it. Here is how to stop being a “user” and start being a “director.”

1. Describe the “Lens,” Not Just the “Object”

In a real film set, the director doesn’t just say “look at the man.” They choose a lens. AI models now simulate optical physics, so give them those details.

Instead of: “A close up of a woman.”
Try: “A tight shot filmed on a 85mm prime lens, shallow depth of field, sharp focus on the eyes with a creamy bokeh background.” Why it works: Using terms like “85mm” or “bokeh” tells the AI exactly how to handle the background blur and facial compression.

2. Mastering the “Lighting Language”

Lighting is 90% of what makes a video look “expensive.” If you don’t specify the light, the AI defaults to a flat, boring look.

Pro Tip: Use terms like “Volumetric Lighting” for that moody, foggy look, or “Golden Hour Backlighting” for a warm, emotional glow.
Example: “A dark interior shot of a hacker, illuminated only by the blue light of the monitors, with heavy ‘Chiaroscuro’ lighting and visible dust motes in the air.”

3. Direct the Camera Movement

A static AI shot is often boring. To make your content dynamic, you need to describe the Kinematics.

Keywords to use: “Handheld shakiness,” “Slow cinematic push-in,” “Dolly zoom,” or “Low-angle tracking shot.”
Our Formula: We always add a movement command at the end of our prompts at Arab Seed. For example: “…tracking the character from a low angle as they run through the rain, high-speed shutter to capture individual droplets.”

4. Avoid “Buzzword Soup”

Gojgl (and AI models) are getting smarter. Words like “Ultra HD,” “Masterpiece,” and “Trending on ArtStation” are now considered “junk prompts.” They don’t actually tell the AI what to draw; they just fill up the character limit. The Fix: Replace those useless words with Color Grading terms. Use “Kodak 35mm film grain,” “Teal and Orange color palette,” or “Muted desaturated tones.”

The Final Verdict: Think Like a Filmmaker

The secret to 2026 prompting is simple: If you can’t say it to a real cameraman on a real set, don’t say it to the AI. The more you learn about real-world filmmaking—lighting, lenses, and movement—the better your AI videos will become.

At Arab Seed News, we believe that AI is just a new type of camera. And just like any camera, it’s only as good as the person standing behind it (or in this case, the person writing the prompt).