MiniMax H3 prompt guide: how to write a prompt that works

Six rules for a MiniMax H3 prompt

1. 1.Start with the person and the action

   Put who is in the shot and what they do first; camera and light go in the middle, sound at the end. The first part of a prompt carries the most weight.

   “A woman in her late twenties ... rides up a steel escalator toward the camera, then steps off onto the polished floor of a metro station.”

2. 2.Name every garment by fabric and colour

   Fabric tells the model how a piece moves and catches light. Give each one its material and a colour, down to the shoes.

   “a long black (#111111) wool coat with a high collar, buttoned to the throat, over narrow black trousers and black leather platform boots”

3. 3.Give every light a source

   Say what the light comes from: a ceiling strip, a shop window, the sun. A light with a cause lands where you expect it.

   “a long white fluorescent strip on the ceiling above the escalator rim-lights her hair and shoulders”

4. 4.One camera move per clip

   Pick one move (track back, push in, arc) and the lens. Two or three moves in one short clip make the picture swim.

   “50mm lens, one slow backward dolly at her walking pace”

5. 5.Show it with the body, not with adjectives

   Words like stunning or cinematic do not draw anything. A coat swinging, a ring flashing, a draught lifting the hair do.

   “the silver ring flashes when her right hand leaves the rubber handrail”

6. 6.Write the sound and the last frame

   Say what is heard, then end with the frame the clip should stop on.

   “Final image: she stands one step from the lens, the coat hem settling”

Three prompts to copy

Each prompt follows the six rules, in the same order. Next to it: the length, resolution and aspect it is set for, and the credits it costs on Reviral.

1. 1. Black high-collar coat on a metro escalator

   6 s · 768p · 9:16 · 104 credits

   A woman in her late twenties of Egyptian heritage with light olive-brown skin, long black hair with a razor-straight centre part and thick black eyeliner drawn out into long wings rides up a steel escalator toward the camera, then steps off onto the polished floor of a metro station. She wears a long black (#111111) wool coat with a high collar, buttoned to the throat, over narrow black trousers and black leather platform boots, a thin silver (#C0C0C0) ring on one finger. Warm air rising from the platform below lifts the coat's hem and the ends of her hair; as she steps off, the coat swings out once behind her and the silver ring flashes when her right hand leaves the rubber handrail. Her face stays still, chin level, eyes on the lens, mouth closed. Camera: 50mm lens, one slow backward dolly at her walking pace, from the knees up to head and shoulders as she stops. Light: a long white fluorescent strip on the ceiling above the escalator rim-lights her hair and shoulders, the steel steps throw cold reflections up onto the coat. Sound: the escalator's steady rumble, the click of her platform boots on the floor, a train pulling in below. Final image: she stands one step from the lens, the coat hem settling, a strand of hair still lifting in the warm draught.

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2. 2. Leopard silk shirt on a rooftop car park at sunset

   6 s · 768p · 9:16 · 104 credits

   A man in his late sixties of Brazilian heritage with warm tan skin, a wiry white afro cut short at the sides and gold aviator glasses with amber lenses walks across the top deck of an open-air car park at sunset toward the camera. He wears a leopard-print silk shirt in camel (#C19A6B) and black (#111111) with a wide open collar, tight black flared jeans and pointed black Cuban-heel boots. The wind across the deck presses the silk flat against his chest and snaps the open collar against his neck; the flares swing at every step. Halfway across he lifts his left hand and pushes the aviators up the bridge of his nose with one finger, then lets the arm fall, face still, eyes on the lens. Camera: 35mm lens, one slow backward tracking move, full body to waist-up as he stops. Light: the low sun behind him outlines the shirt and his hair in orange, the painted concrete bounces warm light up into his face, the amber lenses catch the sun once. Sound: wind across the open deck, his heels on concrete, a car alarm chirping far below. Final image: he stops, the collar still flicking against his jaw, the city skyline soft behind him.

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3. 3. Pink satin bow blouse at a revolving door in the rain

   6 s · 768p · 9:16 · 104 credits

   A woman in her late twenties of Korean heritage with fair skin, a jet-black chin-length bob with a blunt fringe cut straight above the brows and black winged eyeliner pushes through a brass revolving door out onto a rainy city pavement and walks toward the camera. She wears a baby-pink (#F4C2D0) satin blouse with a large pussy bow tied at the throat, high-waisted powder-blue (#A9CCE3) flared trousers and white platform sandals. The door's gust lifts the two long ends of the bow and they flutter over her shoulder; the satin shifts from pink to pearl where the light rolls across it. She does not hurry: three slow steps, her right hand smoothing the bow flat on the third, chin level, eyes on the lens. Camera: 85mm lens, one slow push-in from waist-up to a tight head-and-shoulders frame. Light: warm gold light from the hotel lobby behind her glows through the door's glass and rims her bob, cool grey daylight from the overcast street falls on her face, rain beads on the shoulders of the satin. Sound: the door's brass panels swishing round, light rain on the pavement, a taxi horn. Final image: her face and the pink bow fill the frame, one raindrop running down the satin.

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