Best Sora 2 prompts and skills (2026)

Beat sheet

| Beat | Purpose | What the viewer must get | Seconds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hook | A reporter in the rain, recording a source who is trusting him with something | 4 |
| 2 | Problem / stakes | The recording is precious and private; the small device in his wet hand is what holds it | 4 |
| 3 | Reveal | Later that night, at home, he sets Fieldnote down and starts it working | 4 |
| 4 | Proof | The words appear on its own e-ink screen: transcribed on the device, no laptop, no cloud | 8 |
| 5 | Payoff + CTA | He has every word, privately; music enters; end line | 4 |

Storyboard table (shots 1–3 of 6)

| # | Sec (gen → use) | Framing | Camera move | Subject action | Dialogue / on-screen text | Audio / ambience | Continuity notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 → 4 | Medium shot, eye level, over the source's shoulder (her back soft in frame-left foreground); he stands under the awning facing screen left | Slow handheld push-in | Holds Fieldnote out toward her at chest height; listens; gives one small nod | Source (on camera, from behind): "They said it would stay between us." | Location A bed; her voice close; rain on the awning | Location A. Faces screen left. Recorder in his right hand, red light on. Jacket zipped halfway, wet shoulders. |
| 2 | 4 → 4 | Extreme close-up on his right hand holding Fieldnote, the source's coat a soft blur beyond | Static | Rain beads on the graphite body; the red light glows steadily; his thumb shifts once on the edge | VO: "What they tell me stays with me." | Location A bed, close rain ticks on the device | Location A. Recorder points screen left. Screen pale grey and blank. Ends with recorder centred, for a match cut. |
| 3 | 4 → 4 | Medium close-up on the kitchen table under the pendant lamp | Static | His right hand enters from frame right and sets Fieldnote down, centred; his thumb presses the round button; hand withdraws | none | Location B bed; soft tap of the recorder on wood; one button click | Location and lighting change (B). Match cut from shot 2 on recorder position. Device dry now, red light off. |

[The full answer continues with shots 4–6 and a coverage alternate, the ten-line continuity block pasted word for word into all seven shot prompts, each prompt's first and last frame, and the stitch plan with voice-over script, caption placement and export settings.]

Settings: model `sora-2` · size `1280x720` · seconds `8` · characters: none

Before

A cool cinematic shot of a woman drinking coffee in a nice cafe, make it 10 seconds.

After

Style: Contemporary 35 mm film look, natural and understated, soft contrast, fine grain, warm-neutral grade.

A small neighbourhood cafe on a quiet weekday morning. A woman in her early 30s with shoulder-length dark hair tied loosely back, wearing an oatmeal knit sweater, sits alone at a round marble table by a large street-facing window. In front of her: a white ceramic cup of black coffee on a matching saucer and a folded paper napkin. Behind her, out of focus, a wooden counter with an espresso machine and a barista moving between shelves of cups. Thin steam rises from the cup and catches the window light.

Cinematography:
Camera: medium close-up, eye level, from across the table at a slight angle; slow dolly-in
Lens: 50 mm feel; shallow depth of field, sharp on her face and the cup, background soft
Lighting: soft morning daylight through the window from camera left as key; warm tungsten pendant glow from the counter as background fill
Palette anchors: cream, warm walnut brown, soft white, muted sage, coffee black
Mood: calm, quiet, unhurried

Actions:
- She wraps both hands around the cup and lifts it slowly (first two seconds).
- She blows lightly across the surface, then takes one small sip.
- She lowers the cup to the saucer and looks out the window with a faint, relaxed smile (final two seconds).

Background Sound:
Low hiss of the espresso machine, soft clink of cups at the counter, muffled murmur of a few voices; no score.

What changed and why

- Removed "make it 10 seconds". Duration is an API parameter, not prose, and 10 is not a supported value (4, 8, 12, 16, 20). Set `seconds: 8` in the call; the prompt now fits 8 seconds of action.
- "Cool cinematic shot" became a named style. A specific aesthetic instead of a vague adjective, set first so it frames everything else.
- "Drinking coffee" became three timed beats. Lift, blow and sip, lower and look out. Beats with timing cues are far more reliable than a single vague verb.

[five more changes in the full answer: subject anchors, concrete nouns, one camera move, named light sources, background sound]