Shortly after we were able to generate AI images, it soon became obvious that AI-generated videos were coming next.
Today we have access to great AI video generators which are clearly here to stay. Whether your top choice is Runway, Luma Labs’ Ray2 model or Hailuo MiniMax, AI video generators have brought the magic of Hollywood straight to our personal devices.
If you’re feeling creative, why not give the AI video generator Sora a try? With just a simple text prompt and no need to set any fancy configurations you can be creating your own AI videos in seconds using this AI tool by ChatGPT creators OpenAI.
How to access Sora
At the time of writing, Sora is only accessible if you have a paid ChatGPT Plus or Pro account. The Plus plan lets you create around 25 videos a month, if you ask for the 10-second-long versions.
Seasoned creatives may want to upgrade to a Pro account if they want to be able to generate up to 500 AI videos every month rendered in 1080p.
If you’re limited to a Plus account, you’ll need around 22 months to complete a feature film by stitching together all the little clips you generate — assuming all of them fit together perfectly.
So while Sora is a great tool for creating your own AI videos, it’s important to keep your expectations in check.
Since you’ll soon be able to generate videos directly within the ChatGPT interface, start practicing your movie-making skills with the prompts below.
5 prompts to create your own AI videos in Sora
1. The duel
(Image: © Tom’s Guide)
I wanted to jump right into the action with the first clip. So I asked Sora to generate a samurai duel set on a wooden bridge.
The generated clip features darker tones, with the camera immediately zooming in on our two main characters.
The samurai stand motionless, not yet engaged in battle, which piques my curiosity about what might happen next. The clip ends before either one can draw their weapon, meaning anything is still possible.
To produce something similar, you can use this prompt: “In an anime style, a tense standoff unfolds as two samurai meet on a rickety wooden bridge, suspended high above a deep canyon. The wind howls, swaying the unstable planks beneath their feet.”
2. Morning Joe
(Image: © Tom’s Guide )
Returning back to reality, I wanted Sora to conjure a scene in a café.
Our first video was created in an anime style, but remember, you can experiment with different styles within your text prompt. In this scenario, I requested a photorealistic style to capture a barista preparing a hot cup of coffee.
While the result is not quite perfect it’s still pretty impressive!
Try this prompt for your next AI video: “A focused barista carefully creates a steaming cup of coffee. Use a photorealistic style.”
3. City chaos
(Image: © Tom’s Guide )
I wondered what things would be like outside the confines of the coffee shop, so I asked Sora to generate a video of a city’s busy pedestrian crossing.
However, the pedestrians in our make-believe city must have been perplexed when they were led down a crosswalk that ended abruptly in the middle of street.
This is where Sora’s Remix feature comes in handy, allowing you to describe and apply the changes you want made to your video.
You can copy-paste this prompt: “In a cinematic style, create a birdseye view timelapse of a busy pedestrian crossing in a city.”
4. Chasing a feather
(Image: © Tom’s Guide )
For something calmer, I created a slow-motion video featuring a cat.
Similarly to how you can determine the style of your video, you can also give Sora instructions about specific camera movements or techniques you’d like to use.
In this five-second clip, Sora generated a black cat crouching low before pouncing at a feather it can’t seem to catch. Meanwhile, the feather drifts through the air, contorting with each little gust of wind.
Insert this prompt: “Slow-motion video of a cat chasing a feather. The sleek cat has its eyes locked onto the drifting feather that twists and turns in the air, evading each of the cat’s swipes.”
5. An establishing shot of a luxury Malibu beach house
(Image: © Tom’s Guide )
Sure, creating a full feature film solely with AI might be a stretch, but that shouldn’t stop you from using Sora-generated clips to complement real-world footage.
If your budget doesn’t allow you to rent a Malibu beach house for a scene, you can still ask Sora to generate an establishing shot—perfect for opening your sequence.
Perhaps I should have been more specific and mentioned in my prompt that I wanted the beach house to look like someone is living in it, since we can’t see any sort of furniture in the spacious room.
If you have a specific vision for your establishing shot, you can use the Storyboard tool in Sora. It helps you visualize the actions, sequence, and timing in your video.
With Storyboard you can use photos, videos, and text to describe each shot along a timeline before generating your final video.
Try out this Sora prompt: “In an establishing shot, the camera sweeps over the sun-drenched Malibu coastline, revealing a sleek, modern beach house. Its floor-to-ceiling windows are reflecting the endless ocean.”
Now that you’ve learned about these prompts for Sora, why not check out our other AI articles?
We have 5 mind-blowing prompts to get the most out of Claude and 5 prompts to try first in ChatGPT o-3 mini-high. And if you want to know how to get better results from ChatGPT, take a look at these 11 tips to take your prompts to the next level.
