Handmade Paper-Cut Stop-Motion Video Prompt Template

Here's the generic template, just tweak the fields with the story you want to tell... and you're done! { "archetype": "Cinematic Narrative", "duration": "Specify the total duration of the video.", "prompt": { "concept": { "title": "Provide a concise title describing the specific story, scene, subject, or narrative being depicted.", "description": "Describe the specific story or visual concept that will be transformed into a handmade paper-cut stop-motion sequence. Focus on the narrative premise, main characters, key objects, environments, iconic visual elements, and recurring motifs specific to this story.", "duration": "Specify the duration of the sequence and briefly describe how the story unfolds within that timeframe." }, "camera_direction": { "shot_type": "Describe the framing and shot types needed to clearly present the story while maintaining a graphic, theatrical paper-cut composition. Use locked, frontal, wide, medium, or close-up compositions as appropriate to the narrative.", "forbidden": [ "No smooth cinematic CGI camera movements.", "No digital morphing or soft dissolves.", "No photorealistic rendering.", "No 3D computer animation.", "No physically simulated materials that lose the handmade paper-cut appearance.", "No fluid animation that contradicts stepped stop-motion movement." ], "camera_journey": "Describe how the camera framing changes throughout the story. Keep all camera movement restrained, deliberate, graphic, and compatible with a handmade paper theater. Describe any changes between shots, framing transitions, or recurring compositions required by the narrative." }, "visual_style": { "overall": "Handmade tactile horror paper theater created entirely from layered paper and cardboard cut-outs, combining graphic composition with physical stop-motion imperfections. The visual language must consistently feel handcrafted, tangible, theatrical, and physically assembled rather than digitally rendered.", "animation_technique": "Handmade cut-out stop-motion animation using stepped frame-by-frame movements, visible positional jumps, limited animation, rigid articulated paper characters, and physical replacement or repositioning of layered elements. Movement should feel intentionally mechanical and handcrafted.", "materials": [ "Layered corrugated cardboard.", "Textured craft paper.", "Cut paper silhouettes.", "Printed and hand-painted paper elements.", "Physical paper props and environmental pieces." ], "texture": "Visible paper fibers, cardboard grain, torn edges, rough scissor cuts, imperfect contours, layered paper shadows, subtle warping, physical folds, glue imperfections, matte surfaces, and tactile handmade imperfections must remain visible throughout the sequence.", "lighting": "Physical theatrical lighting interacting with the paper and cardboard layers, producing hard-edged shadows, visible depth between layers, dramatic silhouettes, localized highlights, and practical-looking illumination. Lighting should feel photographed on a miniature physical paper set rather than digitally generated.", "depth_and_composition": "Construct the scenes as layered paper dioramas with clear foreground, middle-ground, and background planes. Use overlapping cut-outs, physical separation between layers, cast shadows, and graphic silhouettes to create depth while preserving a deliberately flat handcrafted aesthetic.", "color_palette": [ "Provide a list of one or more story-specific dominant colors and color combinations that define the visual identity of this particular narrative.", "Add one separate item for each important color, material color, lighting color, or recurring color motif required by the story." ], "materials_and_texture": "Use the fixed handmade paper-cut material language described above, while adapting the specific paper colors, printed patterns, surface treatments, and physical textures to the characters, props, environments, and narrative elements of the story.", "inspired_by": [ "Handmade cut-out stop-motion animation.", "Physical paper theater and miniature stage design.", "Graphic pulp poster design.", "German expressionist composition translated into cardboard and paper collage.", "Practical theatrical lighting photographed on a handcrafted miniature set." ] }, "characters": [ { "name": "Provide the character's name or identifier.", "description": "Describe the character's physical appearance, silhouette, clothing, hairstyle, distinctive features, and any story-specific visual characteristics. All elements must be designed as layered paper/cardboard cut-outs.", "color_and_materials": "Describe the character-specific colors, patterns, fabrics, paper textures, and material treatments.", "props": [ "List one or more important objects or accessories carried, worn, or used by this character." ] } ], "environments": [ { "name": "Provide the name or identifier of the environment or location.", "description": "Describe the physical setting as a handcrafted layered paper/cardboard diorama, including its architecture, background elements, foreground elements, atmosphere, and story-specific visual details.", "color_and_materials": "Describe the environment-specific colors, paper treatments, textures, patterns, and physical materials.", "key_elements": [ "List one or more important environmental elements, set pieces, or recurring visual details that must appear in this location." ] } ], "props": [ { "name": "Provide the name or identifier of the prop.", "description": "Describe the object's appearance, shape, scale, function, and importance to the story.", "materials_and_texture": "Describe how the prop should be constructed using paper, cardboard, printed textures, metallic paper, or other physical craft materials compatible with the fixed paper-cut aesthetic.", "color": "Specify the prop's story-specific color or color combination." } ], "storyboard": { "total_beats": "Specify the total number of distinct narrative or visual beats required to tell the story.", "beats": [ { "id": "Assign a unique sequential identifier to this beat.", "time": "Specify the exact start and end time of this beat within the total video duration.", "description": "Describe precisely what happens during this beat, including the characters present, their actions, environment, props, composition, important visual details, and narrative progression.", "character_action": "Describe the specific movement, pose, gesture, interaction, or transformation performed by the characters during this beat using limited, stepped paper-cut stop-motion.", "camera": "Describe the specific framing or camera position used for this beat while maintaining the fixed graphic paper-theater camera language.", "visual_focus": "Identify the most important visual element, character, object, color, silhouette, or action that should dominate this beat.", "transition": "Describe how this beat transitions into the next beat using physical paper-cut stop-motion techniques, hard frame jumps, repositioning, replacement of cut-outs, or other techniques compatible with the fixed visual language." } ] } } }