Multi-Shot Narrative Template

Source: organized from Mx-Shell's publicly shared prompt materials and Douyin livestream content (March/May 2026). This is the generalized skeleton extracted from Zombie Scavenger.

Best for: edit-style shorts where an event is broken into N shots, each 5–8 seconds, then assembled into a coherent narrative.

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Skeleton

[Character & scene setup]
  Subject 1 (Portrait1 reference): …
  Subject 2 (Portrait2 reference): …
  Scene (Portrait3 reference): …
  Sound: …

[Atmosphere & quality]
  Style core: …
  Visual base: …
  Color & tone: …

[Story content]
  Shot 1: shot size + composition + camera move + content
  Shot 2: …
  Shot 3: …
  …

Each shot has four required fields: Shot size / Composition / Camera move / Story content.

Vocabulary cheat sheet

Shot sizes

Extreme wide — establishes environment
Wide — full body + significant context
Medium — waist-up
Close — chest-up
Close-up — face, hands, props
Long-lens close — compresses depth, distant intimate shot

Composition

Centered / symmetric
Rule-of-thirds
Diagonal
Framing (using doorways, windows, body parts as frames)
Foreground / midground / background layers (state what each layer is)
Empty shot (no human subject in frame)
Over-the-shoulder (foreground is one character's shoulder/back-of-head)

Camera moves

Locked-off
Slow push-in / pull-out
Follow tracking
Orbit (clockwise / counter-clockwise)
Handheld (with subtle floating)
Lateral pan / tilt
FPV (free-tilting frame)

Story actions (use verbs, not adjectives)

Enter / turn / step back / stand straight / squat
Lower head / raise head / tilt head / stare
Switch expression / defensive stance / combat ready

Application example (robot + small animal + villa scenario)

[Character & scene setup]
Robot protagonist (Portrait1): {{Subject 1 description: build, style,
                                clothing, expression display method}}
Small animal (Portrait2): {{Subject 2 description: species, expression}}
Scene (Portrait3): {{Time of day, location, style, environment state,
                     atmosphere}}
Sound: No score. Production audio only.

[Atmosphere & quality]
Style core: {{3–5 tags: atom-punk / post-apocalyptic / cinematic /
             hyperreal / no game-CG feel}}
Visual base: Anamorphic widescreen cinematic. Simulated IMAX film camera
             paired with {{lens combo}} (motion blur added).
Color & tone: {{era / aesthetic}}, {{primary color scheme}}, film grain,
              retro wide-angle lens, low-saturation retro film LUT.
              {{Lighting description: natural side-light / hard light /
              volumetric fog ...}}
Visual base: Reference {{benchmark work}} aesthetic, {{specific style}}
             for character motion control.

[Story content]

Shot 1:
  Shot size: {{Medium / Close-up / ...}}
  Composition: {{Centered / Symmetric / Foreground-midground-background...}}
  Camera move: {{Locked / Tracking / Push-in / ...}}
  Story content: {{What subject does → what happens → subject's reaction}}

Shot 2:
  Shot size: …
  Composition: …
  Camera move: …
  Story content: …

(Add 3–8 shots as needed)

Five high-yield multi-shot techniques

1. Empty shot + off-screen sound

Shot: Wide, level pan of the entire bar counter. Empty shot, bar
      occupies the lower third of frame.
Story content: A rustling noise comes from behind the counter, as if
               something is rummaging beneath it.

Use it for: a shot with no protagonist + off-screen sound establishes "unseen threat" tension faster than any visible monster.

2. Over-the-shoulder close-up (establishes mutual gaze between two subjects)

Shot: Long-lens, over-the-shoulder.
Composition: Robot in mid-ground left, foreground is ostrich's
             back-of-head on the right. Focus on robot, producing
             shallow depth of field.
Camera move: Locked-off.
Story content: Ostrich rises rapidly with back to camera, head pops up
               from below frame, surveys the robot. Robot startles
               again, covers face with both hands, daring not look.

Use it for: when two characters confront each other, an OTS captures both subjects in one shot — tension reads higher than cutting back and forth between two close-ups.

3. Expression switch as a shot's endpoint

Shot: Long-lens close-up, robot side-45° face.
Story content: Robot's LED face switches from yellow-frightened to
               white-thinking expression.

Use it for: a whole shot can be just an emotional shift. The expression switch = the thought process, the inner monologue when there's no dialogue.

4. Cuts + tracking + scene changes (great for MV-style segments)

Story content: Robot dances all over the location (poolside, second-
               floor corridor, on a lounger, on the roof). Tracking
               camera, auto-composition, jump-cut between shots,
               location changes, with foot close-ups (back-slide
               moonwalk) interspersed.

Use it for: MV/montage doesn't need every shot meticulously designed. Give the AI permission to jump-cut, but lock the motion style strictly ("1980s-style breakdance moves").

5. Production audio enumerated

Always include:

Sound: No score. Production audio only.

For scenes with signature ambient sounds, enumerate them explicitly: glass breaking, footsteps on debris, distant zombie growls, ocean waves, wind through broken windows. Don't make the AI guess.

Debugging tips

Test 2–3 shots first to check texture, don't lay out all 7 shots upfront.
Motion direction between shots must rhyme — if previous shot has subject moving right, next shot subject should enter from left.
Generate each shot independently for 5–10s. Stitch with transitions in post. One-shot 30s+ generation has terrible reroll-success rate.
Portrait numbering must be stable: Portrait1 always the protagonist, Portrait2 always the animal — don't swap mid-project.