Worked Example — Hard Sci-Fi Space / Zero-G

Original worked example by jnMetaCode (MIT). Applies the 5-stage structure to hard sci-fi space — where weightless physics, vast scale, and the silence of vacuum are the craft. Teaches zero-G motion, the vacuum-sound choice (no external sound in space, only diegetic helmet audio), and epic restraint.

Concept: an astronaut on a tether drifting outside a station, Earth below. Swap the scenario, keep the physics and the silence.

Further reading (inspiration, not copied — all rewritten in our structure): space/cinematic scenes in hr98w/awesome-sora-prompts (CC0).

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Variables you need to define first

Variable	This example	Swap for…
`{{subject}}`	an astronaut on a tether	a docking spacecraft / a derelict station
`{{action}}`	drifting, reaching for a handrail	an undock / a slow spin / a spacewalk repair
`{{vista}}`	Earth's curve and the terminator line below	a gas giant / an asteroid field / deep starfield
`{{wear}}`	scuffed suit, scratched visor reflections	worn hull panels, ice venting, micro-meteor pits
`{{light}}`	hard low sun, deep black shadow	planet-reflected glow / cold blue starlight

The complete prompt (copy-paste ready)

1 · Core theme

hard sci-fi space | zero-gravity physics | vast scale | controlled vacuum silence | photoreal NASA-footage realism, no game-cutscene look

2 · Character & scene

Subject: {{subject}}, {{action}} — in true weightlessness: slow, floaty, momentum-driven motion, a tether and cables drifting, no "up." Imperfections that read as real footage: {{wear}}, dust motes, fingerprint smears on the visor, the suit fabric creased and used. Not a clean render.

Scene: {{vista}}, {{light}}. True deep black space, a sharp un-twinkling starfield, hard sunlight with no atmospheric scatter.

3 · Atmosphere & quality

Shot on a simulated IMAX film camera + Panavision lens, anamorphic widescreen. Photoreal, the look of real orbital footage: extreme contrast (blinding lit side, pure black shadow), fine grain, true reflections of {{vista}} curving across the visor.

4 · Camera rules

A slow, weightless drift or orbit around {{subject}} — space camera moves are smooth and momentum-driven, not handheld.

Breathing: not the usual handheld float here — motion is a slow weightless drift. Keep any float minimal and floaty, never a jitter.
Sound (the vacuum choice): No score. No external sound in vacuum — outside the suit it is silent. Diegetic audio only: the muffled breathing inside the helmet, a suit-radio crackle, the dull thud of a glove on metal felt through the suit. Silence is the realism.

5 · Storyboard (3 beats, ~10s)

0–3s · Drift (establish scale + weightlessness)
Action: {{subject}} drifts slowly against {{vista}}; tether and cables
        float. Tiny, fragile against the scale.
Camera: Slow orbital drift.
Sound:  Only helmet breathing; the vast silence outside.

3–7s · The moment ({{action}})
Action: {{action}} plays out in real weightless physics — slow reach,
        momentum carrying the body, a controlled correction.
Camera: Continue the drift, holding {{subject}} small in frame.
Sound:  Breathing quickens; a radio crackle; a muffled metal thud.

7–10s · Stillness (restrained close)
Action: {{subject}} steadies; {{vista}} turns slowly below.
Camera: Hold, weightless float.
Close:  No explosion, no dramatic music swell, no hero turn-to-camera.
        Just a small figure, the silence, and a planet turning below.

Negative prompt (Seedance / Kling — paste into the dedicated field)

blurry, low resolution, watermark, text overlay, subtitles, logo, oversaturated colors, twinkling stars, atmospheric haze in space, plastic CG render, video-game cutscene look, 3D cartoon, gravity-bound motion, fast jerky movement, handheld jitter, flat even lighting, melting/morphing geometry, distorted face, frame flicker, ghosting, cheesy lens flare, loud explosions in vacuum

Why it's built this way

Vacuum is silent (Rule 4, space variant). The single biggest "tell" of real space footage is that there's no sound outside the suit. We give only diegetic helmet audio (breathing, radio) and let silence carry the scale — instead of the Hollywood "loud explosions in space" default.
Weightless physics, not gravity motion. Slow, floaty, momentum-driven movement and drifting tethers. Fast or gravity-bound motion instantly reads as a game cutscene; negate it.
Scale through smallness + true black (atmosphere). Keep the figure small against the vista, true deep-black space, un-twinkling stars, hard unscattered light. "IMAX + Panavision, NASA-footage realism" anchors it; "epic space scene, 4K" gives a game render.
Restrained close (Rule 6). A small figure and a turning planet, not an explosion or a hero shot. The quiet IS the awe.

Usage: generate the drift beat first — if the weightlessness and the true-black/starfield read as real orbital footage, the rest holds. Keep motion slow; this genre dies on fast or jittery movement.

Model: Veo 3 and Sora 2 give the best photoreal space, reflections and diegetic audio; Kling and Seedance handle the slow motion well. Lean on the negative field to kill twinkling stars, space-haze and gravity-bound motion.