Higgsfield Prompt Engineering

The MCSLA Formula

Every high-performing Higgsfield prompt is built on five layers. Think of it as the cinematographer's checklist — fill in each layer and the model has everything it needs.

Letter	Element	Description	Example
M	Model	Which generation engine	"Use Kling 2.6"
C	Camera	Named camera control	"FPV Drone shot weaving through the alley"
S	Subject	Who/what + appearance	"A woman in a sand-colored suit, sharp eyes"
L	Look	Style + color + lighting	"Cinematic, golden hour, anamorphic flare"
A	Action	What happens in the scene	"She turns slowly, wind lifting her coat"

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Prompt Types

Text-to-Video (T2V)

Start from nothing — describe the entire scene from scratch. Best for: establishing scenes, abstract concepts, environments without a specific character.

[Subject + appearance].
[Environment — location, time, weather, atmosphere].
[Action — what happens and how].
[Camera — named control].
[Look — style + color grade].

Example:

A lone astronaut stands on the surface of a red desert planet, helmet visor reflecting
twin moons rising on the horizon. Dust spirals slowly in the thin atmosphere.
She turns to face the camera, gloved hand raised in a slow salute.
Camera: slow Crane Up revealing the vast emptiness behind her.
Style: Cinematic, desaturated orange and deep blue, 2.35:1 anamorphic.

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Image-to-Video (I2V)

Animate a provided still image. The image defines the starting frame. Best for: character consistency, product shots, portrait animation, storyboard bring-to-life.

[Reference the input image as the first frame].
[Describe what should move, change, or animate — not what is already visible].
[Camera — named control].
[Style/atmosphere cues].

Example:

Starting from the provided image as the first frame.
The woman's hair lifts gently in the wind. She blinks slowly and turns her gaze
slightly to the left, a faint smile forming.
Camera: subtle Dolly In toward her face.
Style: Cinematic, warm afternoon light, shallow depth of field.

Key rule for I2V: Do NOT re-describe what is already in the image. Only describe what should change or animate. Over-describing the static elements confuses the model. This applies equally to @ Image references in Seedance/Cinema Studio 3.0 — describe ONLY motion and camera movement, never what's already visible.

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Narrative Structure

Fluid Narrative (preferred for most use cases)

Write the scene as continuous action. No timestamps. Most natural for Higgsfield.

A detective pushes open the door to the rain-soaked rooftop, coat whipping in the wind.
She steps to the edge and looks down at the city below — a thousand lights blurring
through the downpour. Camera dollies slowly behind her, then cranes up to reveal the
skyline. Cinematic style, cold blue tones, 16:9.

Timestamped (use only for precise multi-beat sequences)

Only use when exact timing of separate actions matters — e.g., a transformation, a multi-phase action sequence, or a beat-synced music video. Maps to Cinema Studio 3.0's Custom multi-shot mode.

0–3s: Wide establishing shot. The fighter stands alone in the ring, chest heaving.
3–6s: Crash Zoom In on his face. Sweat on his brow, jaw clenched.
6–10s: 360 Orbit as he raises his fists. Crowd noise rises.

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High-Performing Prompt Patterns

The #1 mistake in video prompting: over-describing appearance and under-describing behavior. Give your subject something to DO. Give them an internal state that creates visible behavior. A verb that describes motion or intention is more important than adjectives.

Specificity beats generality:

• ❌ "the camera moves dramatically"
• ✅ "camera Dolly Zoom In — subject stays the same size as the background rushes forward"

Active verbs carry the scene:

• ❌ "a woman is in an alley"
• ✅ "a woman darts through a rain-soaked alley, coat flapping, boots splashing"

Name the camera control: Higgsfield understands its own preset names. Always use them explicitly.

• ❌ "the camera slowly circles"
• ✅ "360 Orbit around the subject"

Lead with subject, end with style: Subject → Action → Camera → Style is the most reliable order.

Keep it under 200 words: Focused prompts outperform exhaustive ones. One clear intention > ten vague details.

Cinema Studio: Keep it under 512 characters: Cinema Studio has a hard 512-character limit on prompts (both 2.5 and 3.0).

• 2.5: @ Element chips consume ~80–100 hidden characters each. With 2 @ tags, keep visible text under ~250 chars.
• 3.0: @ references (images/video/audio) are media attachments, not inline metadata — they consume less hidden space. Keep visible text under ~350–400 chars with references, ~450–500 without. See the Cinema Studio skill for full character budget details.

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The Pre-Prompt Checklist

Before writing any prompt, answer these five questions. Vague prompts like "give me something cinematic" tell the AI nothing.

Question	What to specify
Who?	Subject + appearance (e.g. "a man in a leather jacket")
Where?	Environment + atmosphere (e.g. "in a narrow aircraft galley, cold blue light")
What's happening?	1 primary action (e.g. "punches his opponent")
Camera movement?	Named preset (e.g. "Handheld") or Cinema Studio Director Panel
Mood/Genre?	Style + color grade, or Cinema Studio genre selection

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One Action Per Scene

AI models can replicate real-life physics — but only so much at once. Asking for multiple complex actions in one clip overwhelms the model.

Rule: 1 primary action per clip, with 1–2 secondary actions max.

Break complex sequences into separate shots and stitch them in a video editor, or use Multi-Shot Manual mode to prompt each scene separately.

Fast Motion Trick: If fast motion keeps morphing or breaking, generate the scene in Slow Mo first, then speed it up in post (CapCut, Premiere, DaVinci). The model renders cleaner physics in slow motion.

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Identity vs. Motion Separation Rule

When a prompt involves Soul ID or any character who must stay consistent across shots, always split the output into two clearly labeled blocks:

Identity Block — Static visual descriptors ONLY

• Face features, skin tone, body type, distinguishing marks
• Clothing, accessories, color palette
• NO motion, NO camera, NO temporal language

Motion Block — Temporal and camera ONLY

• Camera movement, action choreography, speed
• Environmental motion, atmospheric changes
• NO character appearance repetition

Bad (mixed) — identity drifts:

A woman with sharp cheekbones and auburn hair in a blue trench coat runs through
a rain-soaked alley, her coat flapping, sharp cheekbones catching the neon light,
camera chasing her at full speed, her auburn hair streaming behind her.

Good (separated) — identity stays locked:

Identity Block:

The Soul ID character — sharp cheekbones, auburn hair shoulder-length,
wearing a blue trench coat with silver buttons, lean athletic build.

Motion Block:

She runs through a rain-soaked alley, coat flapping behind her.
Camera: Action Run — low behind, matching pace.
Neon reflections streak across wet concrete.
Style: Cinematic, cold blue shadows, warm neon accents. 16:9.

When to apply this rule:

• Always when Soul ID is active
• Always in multi-shot sequences where the same character appears
• Always when camera movement is involved alongside a character
• In Cinema Studio, identity goes in the @ Element definition; motion goes in the prompt

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Common Prompt Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Re-describing the image in I2V	Only describe what changes/moves
Generic camera language	Use exact preset names
No style specified	Always include visual style + color grade
Too many actions in one shot	Split into separate generations and chain them
Contradictory movements	Don't combine Dolly In + Dolly Out in same shot
Prompt over 512 chars (Cinema Studio)	Cut text, reduce @ tags, use pronouns
Describing impact before action	Just describe the action, let AI render the result
Specific martial arts moves	Use general fighting energy instead of named moves
Multiple @ Elements in action scenes	Use @ for static scenes, plain text for action
Mixing identity + motion in one block	Separate into Identity Block + Motion Block (see above)

Negative constraints: For a comprehensive list of artifacts to avoid (floating limbs, face warping, flickering textures, etc.) and the prompt phrasing to prevent them, see

../shared/negative-constraints.md

. Always check the relevant categories for your prompt type.

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Seedance 2.0 Prompting Best Practices

These best practices apply to Cinema Studio 3.0's generation engine (Business/Team plan) and complement the MCSLA formula above. They are not a replacement — use MCSLA as the primary framework, then apply these refinements.

Intent over Precision

Tell the model WHAT you want and HOW it should FEEL, not every micro-detail. Short prompts (30–100 words) consistently outperform long ones. The model is an AI director you collaborate with, not a render engine you command.

The Director's Formula → MCSLA Mapping

The Director's Formula maps directly to MCSLA:

Director's Formula	MCSLA Layer	Priority
Subject	S (Subject)	First 20–30 words (early tokens carry heavy weight)
Action	A (Action)	First 20–30 words
Scene	— (Context)	Supporting detail
Camera	C (Camera)	After subject + action
Style	L (Look)	After camera
Constraints	— (Guardrails)	End of prompt

Key insight: Subject + Action should appear in the first 20–30 words of every prompt. Early tokens carry disproportionate weight in the generation engine.

Genre Router — Prompt Length & Lead-With Targets

Different genres perform best with different prompt lengths and lead elements:

Genre	Lead With	Target Length	Example Lead
Product / E-commerce	Subject	30–50 words	"A matte-black wireless earbud case rotates slowly on a marble pedestal..."
Lifestyle / Social	Action	40–60 words	"She reaches for the coffee mug, steam curling upward..."
Drama / Narrative	Scene	60–100 words	"Rain hammers a narrow Tokyo alley at 2 AM, neon signs reflecting in puddles..."
Music Video	Style	50–80 words	"Anamorphic flares, crushed blacks, 16mm grain..."
Landscape / Travel	Scene	30–60 words	"Dawn breaks over a volcanic ridge, mist pouring through the caldera..."
Commercial / Brand	Style	40–70 words	"Clean white studio, soft even lighting, product hero moment..."
Anime / Artistic	Style	50–90 words	"Cel-shaded lines, saturated palette, Studio Ghibli cloud physics..."

Anti-Slop Vocabulary

Kill these words — they add zero information and waste tokens:

Slop Word	Replace With
beautiful	(delete — describe the specific visual instead)
stunning	(delete — describe what makes it striking)
epic	large-scale, sweeping, towering
amazing	(delete — show, don't tell)
dynamic	fast-tracking, whip-pan, handheld
energetic	sprinting, jumping, arms pumping
cinematic camera movement	slow dolly push / crane up / tracking shot
cool transition	match-cut / whip pan / smash cut

Physics Language

Use concrete physics consequences instead of mood words. The model responds to observable, physical details:

• "powerful punch" →

  fist connects, sweat flies off in slow motion, opponent's head snaps back

• "dramatic entrance" →

  door slams open, dust erupts from the frame, light floods the dark room

• "fast car" →

  tires spin, gravel sprays backward, chassis drops as acceleration kicks in

Degree Adverbs

The model cannot infer intensity from images alone. Use adverbs to guide interpretation:

slowly

,

dramatically

,

violently

,

gently

,

frantically

,

deliberately

,

cautiously

,

explosively

Example: "She turns slowly, eyes narrowing deliberately, then explosively lunges forward."

Three-Act Rhythm for Action

Every action prompt should follow this arc:

1. Charge-up — tension builds, energy gathers
2. Burst — the action explodes
3. Aftermath — physics consequences play out

Example: "The fighter plants her feet, fists clenching (charge-up). She throws a spinning kick that connects with the sandbag (burst). The bag swings violently, chain rattling, sand dust puffing from the seams (aftermath)."

No Negative Prompts

Cinema Studio 3.0's generation engine does not support negative prompt syntax. Do not write "no blur" or "avoid shaky camera." Instead, use positive constraints — describe what you WANT:

• "no shaky camera" →

  locked-off static camera, no movement

• "no blur" →

  sharp focus throughout, deep depth of field

• "don't make it dark" →

  bright, evenly lit, overcast daylight

Audio as First-Class Element

Describe audio separately in prompts. BGM, ambient SFX, and dialogue are handled as parallel tracks via dual-channel stereo generation:

A barista grinds coffee beans, pours steaming water over the filter.
Camera: tight close-up, slow dolly across the counter.
Style: warm tones, shallow depth of field.

Audio: the whir of the grinder, water bubbling through the filter,
ceramic mug placed on a wooden counter with a soft clink.
Soft jazz piano in the background, barely audible.

Sound design descriptions like "the scratch of frosted glass, rustling plush fabric, gentle tapping on acrylic" directly influence the generated audio output.

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Seedance 2.0 Scene Archetype Router

Before writing a Seedance prompt, identify which archetype the scene fits. The archetype dictates camera behavior, spatial logic, and what changes across time. This is a planning layer on top of MCSLA — pick the archetype first, then fill in MCSLA.

Action Archetypes

Archetype	Camera focus	Space dynamic
Pursuit	Distance closing/opening. Pursued ahead in frame, pursuer behind	Path narrows/opens
Duel	Camera lower on dominant side; dominance MUST alternate	Fighters trade position
Impact	Build-up slow → hit fast → aftermath slow	Point of contact = center

Decision tree: Chase? → Pursuit. Two opponents trading advantage? → Duel. Single decisive contact moment? → Impact. None → default Duel.

Duel rule: neither side dominates more than one consecutive beat. If one fighter dominates the whole scene, describe it as a one-sided assault, not a duel.

General Archetypes

Archetype	What changes	Camera signature
Journey	Position in space — road, flight, walking	Tracking, aerial, traveling alongside. Landscapes pass.
Atmosphere	Nothing — mood IS the content. Rain on glass, empty street.	Minimal movement. Slow push-in or static hold. Micro-changes carry all drama.
Reveal	Hidden → visible. Door opens, fog lifts, camera rounds corner.	Pan, crane, dolly reveal. Camera controls WHEN viewer sees the subject.

Decision tree: Subject moves through space? → Journey. Something hidden becomes visible? → Reveal. Nothing changes, mood is the content? → Atmosphere. None → default Atmosphere.

Dialogue Archetypes

Archetype	Power dynamic	Camera signature
Confrontation	Shifting — both push. Dominance trades per exchange.	Tight OTS, camera crosses axis on power shift.
Interrogation	Asymmetric — one extracts, one resists.	Low-angle on questioner, push-in on silence.
Negotiation	Balanced — both need something.	Symmetrical framing, matching shot sizes.

Decision tree: Both pushing, dominance trading? → Confrontation. One extracting, one resisting? → Interrogation. Both need something, balanced? → Negotiation. None → default Confrontation.

Dialogue word limit: ~25–30 spoken words fit into 15 seconds. If the user provides more, keep the line where dominance flips (the power-shift exchange), 1 line before (setup), 1 line after (reaction). Convert the rest to physical behavior.

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Seedance 2.0 Engine Constraints

These are hard rendering constraints of the Seedance 2.0 engine — violating them causes broken output regardless of prompt quality.

Character & spatial rules

• ≤ 3 characters tracked across cuts. Name the acting pair and interaction vector per shot. More than 3 and Seedance loses track of identities.
• Exit-frame = implicit cut. Once a character leaves frame, they are gone for the remainder of that shot. Never choreograph exit + re-entry in the same continuous shot.
• Off-screen = nonexistent. State changes must be shown on camera before being referenced. Don't reference injuries, prop changes, or position shifts that happened off-screen.
• Spatial continuity breaks on cuts. Re-anchor positions and facing direction after any cut. State movement direction explicitly ("moving left-to-right").
• Avoid reflection shots (blades, puddles, mirrors) — Seedance breaks scene geography when rendering reflections.

Sensory rules

• Only describe what can be seen or heard. No smell, taste, or internal thoughts.
  • ❌ "The air smells of pine." ✅ "Pine needles covering the ground, wind moving through branches."
• Micro-expressions work as physics. ✅ "jaw clenches, nostrils flare." ❌ "looks angry."

Action rules

• Intent + named technique, not biomechanics. ✅ "spinning back kick connects." ❌ "left forearm rotates 45° to deflect the incoming hook at wrist level." If the user names a move, preserve it. If they describe joint mechanics, compress to the move's intent.
• Force and direction, not destruction sequence. ✅ "driven into the car, metal buckling." ❌ "thrown into side door, glass shatters, uses rebound to sweep leg."

Double-contrast cut rule (mandatory)

Every cut must change both shot size AND camera character. The scale runs

extreme wide → wide → medium → MCU → close-up → ECU

. Camera character:

Handheld | Static | Stabilized tracking | Crane | Aerial

— never repeat across a cut.

Bad (same camera character): MS handheld → CU handheld Good (both change): MS handheld → ECU static-locked

Inserts — causally motivated, named subject

Inserts are sub-second (0.3–0.5s) dramatic punctuation at any shot size. Rules:

• No story beats — inserts are static moments only
• Causally motivated — the viewer must understand WHY they see this detail. Hero slammed onto hood → HIS hand gripping metal. Not: generic boot in a puddle.
• Name the subject — specify WHOSE body part or detail. Without attribution, Seedance renders wrong content.
• Obey double contrast — inserts still follow the cut rule.

Age-blind character rule

Never describe characters by age in Seedance prompts. Trigger words to avoid: boy, girl, child, kid, young, teen, little. Seedance age inference is unreliable and drifts across shots.

• With image input: describe by role (rider, figure, traveler, speaker), clothing, and action. Never label who they are — label what they do.
• Without image input: use functional labels: "a figure in a wool cloak," "a silhouette against the horizon."

Default: in medias res

Scenes start already in progress unless the user explicitly says "starts with…" or "ends with…". Don't waste the first 2 seconds on setup beats.

Full Seedance director reference including bilingual EN+ZH JSON output format is dropped in the project

docs/

folder as

Seedance 2 Skill.md

— use it when you need the standalone director-mode prompt with scene-archetype routing and age-blind rules baked in.

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Related skills

• higgsfield-soul

  — Character consistency, Soul ID, micro-expressions

• higgsfield-camera

  — All named camera controls

• higgsfield-style

  — Visual styles, color grades, lighting

• higgsfield-models

  — Model selection

• higgsfield-troubleshoot

  — Fix failing generations

• templates/

  — Annotated genre-specific prompt templates