Veo (video prompt craft)

Write prompts that get cinematic clips out of Veo — Google's video model (Veo 3.1; Fast/Lite tiers for cheap iteration). This is the prompt-craft layer of a three-layer setup, and the video counterpart to nano-banana:

• Connection/API (model IDs, async generate-and-poll, the generate → upload to WoopSocial Media → attach flow) → tools/integrations/veo.md.
• Prompt craft (this skill) → how to direct the right clip well.
• In-skill application → reels-script's veo-prompt-pack.

Fast-moving area — re-verify model names/specs quarterly.

Reach for Veo when… (match the job)

Its real strengths: native synchronized audio (dialogue + lip-sync, SFX, ambient, music — the differentiator), cinematic realism/physics, image-to-video, reference-image consistency, first/last-frame control, and native 9:16 vertical / 4K. Reach elsewhere for a pure talking-head explainer (→ avatar tool like heygen), native-4K/multi-shot/motion-transfer at lower cost (→ kling), HDR/atmospheric mood shots (→ luma), long continuous video (stitch/extend or a length-built tool), or highly stylized/very-high-volume output. Don't default it to every job. (Details: references/when-and-how-to-prompt.md.)

Step 0 — Read the brand + the job

Load brand-profile.md (visual style, palette, tone). Identify the job (b-roll / product motion / hook visual / spokesperson / ad / animate-a-still) and the aspect ratio (9:16 for social).

Step 1 — Direct the shot (natural language, not quality spam)

Describe a shot like a director: subject · action · scene · camera (type/movement/angle/lens) · lighting/mood · style · audio · timing. One clear motion per clip. Set 9:16. Ground in the brand. See references/when-and-how-to-prompt.md.

Step 2 — Use the superpower: audio

Veo generates native synchronized audio in one pass — describe it explicitly: dialogue in quotes (+ who/tone), SFX, ambient, music mood. Treat generated audio as a draft/guide track for branded work (record real VO / license music for final) and verify lip-sync. Direct the camera/motion for the cinematic feel. See references/audio-and-camera.md.

Step 3 — Inputs, length, recipes

• Image-to-video: animate a still (e.g. a nano-banana frame) — it becomes the first frame; you describe motion + audio. Use reference images / first-and-last frame for consistency/control.
• Length: one generation ≈ 8 seconds (4/6/8); hook in the first second; for longer use scene-extension or stitch clips. Plan short beats.
• Pick a recipe for the job (b-roll, product motion, hook, spokesperson, ad, animate-a-still). See references/inputs-length-and-recipes.md.

Step 4 — Iterate cheaply, then verify, disclose, ship

• Iterate at low-res / Fast to lock the prompt; finalize the keeper at high-res/4K (4K costs ~40–60% more time/$). Off-prompt generations still consume credits — prompt skill is the cost lever; video is async.
• Verify every clip (artifacts, lip-sync, physics) before publishing.
• Disclose AI video per platform/region (EU AI Act; TikTok auto-disclosure); every clip carries a SynthID watermark — don't pass it off as real footage.
• Ship: generate per the integration guide → upload to WoopSocial Media → attach via scheduling-and-queue. WoopSocial doesn't generate video.

Quality bar — self-check

• Did I match the tool to the job (and route talking-heads/long-form elsewhere)?
• Is the prompt a directed shot (subject/action/camera/lighting/style), brand-grounded, 9:16, with an explicit audio cue?
• Did I plan for 8-second clips (hook first) and iterate cheap → finalize?
• For stills, did I use image-to-video (and reference/first-last frame where useful)?
• Did I handle SynthID + disclosure, audio-as-draft, verify the output, and refuse real people / IP?
• Did I point to tools/integrations/veo.md for the API + WoopSocial flow (no claim WoopSocial generates video)?

Edge cases & pushback

• Talking-head explainer / lots of dialogue → suggest an avatar tool (heygen); don't force Veo.
• "Make a 40-second video" → ~8s per gen; scene-extend/stitch; plan short beats.
• "Generate 10 final 4K-with-audio variations now" → iterate cheap first; 4K/audio is costly + async.
• "a person, cinematic, 4k, amazing" → rewrite into a directed shot (subject/camera/lighting/audio).
• Real person / copyrighted IP / "post as real footage" → refuse; SynthID + disclosure; offer an original alternative.
• "Generate it in WoopSocial" → WoopSocial doesn't generate; this prompts Veo, then the clip is uploaded to Media and attached.

Related

• tools/integrations/veo.md — API/model IDs, async generate-and-poll, pricing, the upload-to-WoopSocial flow.
• reels-script (veo-prompt-pack) — the consuming skill; nano-banana — the image sibling + image-to-video source.
• brand-profile — the visual brand; hook-writer — the in-clip hook/line; heygen — avatar/talking-head alternative.
• ai-video — the router above this skill; kling (4K/multi-shot/motion) and luma (HDR/mood, silent) — generative siblings.
• scheduling-and-queue — attach the video to a post and publish.

References

• references/when-and-how-to-prompt.md — when to reach for Veo vs other tools, and the shot/prompt anatomy.
• references/audio-and-camera.md — the native-audio superpower (dialogue/SFX/ambient) and camera/motion direction.
• references/inputs-length-and-recipes.md — image-to-video, reference/first-last frame, the 8s limit + extension, social recipes.
• references/examples.md — weak→strong prompts, an audio-rich clip, image-to-video, a vertical hook, and honest scope.