MiniMax H3 Prompting Cheat Sheet: Direct a Shot, Don't Describe an Image

zesh61 · reddit · 2026-08-14

This post summarizes practical prompting tips for controlling the MiniMax H3 video model. The core philosophy is: "Don't describe an image. Direct a shot."

Key Structure: Subject + Action + Environment + Camera + Timing + Audio

Action First: Make changes explicit; the model needs to understand dynamics over time.
Camera Language: Use specific cinematography terms (e.g., slow dolly in, handheld close-up) to avoid ambiguity.
Think in Beats: Split complex scenes into timestamped shots (e.g., 0-3s: Wide shot... 3-7s: Push in...) rather than stuffing everything into one paragraph.
Visible Speaker: If there's dialogue, make it painfully obvious who is speaking and when to avoid off-screen voice issues.
Separate Audio Layers: Treat dialogue, ambient sound, SFX, and music as distinct layers.
Motion over Appearance: Use verbs to describe motion rather than just static appearance.

A reusable template covering scene, subject, timestamps, audio, and visual style is provided.

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MiniMax H3 Prompting Cheat Sheet: Direct a Shot, Don't Describe an Image

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