# Official OpenAI Showcase Prompts

This document contains the authoritative prompts used by OpenAI to demonstrate Sora and Sora 2's capabilities. These represent the "gold standard" and ideal inputs as envisioned by the model's designers.

## Table of Contents

- [Sora 1 Official Prompts](#sora-1-official-prompts)
- [Sora 2 Official Prompts](#sora-2-official-prompts)

---

## Sora 1 Official Prompts

### Tokyo Walk

**Full Prompt:**
```
A stylish woman walks down a Tokyo street filled with warm glowing neon and animated city signage. She wears a black leather jacket, a long red dress, and black boots, and carries a black purse. She wears sunglasses and red lipstick. She walks confidently and casually. The street is damp and reflective, creating a mirror effect of the colorful lights. Many pedestrians walk about.
```

**Video Link:** [View Video](https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/tokyo-walk.mp4)

#### Five Pillars Analysis

| Pillar | Content |
|--------|---------|
| **Subject** | A stylish woman (specific details on clothing, accessories, makeup) |
| **Action** | Walks confidently and casually |
| **Environment** | Tokyo street at night, filled with neon lights, damp reflective ground |
| **Cinematic** | Not explicitly specified, but implies medium shot following the character |
| **Aesthetic** | Photorealistic with emphasis on lighting and reflections |

#### Key Success Factors

- **Sensory Details**: "warm glowing neon" and "damp and reflective" provide clear physical instructions about how light interacts with the environment
- **Implicit Physics**: The reflection effect guides the model on surface properties and light behavior
- **Character Specificity**: Detailed clothing and accessories help maintain consistency throughout the video
- **Atmospheric Depth**: Multiple layers (subject, pedestrians, signage, reflections) create a rich, believable world

---

### Wooly Mammoths

**Full Prompt:**
```
Several giant wooly mammoths approach treading through a snowy meadow, their long wooly fur lightly blows in the wind as they walk, snow covered trees and dramatic snow capped mountains in the distance, mid afternoon light with wispy clouds and a sun high in the distance creates a warm glow, the low camera view is stunning capturing the large furry mammal with beautiful photography, depth of field.
```

**Video Link:** [View Video](https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/wooly-mammoth.mp4)

#### Five Pillars Analysis

| Pillar | Content |
|--------|---------|
| **Subject** | Several giant wooly mammoths |
| **Action** | Approaching, treading, fur blowing in wind |
| **Environment** | Snowy meadow, snow-covered trees, snow-capped mountains, mid-afternoon light |
| **Cinematic** | Low camera view, depth of field, "beautiful photography" |
| **Aesthetic** | Photorealistic with epic, nature documentary style |

#### Key Success Factors

- **Dynamic Details**: "fur lightly blows in the wind" provides motion physics guidance
- **Cinematic Instructions**: "low camera view" and "depth of field" dramatically enhance visual impact
- **Lighting Specification**: "mid afternoon light with wispy clouds" creates specific atmospheric conditions
- **Scale and Perspective**: Low angle emphasizes the mammoth's size and majesty

---

### Mitten Astronaut

**Full Prompt:**
```
A movie trailer featuring the adventures of the 30 year old space man wearing a red wool knitted motorcycle helmet, blue sky, salt desert, cinematic style, shot on 35mm film, vivid colors.
```

**Video Link:** [View Video](https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/mitten-astronaut.mp4)

#### Five Pillars Analysis

| Pillar | Content |
|--------|---------|
| **Subject** | 30-year-old space man with quirky red knitted helmet |
| **Action** | Adventures (implied by "trailer") |
| **Environment** | Salt desert, blue sky |
| **Cinematic** | Movie trailer, cinematic style, shot on 35mm film |
| **Aesthetic** | Vivid colors, retro sci-fi feel |

#### Key Success Factors

- **Meta Instructions**: "movie trailer" and "35mm film" are powerful directives defining visual style, grain, color saturation, and even editing rhythm
- **Style-Driven**: This is purely aesthetic-focused, letting the film stock specification drive the look
- **Color Specification**: "vivid colors" ensures high saturation characteristic of vintage film
- **Narrative Implication**: "trailer" suggests dynamic cuts and adventure sequences

---

### Papercraft Coral Reef

**Full Prompt:**
```
A gorgeously rendered papercraft world of a coral reef, rife with colorful fish and sea creatures.
```

**Video Link:** [View Video](https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/origami-undersea.mp4)

#### Five Pillars Analysis

| Pillar | Content |
|--------|---------|
| **Subject** | Colorful fish and sea creatures |
| **Action** | Swimming (implied) |
| **Environment** | Coral reef |
| **Cinematic** | Not specified |
| **Aesthetic** | Papercraft world |

#### Key Success Factors

- **Concise but Powerful**: Extremely short yet highly effective
- **Core Concept**: "papercraft world" establishes physical rules and material properties for the entire scene
- **Style Consistency**: The model consistently renders all elements (water, creatures, coral) with paper texture and folding characteristics
- **Conceptual Understanding**: Demonstrates Sora's ability to grasp and apply abstract artistic concepts

---

### Big Sur Coastline

**Full Prompt:**
```
Drone view of waves crashing against the rugged cliffs along Big Sur's garay point beach. The crashing blue waters create white-tipped waves, while the golden light of the setting sun illuminates the rocky shore. A small island with a lighthouse sits in the distance, and green shrubbery covers the cliff's edge. The steep drop from the road down to the beach is a dramatic feat, with the cliff's edges jutting out over the sea. This is a view that captures the raw beauty of the coast and the rugged landscape of the Pacific Coast Highway.
```

**Video Link:** [View Video](https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/big-sur.mp4)

#### Five Pillars Analysis

| Pillar | Content |
|--------|---------|
| **Subject** | Waves, cliffs, lighthouse |
| **Action** | Waves crashing, water creating white-tipped waves |
| **Environment** | Big Sur's Garay Point Beach, sunset, coastal landscape |
| **Cinematic** | Drone view |
| **Aesthetic** | Photorealistic landscape, golden hour lighting |

#### Key Success Factors

- **Camera Specification**: "Drone view" immediately establishes perspective and movement capabilities
- **Color and Light**: "golden light of the setting sun" provides specific lighting conditions
- **Dynamic Elements**: "crashing waves" and "white-tipped waves" guide water physics
- **Compositional Layers**: Multiple depth elements (foreground cliffs, mid-ground water, background lighthouse)

---

### Monster with Melting Candle

**Full Prompt:**
```
Animated scene features a close-up of a short fluffy monster kneeling beside a melting red candle. The art style is 3D and realistic, with a focus on lighting and texture. The mood of the painting is one of wonder and curiosity, as the monster gazes at the flame with wide eyes and open mouth. Its pose and expression convey a sense of innocence and playfulness, as if it is exploring the world around it for the first time. The use of warm colors and dramatic lighting further enhances the cozy atmosphere of the image.
```

**Video Link:** [View Video](https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/monster-with-melting-candle.mp4)

#### Five Pillars Analysis

| Pillar | Content |
|--------|---------|
| **Subject** | Short fluffy monster with specific expressions and personality |
| **Action** | Kneeling, gazing at flame with wonder |
| **Environment** | Close-up scene with melting candle |
| **Cinematic** | Close-up shot |
| **Aesthetic** | 3D realistic animation, focus on lighting and texture |

#### Key Success Factors

- **Emotional Direction**: Specifies mood, expression, and personality traits
- **Technical Style**: "3D and realistic" with "focus on lighting and texture" guides Pixar-like rendering quality
- **Material Specification**: "melting red candle" requires proper wax physics
- **Atmospheric Details**: "warm colors" and "dramatic lighting" create cozy ambiance

---

## Sora 2 Official Prompts

### Dragon over Glacier

**Full Prompt:**
```
Primary Target & Visuals:
a dragon slicing past serrated ice spires jutting from a glacier, trailing embers that flare in its wake like fireflies, wings spread wide casting shadows on the sunlit ice below, arcing low over a deep fjord, the gap between its belly and the water barely a wingspan, steep walls looming on either side

Format & Appearance:
4K resolution, large-format digital sensor emulation, aspherical 50mm lens, fine grain simulation

Camera & Filter:
nose-mounted gimbal-stabilized aerial platform, tracking shot POV, 1/8 Black Pro-Mist filter for a gentle halation on highlights

Grading & Palette:
neutral to cool-temperature color palette (glacial blues, slate grays, pale mist whites), warm accents only on embers and reflected sunlight

Lighting & Atmosphere:
indirect natural light from late-afternoon sun angled low, subtle god-rays breaking through mist layers, soft atmospheric perspective fading distant peaks
```

**Video Link:** [View on OpenAI](https://openai.com/index/sora-2/)

#### Analysis

This prompt represents the evolution of prompt engineering from description to complete technical specification. It's structured in sections:

1. **Primary Target & Visuals**: Establishes the core scene and dramatic action
2. **Format & Appearance**: Specifies technical output parameters
3. **Camera & Filter**: Defines virtual cinematography equipment
4. **Grading & Palette**: Provides post-production color instructions
5. **Lighting & Atmosphere**: Sets environmental lighting conditions

#### Key Innovations

- **System-Level Specification**: Not just describing WHAT to create, but HOW to create it
- **Professional Workflow**: Mimics a complete film production pipeline in text
- **Technical Precision**: Uses industry-standard terminology (gimbal, Pro-Mist filter, color grading)
- **Multi-Dimensional Control**: Simultaneously controls subject, camera, lighting, and post-production

This represents the future direction of Sora 2 prompting: from scene description to production simulation.

---

### Mountaineers Calling Out

**Full Prompt:**
```
Two mountain climbing explorers in red parkas stumble through fresh snow drifts in sequence, each calling out loudly into the white expanse as they climb toward a ridge
```

**Video Link:** [View on OpenAI](https://openai.com/index/sora-2/)

#### Five Pillars Analysis

| Pillar | Content |
|--------|---------|
| **Subject** | Two mountain climbers in red parkas |
| **Action** | Stumbling through snow in sequence, calling out loudly |
| **Environment** | Fresh snow drifts, white expanse, climbing toward ridge |
| **Cinematic** | Not explicitly specified |
| **Aesthetic** | Realistic outdoor adventure |

#### Key Innovation: Audio Integration

- **Audio Specification**: "calling out loudly" explicitly requests synchronized dialogue/sound
- **Sequential Action**: "in sequence" guides the temporal choreography
- **Environmental Sound Implied**: Snow, wind, and echo are implicitly suggested by the setting

This demonstrates Sora 2's new audio capabilities, marking the transition from "silent film" to "sound film" in generative video.

---

## Prompt Engineering Lessons

### From Sora 1 Prompts

1. **Sensory details matter**: Temperature, texture, reflections enhance realism
2. **Implicit physics work**: Guide material properties indirectly
3. **Cinematic terms are powerful**: Camera angles, lens specs dramatically affect output
4. **Brevity can win**: Simple prompts with strong concepts ("papercraft world") are highly effective

### From Sora 2 Prompts

1. **Structure your prompt**: Use sections for complex specifications
2. **Think like a production team**: Specify not just content, but camera, lighting, and post-production
3. **Audio is now part of the prompt**: Explicitly describe sounds, dialogue, and audio cues
4. **Technical vocabulary works**: Industry terms (gimbal, color grading, film stock) are understood

### Universal Principles

- Always include clear subject, action, and environment
- Use specific rather than vague descriptors
- Guide physics through material and behavior descriptions
- Match prompt complexity to your goal (creative exploration vs. precision execution)

---

**Next**: Explore [Viral Community Prompts](./sora2-viral-prompts.md) to see real-world applications.