When I was in my early teens, I wanted to start working but wasn't exactly sure what type of skills to learn. So I decided that I was going to learn multiple different skills until I found something I was good at.
Throughout this process, I learned a bit of programming, vector design, 3D modeling, and writing. I was somewhat good at programming but found it very boring for me personally. I was terrible at any kind of design. But what I learned was that I'm quite good at writing. Needless to say, I've been writing content ever since.
I distinctly remember how difficult it was for me to design objects and characters. I never even reached a point where I would try to animate some of my designs.
Interacting with the Runway Gen-2 brought back old memories since I spent quite some time exploring what the AI model is capable of as far as animation goes. To be honest, it's already better than I would've imagined. And I think that's just the tip of the iceberg. These models will get much better as time goes on.
How to Write Runway Gen-2 Prompts for Animated Videos
It's not too complicated to start writing Runway Gen-2 prompts for animated videos. If you've never written prompts before, it'll take some time to get used to it. Here are some tips that'll help you write better prompts for animated videos:
- I found that it's often best to mention at least two keywords in your prompts that include references to 2D/3D animation. For instance, you can write "3D animation" and "3D animated film" in your prompts for consistent results.
- Make sure to start your prompt by instructing the model on the style of animation, followed by the central theme of the scene.
- If you want a video to contain a central character, make sure that you describe the character's personality.
- You can further influence the style of animation by mentioning a specific film genre.
- You can extend a clip you created with Runway Gen-2 multiple times if you want to create a longer video.
You can use the animated videos you create with Runway AI in numerous ways. For instance, you can use them in music videos, educational content, commercials, short films, and so on. In fact, you can incorporate them in most video content.
10 Runway Gen-2 Prompt Examples for Animated Videos
When I set out to write this article, I figured that it would be best if half of my prompt examples featured 3D animation and the other half would be focused on 2D animated clips. I ultimately decided to make all of these clips in the 3D style because I was so impressed with the capabilities of Runway Gen-2 in this regard.
prompt #1: 3D animated film, young fox with dreams of becoming an inventor, creating whimsical gadgets in a hidden treehouse laboratory, polished, 3D animation
I personally love when animals are characters in 3D animated films. Animals can be used to tell incredible stories in animation, and viewers can easily connect with them. Now, let's talk about what the Runway Gen-2 model created here.
First of all, I'm going to be completely honest. Yes, there are some flaws if you pay close attention to the clips. The head movement of the fox doesn't seem natural. But you can't really expect perfection at this point. This model will get much better over time. I have absolutely no problem with minor flaws. In my opinion, this is an outstanding video.
The environment is amazing here. That's exactly how an inventor's laboratory should look like. There are many intricate details featured here, which make the overall video amazing.
prompt #2: 3D animation, group of misfit robots, each with its own endearing quirks and abilities, embarking on a heartwarming adventure, 3D animated video
It's not easy creating a good video in Runway Gen-2 when you want it to include multiple characters. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't attempt to do it. A great way to ensure the movement of these characters doesn't seem off is to make them robots.
If I were to make a video showcasing a group of misfit squirrels, it would be very difficult to generate a video that looks really good. However, I purposely chose to make robots the characters in this video because it significantly lowered the risk of error.
The video turned out great. This can literally be a scene in an animated film. The robots look cute and clumsy, and I felt an instant connection to them as soon as I saw the video.
prompt #3: 3D animated, optimistic and determined bunny ballerina, overcoming obstacles and pursuing her dream of becoming the star of the forest ballet, 3D animated film, children's film
If you've ever used ChatGPT before, you're likely aware of the fact that it can sometimes "hallucinate". In other words, it can make up completely random facts and even cite sources that don't exist. This happens with generative AI models like Runway Gen-2 and Midjourney too.
For instance, when I was generating videos from this prompt, a few of them featured a cute bunny that had human hands. If you get a result like that, it shouldn't discourage you from continuing to generate videos from your prompt. You'll eventually get one that's exactly how you want it to be.
This bunny is incredibly cute. The overall scene is also wonderful. It has a nice background and outstanding lighting.
prompt #4: 3D animation, animated children's film, wise and ancient tortoise, the guardian of a secret garden, 3D animated video
This tortoise looks like it's thinking of something wise to say. I like to give all the characters that I create a nice backstory. That's why you see phrases like "guardian of a secret garden". Although you don't really get to see the mystique of this secret garden in the clip, thinking in this way helps me be more productive when writing prompts.
If I didn't have any attachment to what I was writing, I would've run out of inspiration a long time ago. But as long as I keep thinking of details like that, I have no problem coming up with new ideas and concepts on a regular basis.
prompt #5: 3D animated movie, parrot pirate, brave and eccentric parrot pirate with a map to a mythical treasure island, 3D animation, polished
Okay, this is without a doubt the cutest video I ever made in Runway Gen-2. I watched it on loop dozens of times and I just can't get over the fact how cute this little parrot looks. Though judging by the hat it's wearing, looks may be deceiving. The parrot could be a criminal mastermind.
It's worth using keywords like "polished" in this case because it's a term related to 3D animation. This is one of the simpler prompts in this article. Don't think you have to include a lot of details in your prompts to make a video that stands out. A simple and relatively short prompt is perfectly fine.
prompt #6: 3D animated movie, 3D animation, young and ambitious penguin engineer wearing an engineer's uniform, living in a frozen tundra, the penguin engineer comes up with various wacky inventions
I want to share a bit of friendly advice - don't always think that the AI model will include every single detail that you mention. For instance, I imagined this penguin wearing an engineer's uniform, but I'm completely happy with what the AI model produced here.
This is probably the prompt that I tweaked the most out of all the ones you see in this article. It started with the idea of a penguin building a spacecraft, then shifted to making an airplane. However, that produced some strange results, mostly crafts that looked like penguins. In the end, I settled on a general description like "wacky inventions" since I realized I wanted the main character in focus and not a specific invention.
prompt #7: 3D animation determined cute squirrel chef, dreaming of opening the finest acorn-based restaurant in the forest, 3D animated film
I honestly didn't expect this prompt to work. I thought that the idea of an acorn-based restaurant was too specific and silly for an AI model to actually generate. But since this idea came to me, I figured I might as well give it a try.
To my surprise, the acorn dishes were generated. The character here is really cute, and I feel like this type of premise might actually make for a great film. Imagine a squirrel chef working hard to impress woodland creatures by preparing a variety of acorn-based dishes for them. That would be hilarious.
prompt #8: 3D animated clip, small maintenance robot in a futuristic city, longing to explore the world beyond its routine tasks, polished 3D animation
Wall-E is one of my favorite animated films and was the inspiration for this prompt. The robot even kind of resembles Wall-E a bit. Even though it's a short clip, I can definitely feel the emotion here.
Many people living in urban areas can likely relate to what it's like to search for purpose in a crowded city where everybody just keeps repeating the same routine tasks. That's why fictional characters can be used to tell great stories.
prompt #9: 3D animation, thriller, robot detective with advanced sensors and analytical skills, solving mysteries in a cyber-noir city
This robot is completely different from the one in the previous video. This character has a strong sense of purpose and is always looking for the next mystery to solve. I like how the AI model designed this character.
prompt #10: 3D animated clip, adventurous archaeologist, embarking on a quest to uncover the secrets of an ancient civilization, 3D animation
I got to the end of what I planned for my article and figured out that I hadn't made a single video with a human character, so I decided to add one more prompt and video. Even though I prefer animal and robot characters, it's my duty here to show you everything Runway Gen-2 is capable of.
The level of detail here is insane. This character looks like it was created by a professional designer. I could picture a clip like this being used in a video game where you talk to an archaeologist NPC. What's really amazing here is that the character appears as if he's talking, so it makes sense to add dialogue to this scene.
Final Thoughts
While I like all of the videos I shared in this article, there are some that stand out. The one with the pirate parrot is particularly stunning. It makes me excited to see what the future of AI video generation will be like. The potential for improvement is definitely there.
If you're reading this article in 2023, you're likely an AI enthusiast who has explored a number of different tools powered by artificial intelligence. But there will come a time when people who might not be so interested in technology start using these tools. And that's the moment I'm most excited about because we'll get to see all of the different content people will create using these generative AI models.
By making it easier to create content, these AI-powered tools will unleash a new wave of creativity within our civilization. People who might've never been otherwise interested in animation can start to create stunning animated content.
Natural language is how we'll interact with all programs in the future. And I think that will lead to a major shift in how content is produced. I personally can't wait to see all the ways AI will impact the world.
