One of the best use cases for Runway Gen-2 at the moment is making clips that you can feature in commercials. If you've read some of my other articles on this AI model, you've noticed that there are many use cases for it. For instance, you can use it to create music videos, short films, and B-rolls.
What's absolutely phenomenal about the Runway Gen-2 model is that it enables users to create high-quality videos from basic text descriptions. It doesn't matter whether you want to generate footage that looks like it was shot with a camera or you want to create animations - the Gen-2 model will turn any description into a powerful video in less than a minute.
It's pretty difficult to determine what type of clips could be featured in commercials. Basically, any video can be included in an ad as long as it makes sense to do it. That's why I created some fictitious products and companies as a thought experiment, to then figure out how to make commercials for them.
You'll see more about that when you get to the section of the article where I share my prompt examples. But first, let's do a proper introduction for people who might not be too familiar with Runway Gen-2.
What Is Runway Gen-2?
Runway Gen-2 is a generative AI model that you can use to transform text descriptions and images into videos. It was developed by the Runway research company, which has been in the artificial intelligence industry since 2018 and has since maintained an incredible reputation in the field.
An interesting fact is that this company also helped co-create the popular text-to-image model called Stable Diffusion.
Gen-2 is only one model that's available on the Runway AI platform. However, in my opinion, it's the best one the company has released so far. When you create an account on their platform, you'll notice other useful tools for video editing.
At the time of writing this article, Runway Gen-2 is still a relatively new product. It's currently December 2023 as I'm writing this, which means that the model has been available for less than 10 months.
I haven't been using it since the beginning, but I have been making clips with Gen-2 for several months. I have to say that I'm really impressed by it. I've noticed huge improvements in the quality of the videos, and I think they'll only get better with time.
In case you're new to this model, I want to redirect you to my beginner's guide to Runway Gen-2. There, you'll find a lot of useful information on how to navigate the platform, as well as how to write prompts that will generate great results.
How to Write Runway Gen-2 Prompts for Commercials?
I've been using Runway Gen-2 for quite a while and sometimes I want to find information on how to improve my prompting skills, but I find that not a lot of people cover this topic. That's strange to me considering how good it is. Anyway, I guess I'll have to lead the pack with this one and give you some solid advice on how to boost your prompting skills.
Here are some tips that I think you'll find useful when writing prompts for Runway Gen-2:
- The most important thing is to keep your prompts as concise as possible. Trim any unnecessary details that'll do little to improve the generated video but might confuse the AI model.
- Define a specific style. Let's say that you're making a whiskey ad. You might want to use a classical Hollywood film style with an Art Deco interior design style to perfectly suit your ad.
- Instead of writing the prompt in a conversational style, try to format the prompt in a way where it looks like multiple correlated keywords and phrases put together.
- Use advanced tools on the Runway AI platform to take your videos to the next level.
These are some of the basics that I think can be very helpful when you're writing prompts. I've done SEO marketing for a long time, so it came easier to me to piece together different keywords and keyphrases. I think that this approach helps me take AI-generated content to the next level.
You have to think - these models are trained on an absurd amount of media that is usually described through keywords. When you put together the right combination of keywords and phrases, it will trigger the AI model to create something absolutely beautiful.
10 Runway Gen-2 Prompt Examples for Commercials
My goal with this article is to inspire you and show you how to use Runway Gen-2 to create clips that you can use in commercials. That's why you'll see a ton of variety in my prompt examples.
I could've just focused on a single idea, made a few different clips, and then pieced them together to create a coherent commercial. But that would defeat the purpose of what I'm trying to do. I want to show you all of the capabilities of this AI model, so that you can create the ad that you want.
prompt #1: close-up shot of a gourmet burger being meticulously crafted with premium ingredients, accompanied by sizzling visuals that showcase its mouthwatering perfection
I used Runway Gen-2 to generate a few different videos from this prompt. This is the only one that contained the little flame you see on top of the burger. I was conflicted on whether I should just use a normal video or the one you see above since it was quite different. It's obvious which choice I made.
So, why is there a flame on top of the burger? The AI model has different ways to interpret the words you use in your text description. In this instance, the keyword "sizzling visuals" is what triggered the model to create a video like this. Although multiple other videos generated with this prompt didn't contain a visual effect like this, this one did.
prompt #2: man dressed in a sport clothes standing in front of a beautiful waterfall in a mountainous region
Sometimes, the clips you generate for commercials are extremely straightforward. This can easily be seen from the previous video that showcased a burger. But what's great about commercials is that you don't necessarily have to see the product in the video. That's why I decided to take a different approach with this clip.
What I envisioned for this video is that it could be used as a commercial for bottled water. The man standing in front of the waterfall symbolizes the search for fresh water. Although the prompt is quite short and simple, it contains very important details. The sports clothes symbolize an active and healthy lifestyle, which is something you should promote if you're selling bottled water.
prompt #3: commercial for a picturesque pastry shop that makes the best donuts in the world, the video features a close-up shot of a variety of delicious donuts
The donuts here look absolutely amazing. It's important that you mention in your prompt whether or on you want the clip to feature a close-up shot of an object. However, that doesn't have to be the direction that you choose to go with the clip.
For instance, you can describe the interior of the cafe in detail or use an image prompt to create the video. An affordable way to create an ad for your pastry shop would be to take a few photos with your phone, upload them to the Runway AI platform and then create a few different videos from it.
prompt #4: close-up shot of a pizza being baked, the sizzle and bubbling cheese of a freshly baked pizza can be seen emerging from the oven
Although this generative AI model can follow instructions well and create stunning visuals, it's important to note that it won't always create videos exactly as you described them in your prompts. In this case, I wanted to see the bubbling cheese of a freshly baked pizza. However, that wasn't featured in the clip you see above.
I could've continued generating videos from this prompt until I got one that perfectly matched the prompt. But I wanted to be careful how I spent my credits on the Runway platform so that I have enough left to provide you with more great articles on how to use the Gen-2 model.
prompt #5: close-up shot, the camera is focused on a glass bottle of iced tea that is on a bench in the middle of a beautiful park on a hot summer day
I'm not too fond of carbonated drinks, so iced tea is usually my drink of choice when I want something refreshing on a hot summer day. It's important to think about what message you want to send with a commercial. In this case, I wanted the video to feature this type of imagery.
When you're enjoying the present moment and are surrounded by nature in the middle of summer, that's when a cold sugary drink hits the spot.
prompt #6: the camera glides over a bed adorned with a collection of luxurious pillows in a bedroom with an art deco interior design style
My goal with this article is to provide you with a bunch of different ideas that highlight what the Runway Gen-2 model is capable of. Since I don't have any specific products to market, I simply wrote prompts for some of the things everyone uses.
This type of video could be used to promote pillows, bed sheets, or furniture. Although there are some minor errors here if you look at the video in detail, I'd say that the Runway Gen-2 model did an excellent job with this clip.
prompt #7: futuristic nightclub where people are having the time of their lives, an unforgettable party, dancing, disco
If you're wondering why this video appears a certain way, it's because I used the '80s Vaporwave' style preset available in Runway Gen-2 to create it. I felt like this was an excellent preset for the text description that I wrote.
This type of clip could be used for a variety of products. If I were to use it to promote something, it would likely be a commercial for headphones. In that case, the clip could symbolize that putting on a certain pair of headphones would make you feel like you're at a nightclub having the time of your life.
prompt #8: fast paced action movie scene, dynamic camera movement, explosions happening in the distance, danger, action
Videos that look like they're taken straight from an action film seem like a perfect way to promote energy drinks. In case you don't know, the standard duration of a clip generated with Runway Gen-2 is four seconds long. However, you can extend it multiple times if you want.
Although I think it would be a good idea to extend some of the previous videos I included in this article, this one seems like the perfect length. You can just add some music to it and a logo for your brand for it to be perfect.
prompt #9: vibrant scene at a farmer's market showcasing an array of fresh fruits and vegetables
Before I started writing this prompt, I was thinking about what would be a good commercial for a juicer without having just a close-up shot of the product. That's when I came up with the idea to generate a clip showcasing fresh fruits and vegetables at a farmer's market.
I feel like this could be a great beginning to a juicer commercial. After using this clip, you can cut to a scene where you see the close-up of a juicer on a kitchen countertop and how the fresh produce is used to make a healthy drink.
prompt #10: close up shot of a luxurious ice cream sundae with berries and chocolate toppings on a table at a fancy restaurant
I know that I already made a few videos that feature food, but I just couldn't resist writing this prompt. If you have a sugar tooth like me, you're likely drooling just by watching this video. But even though I love sweets, I doubt I could eat all of this by myself.
Like I already previously mentioned, you don't have to create a video in Runway using only a text description. If you have a restaurant or cafe that serves ice cream sundaes, you can take a photo of it and let the AI model turn that image into a video.
Final Thoughts
There are some clear benefits as to why you should use Runway Gen-2 to create commercials. The first and most important is that you embrace a new technology and learn cool new skills that you can utilize in the future.
The second is that this provides a significantly more affordable alternative than actually directing a commercial in real life. You can explore a variety of ideas and experiment to see which direction might be best suited for your ad from the comfort of your home. The best part about it is that you can try out different ideas in a matter of minutes.
Finally, a tool like this helps you fully unleash your creativity. You don't have any constraints. You can create whatever you like on your laptop or smartphone. We truly live in a fascinating time, and I personally think that the majority of people haven't caught up to what's possible to create with these tools yet.
