Prompts

Cinematic b-roll video rough cut prompts

These prompts cut raw footage into a cinematic b-roll video (15-60s, 5 beats in order), with the pacing and the usual mistakes written in.

By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24

Format: Cinematic b-roll video
Step: Rough cut
Length: 15-60s
Aspect: 9:16 or 16:9 (often 2.39:1 letterboxed)
Platforms: Reels, TikTok, YouTube

Real examples from @sulansart

At a glance


Target length	15-60s
Beat order	0-3s: hero shot, held; 3-20s: the place, wide to medium; 20-40s: details and the subject; 40-55s: the widest or most emotional shot; 55-60s: fade to black, one line of type
Pacing	2-4 seconds per shot, even
Hook	The single best shot, 2-3 seconds, no text
Avoid	Too fast; Shaky; Over-graded; Random shots with no thread

Prompt it in Vyra

Minimal:

Make a 60-second cinematic b-roll video from these clips. Best takes only.

Standard:

Cut my clips into a 60-second cinematic b-roll video for Reels. Follow this order.
- 0-3s: hero shot, held
- 3-20s: the place, wide to medium
- 20-40s: details and the subject
- 40-55s: the widest or most emotional shot
- 55-60s: fade to black, one line of type
Pacing: 2-4 seconds per shot, even.
Keep the strongest clip or take for each part and cut the rest. No captions or music yet.

Full:

Cut my clips into a 60-second cinematic b-roll video for Reels. Follow this order.
- 0-3s: hero shot, held
- 3-20s: the place, wide to medium
- 20-40s: details and the subject
- 40-55s: the widest or most emotional shot
- 55-60s: fade to black, one line of type
Pacing: 2-4 seconds per shot, even.
Keep the strongest clip or take for each part and cut the rest. No captions or music yet.
Open with this. The single best shot, 2-3 seconds, no text.
Avoid these. Too fast. Shaky. Over-graded. Random shots with no thread.
Export 9:16. When you're done, list what you cut with timestamps so I can check.

Why these settings

A numbered beat list gives the agent an order to follow. Leave it out and it picks one for you.
Cinematic b-roll videos usually run 15-60s on Reels, TikTok, and YouTube.
The pacing line (2-4 seconds per shot, even) sets how long each clip stays on screen.
The full prompt names the common mistakes up front, so you're less likely to see them in the first cut.
Asking for a list of cuts with timestamps makes the first pass quick to check.

Fixes

Too long. "Cut it to 45 seconds. Drop the weakest part first."
Parts out of order. "Follow the order from my first message exactly."
Wrong clip in a part. "For the 3-20s part, show me other clips I could use, with timestamps."
Something you wanted got cut. "Put back the part where [describe it]." It can find the moment from a description.

FAQ

How long should a cinematic b-roll video be? Short versions run 15-60s. Put the number in the first sentence of the prompt so the cut is built around it.

Do I need to trim my clips before uploading? No. Upload the raw clips. Vyra transcribes and describes every scene on upload, so it can find the part that fits each beat.