Runway Gen-4.5 Prompt Builder — Aleph & Act-Two

Runway does not try to out-spectacle the other video models. It tries to out-direct them. Reference-driven consistency, real camera control, performance capture and video-to-video editing in one place. Almost nobody prompts for the parts that matter.

This builder does. It is a Google Sheets template — open it, click Make a copy, and it is yours forever. No subscription, no software to install.

How it works

1. Open your copy of the builder
2. Fill Column D using the dropdown menus — 32 fields across 6 sections
3. Type your exact spoken line if the shot has a performance
4. Five complete prompts appear instantly on the right
5. Paste into Runway and generate

The 5 prompts you get every time

• Main Runway Prompt — full structured prompt using all 32 fields
• Direction Brief — shot-first ordering, one move per clip, light described as a physical source, and a coverage plan
• Reference and Consistency — character and location locks, multi-angle coverage, frame chaining between clips
• Performance and Audio Brief — Act-Two driving video, capture framing, voice control and lip sync
• Aleph Edit Pass — relight, remove objects or restyle footage you already have

The edit pass nothing else covers

Every other prompt builder generates from scratch. This one also edits. The Aleph output names the target element, states exactly what must stay untouched, matches grain and grade to the original plate, and warns you that frame-to-frame flicker is the usual failure. Editing an approved shot costs a fraction of regenerating it — which matters more now that Runway prices by credits rather than unlimited plans.

Act-Two performance capture, explained properly

Film yourself performing the beat, supply a character reference, and Runway transfers your expressions, head motion and body language onto the character. The brief covers how to frame and light the driving video, when to add voice control, and why subtle expressions transfer more reliably than large ones. That is a workflow, not a prompt, and it is the thing Runway does that the other models do not.

Built for directing, not describing

• Shot size leads the prompt — not the subject. Runway responds to that ordering.
• One camera move per clip — a second move in the same generation degrades the result.
• Lenses and depth — 14mm through 200mm, anamorphic, probe, tilt shift, split diopter.
• Frame chaining — use the last frame of an approved clip as the next first frame.
• Watch the tail — drift shows up in the final second, and every output says so.

Every current Runway model

Gen-4.5 · Gen-4.5 Turbo · Gen-4 · Gen-4 Turbo · Gen-4 Image · Aleph video editor · Act-Two performance · Gen-3 Alpha Turbo · plus the third-party models Runway now hosts in the same dashboard, and Media Router for automatic selection by quality, speed or cost.

Also included

• Shot Presets tab — 10 ready-made setups: Character Monologue, Product Reveal, Relight an Old Plate, Object Removal Pass, Reverse Angle Coverage and more
• Runway Library tab — model guide, directing rules, Aleph edit workflow, Act-Two capture tips and credit strategy
• Shot Log tab — track every generation by model, mode, credits spent, takes and keeper
• Formula Lock — only the input column is editable, so the tool cannot break by accident

Works well alongside

• AI Kling 3.0 Pro Prompt Builder — for motion control, Elements references and 6-shot storyboards
• AI Veo 3 Video Prompt Builder — for shots built around spoken dialogue and native audio

Browse the full AI Video Prompt Builders collection.

What you receive

Instant download. A one-page PDF with your access link — click it and your own copy saves to Google Drive. Licensed for personal and commercial use, so the videos you create are yours to sell and publish.

Requires a free Google account. A Runway subscription is not included. Digital product — no physical item is shipped.