Verified against Runway Gen-4.5 · 2026-08-10
Lock a reusable continuity reference so a 5-shot product story doesn't drift between generations
A Runway Gen-4.5 brief structured as a master continuity lock plus a per-shot delta table, so a multi-shot product or brand sequence keeps the same subject, lighting and color grade across separate generation calls.
The prompt
Ready to copy — highlighted parts are example details you can swap.
MASTER LOCK (hold this exact wording unchanged across every shot in the sequence): Subject reference: a matte-black ceramic pour-over coffee dripper, matched to the attached reference image for shape, material and surface finish. Lighting lock: soft key light from upper-left, warm 3200K, subtle rim light, same key-light direction and color temperature in every shot. Color grade lock: warm neutral grade, slightly lifted blacks, low saturation, no shot in the sequence should shift warmer, cooler, or more saturated than this baseline. Lens lock: consistent focal length feel across the sequence — no shot should read as noticeably wider or more compressed than the others. PER-SHOT DELTA (only these fields change shot to shot; everything above stays fixed): Shot 3 of 5 — Action: steam rising as hot water is poured over the grounds. Framing: close-up, 45-degree angle down onto the dripper. Duration: 3-5 seconds. Continuity check before generating the next shot: compare the just-generated frame against the master lock section above and re-state any lock clause that appears to have drifted (e.g. if the color grade looks warmer, restate the grade lock verbatim in the next call rather than leaving it implicit). Audio: ambient only, no dialogue, consistent ambience bed across the whole sequence so an editor can crossfade between shots without an audible seam.
Customize
Optional — swap in your own details for the highlighted parts above.
Why this works
Runway Gen-4.5 has no memory between separate generation calls — each shot in a sequence is an independent inference, so continuity across shots only exists if the operator re-supplies the same locked language every time, verbatim, rather than trusting the model to "remember" the previous shot's look. Splitting the brief into a MASTER LOCK block that never changes and a PER-SHOT DELTA block that only carries what's different is the mechanical fix: it stops the common failure mode where an operator paraphrases the lighting or grade slightly differently on shot 4 than shot 1, which reads as almost-but-not-quite matching footage once cut together — worse than an obvious mismatch because it's subtly distracting rather than clearly intentional. The explicit continuity-check step exists because Gen-4.5's grade and lighting interpretation can still drift slightly even with identical wording, particularly on saturation and color temperature; catching that after each shot and restating the lock clause verbatim in the next call is cheaper than regrading five separate clips in post to match. Keeping the lens lock as a stated constraint (rather than a specific focal length number, which the model can't literally honor) targets the more common failure of shots feeling like different "cameras" were used, which breaks continuity even when subject and lighting are correct.
What you get back
Shot 3 of 5: a close-up 45-degree angle onto the same matte-black ceramic dripper from shots 1-2, same warm 3200K key light and rim light, steam rising as water pours over the grounds, grade matching the established warm neutral baseline with lifted blacks, 4 seconds, ambient kitchen sound carried through from the previous shot.
Verified against
Runway Gen-4.5 Gen-4.5 · 2026-08-10
Changelog
- 2026-08-10 — Initial publish, verified against Runway Gen-4.5.
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