Midjourney Prompts #8: Action-packed keywords for creating dramatic action videos
The 50+ most useful keywords for dynamic actions
Fifty action-packed visual keywords
Creating videos in Midjourney can feel like magic when you nail the right prompt. But getting those high-adrenalin, fast-paced, dynamic action scenes you're imagining can be tricky, especially when you start with a boring motionless portrait image of a character.
After testing hundreds of prompts and watching countless videos rendered (some spectacular, others... well, let's just say they didn't make the cut), I've compiled 50+ keywords that produce the most engaging action sequences.
These aren't random suggestions. Each one has been battle-tested through multiple generations to see what actually works. Some may need further tweaking, but they still get the job done.
How keywords shape your video magic
Think of keywords as the core ingredients of your Midjourney video.
The image-to-video model takes your static picture and brings it to life, and adding those keywords guides exactly how that magic happens.
You can ask an AI to generate keywords for you, but here's what I learned: you still need to test them yourself to see what Midjourney actually does with them.
The keywords used to prompt text-to-image share similarities but aren’t exactly the same to those used for image-to-video. Here, I'll share with you the keywords that prepare your image for animation. And they are useful for creating images and videos.
Note: Midjourney bot currently has limited knowledge of physics. If you ask it to do something wacky, such as a cat swimming underwater surrounded by slimy green things (see cover image), it will not generate the image/video accurately following the real-world physics.
The five-tier system for the keywords
I've organized these 50 keywords into five tiers (10 keywords/tier), each with its own "personality" and complexity level. As you move up the tiers, the scenarios get more fantastical and challenging for the AI to render.
Paid subscribers will receive a link to download all source photos related to the keywords, which they can access when they need inspiration for their next creations. I find the visual keyword references helpful, especially when I want to mix up various keywords across themes (characters, actions, visual qualities, etc.)
Tier 1: Smooth operators
These keywords produce the most reliable results. Motorcycle chasing and rooftop chase deliver fluid, believable action. The movements feel natural and the bot handles the physics well.
Tier 1 (Ranks 1-10) keywords: car chase, gunfight, fistfight, explosion, building collapse, helicopter chase, motorcycle pursuit, rooftop chase, hand to hand combat, shootout
You may change the keyword from "motorcycle pursuit" to "car chase" or any other keyword using the prompt template below.
Cinematic action shot of [motorcycle pursuit], dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1Note: To save you from having to click on every video in this article, I converted and compressed them into little GIF files. The good thing is that it will auto-play so you don't have to click anything. The drawback is that file size compression may produce artifacts (dark dots/areas) and not as smooth and detailed like the videos.
Cinematic action shot of rooftop chase, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
One thing I've noticed is that it's more difficult to crush and collapse a large building or machine. Like an immense crash, it disintegrated into fragments. You may be lucky enough to get it correctly on occasion, but it is normally challenging because the bot will do its best to preserve what is available in the image in the first video frame.
See this example. Not easy to get the building collapse entirely.
building collapsing to the ground, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
But sometimes you get lucky.
building collapsing to the ground, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Pro tip: Don't get discouraged if your first attempt doesn't show the action you want. Try extending the video. Sometimes, the movement you're looking for appears in the extended portion.
For example, notice that the building starts to collapse AFTER I extended the video.
a cyborg escaping from a building collapse while the building behind quickly collapsing into debris --ar 52:29 --motion high --video 1Tier 2: Solid performers
Bank robbery and hostage rescue shine in this category. The bot handles these scenarios with impressive detail and realistic movement patterns.
However, when you're dealing with plane crash or building collapse scenarios, getting actual destruction can be tricky (similar to the collapsing building situation). If your original image doesn't show the structure already damaged, the video might not show the dramatic collapse you're hoping for.
Tier 2 (Ranks 11-20) keywords: prison break, bank robbery, hostage rescue, sword fight, martial arts fight, police chase, boat chase, airplane crash, train crash, fire rescue
Smooth bank robbery action sequence
Cinematic action shot of bank robbery, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Hostage rescue action
Cinematic action shot of hostage rescue, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Tier 3: Getting edgy
All the actions in this tier look fantastic, but you'll bump into Midjourney's content moderation system. Knife fights and sniper duels work well, but don't expect to see direct violence like stabbing into someone's chest and blood splatters everywhere.
Repeatedly annoying the bot by triggering the warning may result in your Midjourney account being suspended. Beware!
The AI cleverly implies the action without showing graphic content.
Tier 3 (Ranks 21-30): sniper duel, knife fight, street brawl, underground fight, escape scene, pursuit scene, combat scene, rescue mission, heist sequence, assassination attempt
Example of good action
Cinematic action shot of escape scene, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Tier 4: Some challenges
Most actions perform well here, but jungle chasing presents an interesting action that is quite flexible to use in different situations.
Tier 4 (Ranks 31-40) keywords: tank battle, helicopter crash, ship sinking, building fire, earthquake disaster, tsunami wave, tornado destruction, avalanche escape, desert chase, jungle pursuit
Good chasing action
Cinematic action shot of jungle pursuit, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Problem: If you generate images where the character faces danger head-on, Midjourney might generate them running toward the threat instead of away from it.
Sometimes you may generate images where your characters running towards danger/ tornado that doesn’t make sense (unless they’re storm chasing course!)
Cinematic action shot of a man running away, there is a tornado behind, dynamic action --ar 16:9 --profile i6fyyx5
When you animate it, it becomes like this
Cinematic action shot of tornado destruction, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Camera angle adjustments in your prompt can fix this issue.
Pro tip: For directional movement issues, add phrase like "running away towards the camera" to clarify the intended motion when you generate the images.
Cinematic action shot of a man running towards the camera, there is a tornado behind him, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
See, a simple solution and you leave the danger behind.
Tsunami scenes often trigger the moderation warning too, especially when you want the massive wave to swallow everything in its path.
But you can absolutely create a powerful tsunami wave approaching a beach. Just don't expect widespread destruction and panicking people!
Tsunami may create a big wave
tsunami wave incoming to destroy the beach that has many people and building creating mass panic and chaos --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
If that involves many people, it may trigger the moderation system. But sometimes you get lucky:
tsunami waves destroying the beach creating mass panic and chaos --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Tier 5: The fantastic realm
Monster encounters and beach assault scenarios work incredibly well. The bot seems to excel at creature movements and military-style action sequences.
Tier 5 (Ranks 41-50) keywords: space battle, alien invasion, robot fight, monster attack, dragon battle, castle siege, beach assault, mountain rescue, cave escape, underwater chase
A hungry, angry chasing monster (like my cat asking for food!)
Cinematic action shot of monster attack, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Great action at the beach.
I'd almost never write this keyword by myself (hadn't considered it) until I conducted some research on action keywords.
Cinematic action shot of beach assault, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Problem: For any problematic movement in this tier, specify where the action leads. Instead of just "character running," try "character running toward the exit" or "character fleeing to higher ground."
Original image
Problematic movement: If you choose automated animation, your characters may not go where you want them to.
Cinematic action shot of cave escape, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Pro tip: Direct your character toward a direction to fix the problematic movement. Use a phrase like ".. and discovers something" to lead the action.
a man escapes from the cave and discovers a vast desert --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
And you can get creative with your character will find.
a man escapes from the cave and discovers a vast alien jungle glowing in blue bioluminescence lights and mist --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Cinematic action shot of underwater chase, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1
Pro tip: Use the keyword as the inspiration and tweak it to create your own unique scene
You may start with a man swimming (underwater chase) but why stop there? How about cat swimming with the green slime? In a veggie soup?
Cinematic action shot of underwater chase of a chubby cat, green slime, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1Swimming in a veggie soup
Cinematic action shot of underwater chase of a chubby cat in the hotpot soup with vegetables, dynamic action --ar 91:51 --motion high --video 1Three ways to maximize these keywords
Here's how you can put these keywords to work:
• Use them with the template have shared – I've created a proven prompt structure that works consistently with these keywords for reliable results
• Modify the template by adding more details (Recommended) – Take the basic framework and enhance it with specific environmental details, character descriptions, or atmospheric elements
• Combine multiple keywords from different sources – Mix these keywords with others you've collected, including resources from Geeky Curiosity, to create unique action combinations
Keywords (all-in-one)
car chase, gunfight, fistfight, explosion, building collapse, helicopter chase, motorcycle pursuit, rooftop chase, hand to hand combat, shootout, prison break, bank robbery, hostage rescue, sword fight, martial arts fight, police chase, boat chase, airplane crash, train crash, fire rescue, sniper duel, knife fight, street brawl, underground fight, escape scene, pursuit scene, combat scene, rescue mission, heist sequence, assassination attempt, tank battle, helicopter crash, ship sinking, building fire, earthquake disaster, tsunami wave, tornado destruction, avalanche escape, desert chase, jungle pursuit, space battle, alien invasion, robot fight, monster attack, dragon battle, castle siege, beach assault, mountain rescue, cave escape, underwater chase
Download the visual references for the action-packed keywords
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