How to make AI video look genuinely cinematic

Cinematic is not a style toggle. It is a set of decisions about lens, light, motion and colour, made consistently.

Name the lens "35mm anamorphic" produces a different frame from "85mm portrait". Say which one.

Motivate the light Every light in a good frame comes from somewhere: a window, a practical, a screen. Describe the source, not the mood only.

Keep motion small Extreme camera motion is where AI video breaks. Slow push-ins, gentle tracking and static frames with internal movement read far more expensive.

Grade with intent Teal and amber is a cliché because it works — but a single-hue grade often looks more modern. Pick one and apply it across the whole sequence.

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