Testing Cinematic Camera Control in AI Video: MiniMax/Hailuo 01 Director Model

Here’s what worked and what didn’t.

I made a video walking through my first experiments with the MiniMax/Hailuo 01 Director model. You can watch that above. This article is just to add a bit of context and share workflow notes on what I think this model means for AI video.

Most people agree AI video outputs have a pacing problem. Shots tend to float. Nothing really happens. Even when things move, there's no cause and effect. No tension or payoff. Just motion. But I think that might be starting to change.

The MiniMax/Hailuo 01 Director model is built to follow camera movements and shot directions. Think zooms, trucks, tilts. Basic stuff, but important. Most models either ignore this or interpret it vaguely. 01 Director is different.

I ran a bunch of tests using fal.ai and krea.ai. Both let you run the model, but in this case I preferred Krea for the UI. It gives you a menu of supported movement types and helps with prompt formatting. Super useful. Prompt structure turns out to be everything here. You need to think in movements, three max per shot, and be really clear. Otherwise, the model just gives you a pretty generic output.

Some of my early outputs were static. But after a few rounds of refining (and turning off the prompt optimizer, which was kind of wrecking things), I started getting better results. Camera movements that actually worked. Shots that had some structure.

Still not perfect. Some motion still feels random. But it’s closer than anything else I’ve tried. And it shows where this is heading. The idea of an AI shot with actual rhythm, beginning, middle, end, is becoming possible.

So, I haven’t fully debunked the “nothing happens in AI video” take. But this model makes that claim a little shakier. I think with a bit more prompt engineering, you can absolutely get movement and progression in one continuous AI shot.

I'll be doing more tests. If you're not already, subscribe to the Creative Workflow Lab for more workflow tests and news roundups. Every week I track new tools, test workflows, and try to figure out what actually works. See you back here in lab!