Sora 2 (and Sora 2 pro) are the latest video-generating AI models from OpenAI. It is capable of generating videos of 4, 8, and 12 seconds. It has 4 resolutions:

• 720x1280
• 1280x720
• 1024x1792 (Pro only)
• 1792x1024  (Pro only)

This article records my first experience with these models.

Simple landscape video

Let's start with a simple 1-sentence prompt - zebra dancing in a pool.

The video is ready for download after about 3 minutes. It has what the prompt requested and the background music is in-sync with the dance move. Ok, that's not too bad.

The moderation

How about a video featuring Open AI's CEO saying something he never said?

Place Sam Altman in a grey t-shirt as the sole onscreen actor, standing at a classroom whiteboard and writing "A for AI" while striking through "Apple" with a thick marker, body angled three-quarters to camera. 
Have him speak one line in English: "Apple is no longer relevant." (speech present: yes; language: English) and keep the room silent except for his voice

The Answer is NO! This request is not allowed.

{"code" => "moderation_blocked", "message" => "Your request was blocked by our moderation system."}

Longer Prompt

Next, I tried creating an 8 seconds video, with a much longer prompt. The prompt describes the actor, the scene and what I want to see in 2 cuts.

Place an athletic orange cat with a small red cape and expressive eyes, streamlined body, flying between glass-and-steel skyscrapers toward a sea port. 
Have the cat bank slightly left, paws forward and cape fluttering, centered in frame as it speeds past windows and ledges in a low-angle tracking shot (0–5 s). 
Then cut to a wide aerial pull-back that reveals the harbor, container cranes, and water as the cat continues toward the port (5–8 s). 
Keep no spoken lines; make ambient city noise and a distant wailing police siren audible, use no background music; light the scene with harsh noon sunlight, strong key/rim highlights and soft fill from reflected glass for an urgent mood.

Pretty impressive! The requirements are all met.

Longer Prompt & Longer Video

Next, let's make a 12-second video with 4 cuts. With voice-over and background music.

Show the oil-tank truck (heavy-duty, chrome trim) racing right-to-left along a coastal highway, low-angle tracking with a gentle dolly-in and lens flare (0–3 s). 
Show the dump truck (robust, mud-splattered) driving left-to-right on a dusty construction road, medium-wide pan with slight handheld grit for texture (3–6 s). 
Show the freight truck (long-haul, aerodynamic trailer) overtaking center-frame on an interstate, high-side smooth tracking with subtle rack-focus on the cab (6–9 s). 
Show the crane truck (urban, boom stowed) turning a corner into frame, tight low-angle tracking to emphasize silhouette and hydraulics (9–12 s). 
Include a confident English voiceover: "Built to work, engineered to last." (VO across shots) and energetic corporate-rock music with driving drums, electric guitar and synth pad; use late-afternoon golden-hour locations (highway, construction road, interstate, urban avenue) with warm key sunlight, soft fill and rim highlights on metal to create a powerful, reliable mood.

Watermark

Unlike those videos generated via moble app, there is no visible watermark in the API-generated videos.

Forever in-progress bug?

In some of the tests, the video is never generated and its status is forever showing "in progress" even after hours. This seems to be reported by several other developers on their community forum but there is no official statement so far. In addition, the request is billed and credit is deducted.

{"video_status" =>
  {"id" => "video_68e5...",
   "object" => "video",
   "created_at" => 1759853145,
   "status" => "in_progress",
   "completed_at" => nil,
   "error" => nil,
   "expires_at" => nil,
   "model" => "sora-2",
   "progress" => 10,
   "remixed_from_video_id" => nil,
   "seconds" => "8",
   "size" => "1280x720"}
}

Hope they fix this issue and refund my credit. :)