Write the ending before you generate the opening
Start with one sentence that names the character, the problem and what changes. “A fox follows a light, loses the safe path, then helps another traveler find it” is a story brief. A list of attractive locations is an art brief. Both can be useful, but they solve different tasks.
Choose a short duration and a small cast for the first attempt. Use the free planner below to organize the beats before opening a generation workflow. Planning does not spend credits.
Turn the brief into scenes
- Opening: show a subject and a question the viewer can understand immediately.
- Complication: change something the character expected.
- Choice: let the character take an action rather than explaining everything in narration.
- Payoff: resolve the opening question or deliberately set up the next episode.
Story: The fox and the lost light Cast: One fox in a dark green explorer coat Scene 1: The fox notices a firefly above a mossy bridge. Scene 2: Fog hides the far end of the bridge. Scene 3: The fox shields the firefly from the rain. Scene 4: Its light reveals the next safe step.
Prepare and inspect the images
Choose a visual universe and select your saved cast. In Express, work through the story setup; in Studio, prepare each scene directly. Check the actual controls in your account, since available models and generation options depend on configuration.
Compare every scene image with the character reference. Look for changes in face, clothes, scale and key props. Fix a wrong still before asking for motion, because an animation request does not reliably repair an incorrect starting image.
Review the assembled result
Watch once for the story and once for technical errors. Listen for missing words, read the captions, and check the first and final frames of each clip. Download the file and review it on the device where your audience will watch.
The example brief is a planning exercise. The gallery contains finished AI-generated shorts with English dialogue, along with notes on their visual direction. Use them to compare story structure, framing, and timing before preparing your own generation.