How to keep characters consistent in AI video, across a whole 46-shot episode
Reference packs, an immutable character prefix in every prompt, Last-Frame bridges, and a local GPU drift check on every clip.
Alex MercerUpdated · 18 min read
AI video tutorials and production guides
Explore hands-on tutorials and production examples for AI video. Start with a shot list, build consistent characters, or adapt the finished cut for YouTube and ads.
Practical tutorials and production studies from Scena Studio
Guides, templates and examples for planning, generating and editing AI video.
FLAGSHIP PRODUCTION BENCHMARKS
Start here: The 3 core series pillars
Three foundational production guides the rest of the blog builds on—updated every month with live model benchmarks and API invoice receipts.
AI video API pricing in 2026 and a sample 46-shot budget
Compare published Veo, Runway, Kling and Seedance rates, with a 46-shot budget and a reserve for retries.
Alex MercerUpdated · 6 min read
From script to shot list to finished episode: an AI production pipeline
Break a screenplay into locked Excel rows, enforce pre-flight BLOCK rules, batch-render overnight, and auto-stitch at −14 LUFS.
Alex MercerUpdated · 16 min read
Guides by topic
Consistent characters
Keep faces, outfits and locations identical from shot 1 to shot 46, on every model.
- How to keep character consistency in Veo 3.1: Ingredients vs Frames, tested11 min read
- Kling 4.0 Elements tutorial: multi-character scenes that stay on-model9 min read
- Seedance 2.5 reference image vs omni reference: what actually holds a face8 min read
AI series and YouTube channels
Plan, produce and publish an animated series week after week, within YouTube’s rules.
- How to make AI animated videos for YouTube: a weekly workflow that holds up12 min read
- Can AI videos be monetized on YouTube in 2026? What the inauthentic-content policy says9 min read
- Faceless AI YouTube channel: the tools and a realistic schedule9 min read
Script to screen
Shot lists, storyboards and overnight queues: the production line between a script and an episode.
- How to turn a script into a shot list with AI (free template)8 min read
- Bulk AI video generation done right: queue one 60-shot episode overnight9 min read
- Storyboard to video: turning approved frames into clips7 min read
Costs and APIs
What each model costs per second and per episode, and how to pay API prices instead of credits.
- Veo 3.1 API pricing for Standard and Fast6 min read
- How to budget for a 46-shot AI episode6 min read
- Kling 4.0 API pricing through Runway6 min read
Model guides and prompts
Prompting Kling, Veo, Seedance, Hailuo, Wan, Vidu, Runway, Luma and LTX, version by version.
- Veo 3.1 prompting guide, with copy-paste templates11 min read
- Kling 4.0 vs Kling 4.0 Omni: which to use for dialogue scenes7 min read
- Kling 4.0 prompt guide: structure, examples, common mistakes9 min read
Comparisons and alternatives
Same shot list, same characters, different tools: comparisons with real costs.
- Veo 3.1 vs Kling 4.0: same shot list, same characters, real costs13 min read
- Cheaper Higgsfield alternatives that charge what the model API charges9 min read
- Kling 4.0 vs Seedance 2.5 for animated series10 min read
Kids and educational animation
Learning cartoons children deserve: cast, pacing, safety and YouTube’s made-for-kids rules.
- Does YouTube Kids monetize AI content? Made-for-kids rules explained9 min read
- How to make an English-learning cartoon series with AI, from curriculum to episode12 min read
- Designing a cartoon family cast that stays on-model for 50 episodes9 min read
Voice, lip-sync and dubbing
Finish the episode: voices that stay in character, lip-sync, translation and upscaling.
- Best AI lip-sync for animated characters, compared across an episode10 min read
- Voice consistency for recurring characters7 min read
- How to dub an AI series into five languages9 min read
All 23 AI video guides
Browse the latest tutorials, templates and production studies.
How to make AI dropshipping video ads with real product proof
Build AI dropshipping video ads around a real SKU demo. Compare two opening hooks, verify your claims and read results without changing the offer.
Can AI videos be monetized on YouTube?
Learn when to disclose AI use in YouTube Studio, how YouTube reviews channels for monetization, and what to check before publishing an AI-assisted video.
How to Make an AI Real Estate Video From Photos
Build a 27-second real estate video from listing photos with a shot plan, prompts for subtle motion, and a frame-by-frame property accuracy review.
How to make a SaaS product demo video with AI and real screen recordings
Build a 45-second SaaS demo with real screen recordings, a copyable shot list and a review that catches invented UI, unreadable text and unsupported claims.
AI video generation stuck? How to diagnose a queued or failed render
Find out why an AI video render is stuck. Use the job ID, provider status and local download checks to choose whether to wait, fix or retry a single shot.
Build an AI video shot list with a CSV template
Download a three-shot CSV example and learn how to turn a script into rows with stable shot IDs, prompts, dialogue and target durations.
Script to screen ·
How to use first and last frames in AI video
Learn when to give an AI video model both start and end images, how to plan the motion between them, and when to join shots with a cut.
Model guides and prompts ·
How to write image-to-video prompts that control motion
Turn a still image into an AI video with a motion-focused prompt. Try three copyable examples and learn when to supply first and last frames.
Model guides and prompts ·
How to turn a horizontal video into a vertical YouTube Short
Reframe a 16:9 episode into a 9:16 YouTube Short. Learn how to select a self-contained scene, preserve the action, and review captions before export.
Series and YouTube ·
How to export and check SRT subtitles for AI video
Export UTF-8 SRT subtitles after editing, check the timing and line breaks, and prepare separate caption files for YouTube or Premiere.
Voice, lip-sync and dubbing ·
How to make an AI product video ad in 15 seconds of screen time
Build a 15-second AI product video ad with a four-shot storyboard, real product references and two opening hooks you can compare.
Script to screen ·
How to batch generate AI video clips and retry only failed shots
Plan an AI video batch, approve starting frames, separate dependent shots and recover failed renders without resubmitting successful jobs.
Script to screen ·
How to make faceless YouTube videos with AI and original narration
Write an original faceless YouTube video, pair each narrated claim with visual evidence and review AI illustrations before upload.
Series and YouTube ·
How to keep characters consistent in AI video, across a whole 46-shot episode
Locked 2-view reference packs, immutable character tags, Last-Frame continuity bridges, and local GPU ArcFace drift scoring.
Alex Mercer · 18 min read
Best AI video tools for making a series, not single clips (2026 benchmark)
Tools judged on what a real series needs: a cast that holds across 50 episodes, a batch queue, BYOK API pricing, and a weekly rhythm.
Alex Mercer · 16 min read
Veo 3.1 vs Kling 4.0: same 46-shot list, same characters, real API costs
One 46-shot script and four recurring characters through both models, with multi-character blocking, facial lock, and API costs compared.
Alex Mercer · 14 min read
How to make an AI animated series for YouTube (and pass YPP monetization in 2026)
Series bible setup, Trademark (TM) clearance, a 5-day solo schedule, and real $5.40–$8.60 RPM unit economics on YouTube & Meta Reels.
Alex Mercer · 15 min read
Which AI video model for which shot? Kling 4.0, Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.5, Hailuo, Wan 3.0 & Runway
The complete 9-model shot routing matrix: dialogue close-ups, multi-actor action, wide establishing plates, and 3D LUT matching.
Alex Mercer · 14 min read
AI video API pricing in 2026 and a sample 46-shot budget
Compare provider rates and budget for billable footage, including clips you trim or rerender.
Alex Mercer · 6 min read
From script to shot list to finished episode: a production-tested AI video pipeline
Excel/CSV screenplay breakdown, pre-flight BLOCK rules, overnight batch execution, and automated Last-Frame clip stitching.
Alex Mercer · 16 min read
How to make an English-learning & kids cartoon series with AI, from curriculum sheet to Episode 50
3D Pixar vs flat 2D consistency, Prop Locks for vocabulary lessons, and YouTube Made-for-Kids / Family Co-Viewing monetization rules.
Alex Mercer · 15 min read
Native-audio models vs. a dedicated voice & lip-sync pass: dubbing a series into 5 languages
Locking permanent Character Voice IDs, phoneme viseme lip-sync, and 5-language localization (EN, VI, ES, PT, JA) at $1.85/language.
Alex Mercer · 14 min read
1.1.0 Build Notes: local Windows GPU consistency scoring, free 4K upscaling & pre-flight BLOCK rules
Why we engineered a native .NET 10 Windows workstation with 380ms/clip local GPU ArcFace drift scoring and SQLite-WAL crash protection.
Alex Mercer · 13 min read
18 articles across 9 topics
How these guides are made
Tested on real episodes
Production studies explain the setup. Practical tutorials show the steps with templates and examples.
Prices checked monthly
Cost and pricing pages carry the date they were last checked, and are re-checked every month.
Corrections are dated
When a guide changes, its update history says what changed and when.
Alex Mercer · Founder & Lead AI Series DirectorWritten by Alex Mercer, who builds Scena Studio and produces animated series with it.
About the author →Notes from the build
Release notes that needed an explanation: what changed in Scena Studio, why, and what it cost.
Alex Mercer6 min read
1.1.0: the consistency check now runs on your own GPU
Every rendered clip is scored against its locks before you keep it, and nothing leaves the machine to do it.
Alex Mercer5 min read
A BLOCK rule stops the job before it costs money, and that is the whole point
Why the app says no on your PC rather than letting the service say yes and bill you.
Alex Mercer8 min read
Nineteen services, one queue: what a gateway actually solves
How the queue decides where a shot goes, and what happens when a key dies mid-batch.