Introduction
Runway creates generative video clips in shorter segments, which provides the building blocks for longer narrative content. By combining multiple generated clips through video editing software, you can develop compelling stories that extend well beyond individual generation limits.
This article explores considerations and workflows for creating longer-form content with generative models from the ideation to execution.
Planning the story
Before generating any content, establish a clear narrative foundation for your film. This planning phase often guides the quality and coherence of your final product.
We recommend leaving room for creative flexibility. Consider generative technology as a collaborator— you may need to iterate to find something that works for your idea that models can produce.
Finding inspiration
Begin by identifying the core concept or message you want to convey. Draw inspiration from personal experiences, current events, literature, or visual art. Document these ideas in a central location where you can reference and expand upon them throughout the creative process.
Research existing films, documentaries, or visual content that aligns with your vision. Note specific techniques, visual styles, or narrative structures that resonate with your concept. This research phase helps you understand how to translate your ideas into effective prompts to later generate.
Developing your concept
Transform your initial inspiration into a structured narrative. Write a brief treatment that outlines your story's beginning, middle, and end. Include key characters, locations, and the emotional journey you want your audience to experience.
Consider the practical constraints of generated content when developing your concept. Plan for scenes that can be effectively communicated through prompts, and think about how individual clips will connect to form a cohesive narrative flow. Allow room for creative flexibility in your shots.
Storyboarding and shot planning
Create a storyboard that breaks your narrative into individual shots. Each frame in your storyboard should correspond to a potential generation, typically lasting 5-10 seconds. Include notes about camera angles, lighting, character positioning, and any specific visual elements that support your story.
There's not a right or wrong way to storyboard, but traditional methods include roughly sketching scenes by hand. However, you could also experiment with using Gen-4 Image Reference in your storyboarding process.
Write descriptions for each planned shot. These descriptions will become the foundation for your prompts, so include information about mood, setting, character actions, and visual style.
Generating the story with Runway
Once you've completed the planning phase of your story, you're ready to begin generating your shots.
Generating the characters
You can generate new characters with Text to Image, or base characters off of existing images by uploading them to an image model.
Once you have a character image, we recommend creating character plates to reduce subtle variations that may occur when only working with a single image.
Terminology: Character plates refer to neutral base images of a character in different angles, outfits, and framing.
Working with character plates allows you to control the consistency of the character before integrating them into scenes. In generative media, character plates may be a single image or a collection of individual images.
Why use plates?
In example, we want the character in the Original Image column to appear in new scenes at different angles.
The model doesn't have context of what they look like from a forward-facing angle, so using this as a singular reference would result in subtle variations of character identity across generations, even when using the same prompt:
| Original image | Forward-facing 1 | Forward-facing 2 |
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Generating plates allows you to reinforce character identity for different shots and angles, rather than having the character regenerated from a single angle each time.
Your shot-planning list can be used to inform the character plates you'll need. When creating plates, aim for neutral, simple environments and lighting. Using neutral plates helps remove distractions and stylization that a model may later need to remove.
Below is an example of a character plate and the prompt used to generate it:
| Original image | Full body plate |
| create a full body, realistic character plate that shows the person from 3 angles: forward-facing, side/profile, and backside | |
Generating the scenes
Use references to place characters in the desired environments and scenes. Consider organization strategies for longer films. Check various scenes side-by-side for a cohesive mood & visual style.
Similarly to creating character plates, you may also wish to create environment plates that show the scene from different angles/contexts.
Assembling and editing the story
Combine your generated clips into a cohesive film through strategic editing choices with a software of your choosing.
Choosing the Editing Software
For shorter projects or quick assembly tasks, Video Editor Projects within Runway allow for quick, in-app edits.
For longer films or projects requiring advanced editing features, consider a local video editor. These platforms offer the timeline management, editing tools, color correction, and audio mixing capabilities necessary for feature-length content.
Assembling the Shots
Begin with a rough cut that places your clips in narrative order according to your storyboard. Focus on story flow rather than precise timing during this initial assembly.
Editing the Shots
Trim and clean up clips, add effects, add music and sound effects, colorgrade. Rather than watching in entirety between edits, divide into 2-3 minute segments to review for consistency and flow.