Set Up an AI Video Project Workspace

An AI video project workspace gives generated clips a production home. Instead of saving prompts, references, exports, and review notes in separate places, you can organize the work around the objects filmmakers already use: assets, sequences, scenes, shots, takes, and dailies.

This tutorial walks through a practical setup order for a new AI video project. Use it before you generate your first take, especially if the scene depends on repeated characters, wardrobe, props, locations, or team review.

The goal isn’t to over-plan. It’s to give each generation a job, each reference a reason, and each take a review path.

Key takeaways

• Start with the project shell, then add the visual world.
• Build reusable assets before you write shot prompts.
• Break the story into sequences, scenes, and shots before generation.
• Give each shot a review standard so the team can judge takes quickly.
• Set roles, token expectations, and governance context before the work gets busy.

Step 1: create the project shell

Start with the smallest useful project definition:

• Working title
• Format or campaign type
• Primary story goal
• Target aspect ratio and resolution
• Key collaborators
• Generation provider or model direction
• Any governance, likeness, consent, or client constraints the team already knows

In Lotix, the product workflow is organized around project context. That matters because your shot plans, production assets, generated takes, selected clips, and review states all need to stay tied to the same production.

Keep this first pass simple. A project shell isn’t the final creative bible. It’s the container that keeps every later decision from floating away.

Step 2: build the production asset library

Before writing a shot prompt, collect the visual pieces the project will reuse. This is where many prompt-only workflows get messy. A character image sits in one folder, a wardrobe note sits in a chat thread, a location reference sits on someone’s desktop, and the next shot tries to recreate all of it from memory.

Build assets for:

• Characters
• Locations
• Props
• Wardrobe
• Reference videos

For each asset, write short, useful production notes. A character asset might include identity details, wardrobe state, expression range, source images, and generation guidance. A location asset might include architectural details, time of day, practical lights, and geography. A prop asset should note shape, scale, markings, and how it needs to read on camera.

If you’re setting up a recurring character, create the character profile before the first important shot. Lotix supports character reference sheets generated from source images and character profile data, which can help teams carry visual intent across shots. For a focused walkthrough, use the character reference sheet tutorial after this setup pass.

Step 3: turn the story into scenes

Next, break the work into story units. For a short piece, that might mean one sequence with three scenes. For a longer film, trailer, or campaign, it may mean several sequences with multiple scenes inside each.

Each scene should have:

• Scene number or working label
• Slugline or location summary
• Script excerpt or action summary
• Characters present
• Props or wardrobe that matter
• Continuity notes
• Review goal for the scene

Use scene structure to protect context. If a character enters with a damaged jacket in scene two, that wardrobe note should be visible before anyone generates scene three. If a prop is introduced in a close-up, it should be available when the next shot needs a handoff.

For planning the visual sequence, the storyboard examples guide can help you translate panels into shot plans.

Step 4: add shots before you generate

Once the scene exists, create the shots that will carry the beat. Each shot should describe one clear job.

A strong shot record includes:

• Shot code
• Shot title
• Subject
• Action
• Duration
• Aspect ratio and resolution
• Camera, lens, movement, and lighting notes
• Start or end frame anchors when composition needs to connect
• Character, location, prop, wardrobe, image, or video references
• Negative constraints
• Review criteria

The review criteria are easy to skip, but they’re the difference between useful iteration and endless opinion. Write down what makes the take reject, maybe, selected, or approved. For example: “The prop must stay readable, the character’s wardrobe must match the scene, and the camera should end on the doorway.”

If you’re generating with Seedance 2.0, the shot planning workflow shows how to separate intent, references, camera language, frame anchors, and constraints.

Step 5: set team roles and review rules

Before the first batch of takes arrives, decide who can do what.

Lotix project roles include owner, producer, director, assistant director, editor, commenter, and viewer. Use those roles to match the production responsibility. The owner may manage settings and access. A director may plan and review shots. An editor may care most about selected takes and scene timeline planning. A viewer may only need to inspect progress.

Also set expectations for:

• Who can generate takes
• Who can approve takes
• How many variations the team should create before review
• When a take becomes a select
• When the team should regenerate instead of debating
• Who watches token spend and provider settings
• Which assets need compliance or consent context before generation

For governance-heavy productions, review the Lotix trust workflow before generating. Lotix is built with compliance readiness, audit, and generation gateway infrastructure, but those workflows work best when the team attaches the right context early.

Step 6: use dailies as the production checkpoint

After generation starts, don’t treat successful clips as loose exports. Treat them as takes.

In Lotix, successful generated takes can flow into dailies, where the team can review work in production context. Dailies are useful because they give everyone a shared checkpoint: which shots have usable takes, which ones need another pass, and which choices are ready to influence the next scene.

The point of setup is to make this review calmer. When the take appears, the team can see the shot plan, references, settings, and review state instead of trying to reconstruct the decision from a filename.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I set up before generating?

Set up enough to protect continuity and review. For a test, one scene and a few shots may be enough. For a production, create the reusable assets, scene structure, shot plans, and review rules first.

Should every project use sequences?

Use sequences when they help group larger story sections. A very short project may only need scenes and shots. A trailer, film scene, campaign, or episodic piece will usually benefit from sequence structure.

Can I add assets after generation starts?

Yes. You can add assets as the project develops. The risk is that early takes may lack the reference context you later decide matters, so add core characters, locations, props, and wardrobe before important shots.

Does Lotix replace editing software?

No. Lotix supports scene timeline planning and review for selected playable clips. It isn’t a full NLE replacement and doesn’t claim final film editing or NLE export.

Start with structure

A good workspace setup keeps the creative work moving. Build the project shell, define the visual assets, organize scenes and shots, then generate takes that your team can actually review.

When you’re ready to turn a story idea into a structured AI video production, Start Creating in Lotix.