Set Up an AI Video Project Workspace

Set up the workspace before the first generation pass. In Lotix, a project can hold production assets, sequences, scenes, shots, generated takes, dailies, roles, provider settings, and review states so the team never has to reconstruct context from filenames.

Use this tutorial before you generate your first take, especially when a scene depends on repeated characters, wardrobe, props, locations, or team review. The goal is simple: give each generation a job, each reference a reason, and each take a review path.

Key takeaways

A good AI video project workspace gives every generation a job and every take a review path. Build the project shell, reusable assets, scenes, shots, roles, and dailies flow before the work gets busy, especially when continuity or collaborators matter.

• 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 review begins.

Step 1: create the project shell

Create the project shell with only the decisions that all later work must share. Capture title, format, story goal, aspect ratio, resolution, collaborators, generation direction, and governance or consent constraints so every asset, shot, take, and review state stays in one production.

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

Once the shell exists, the workspace has to preserve that context across every later prompt and review. In Lotix, the product workflow centers work 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 is not the final creative bible. It is the container that keeps every later decision from floating away.

Step 2: build the production asset library

Build the asset library before writing prompts so reusable visual context lives in one place. Create characters, locations, props, wardrobe, and reference videos with short production notes, source images where useful, and clear guidance for what each asset should control.

Build assets for:

• Characters
• Locations
• Props
• Wardrobe
• Reference videos

For each asset, write short 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.

This is where asset type matters. Lotix supports built-in character sheet generation for character assets from uploaded/source images and character profile data. Locations, props, and wardrobe items can use profile data, source images, active references, and manual reference bundles, but Lotix does not generate reference sheets for those asset types.

If you are setting up a recurring character, create the character profile before the first identity-sensitive shot. For a focused walkthrough, use the character reference sheet tutorial after this setup pass.

Step 3: turn the story into scenes

Turn the story into scenes so continuity notes can travel with the work. Each scene should name the location, action, characters, props, wardrobe, and review goal, giving the team enough context before anyone plans individual shots inside the Lotix workspace.

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 appears in a close-up, it should remain 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

Add shots before generation so each prompt has one clear production job. A shot record should hold code, subject, action, duration, technical settings, camera notes, frame anchors, references, constraints, and review criteria before the team spends tokens on video variations.

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

Write review criteria before generation. For example: “The prop must stay readable, the character’s wardrobe must match the scene, and the camera should end on the doorway.” That line gives the team a clear basis for reject, maybe, selected, and approved decisions.

If you are generating with Seedance 2.0, the shot planning workflow shows how to separate intent, references, camera language, frame anchors, and constraints. The Seedance 2.0 prompt guide can help turn that structure into generation-ready language.

Step 5: set team roles and review rules

Set team roles and review rules before the first batch returns. Lotix roles include owner, producer, director, assistant director, editor, commenter, and viewer, so match permissions to production duties and decide who can generate, select, approve, and manage spend early.

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

Use roles to match the 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.

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

Step 6: use dailies as the production checkpoint

Use dailies as the production checkpoint once generation starts. In Lotix, successful generated takes can flow into dailies with shot context attached, giving the team a shared place to see coverage, spot repeat problems, and decide the next pass together.

Dailies help everyone answer the same questions:

• Which shots have usable takes?
• Which scenes need more coverage?
• Which continuity problems repeat?
• Which selected clips should influence the next scene?
• Which shots need another generation pass?

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.

For the next step, use the AI video takes and dailies tutorial to run the review pass consistently.

Frequently asked questions

Project workspace FAQs clarify how much structure is enough before generation, when sequences help, how late asset changes affect continuity, and where editing software still belongs after dailies. Use the answers to keep setup useful without overbuilding the project.

How much should I set up before generating?

Set up enough structure to protect continuity and review. A test may need one scene and a few shots, while a production should define reusable assets, scene structure, shot plans, review states, roles, and dailies expectations before serious generation starts.

Should every project use sequences?

Use sequences when they help the team group larger story sections. A very short project may only need scenes and shots, while a trailer, film scene package, campaign, or episodic piece usually gains clarity from sequence-level organization inside Lotix projects.

Can I add assets after generation starts?

Yes. Add assets as the project develops, but expect earlier takes to lack any context you add later. For core characters, locations, props, and wardrobe, create the asset before shots where continuity or approval depends on it.

Does Lotix replace editing software?

No. Lotix supports scene timeline planning and review for selected playable clips, but it does not replace a full NLE. Finish final editing, sound, color, VFX, exports, and delivery in post software after the team chooses its takes from dailies.

Start with structure

Start with structure by giving the project a shell, assets, scenes, shots, roles, and a dailies path before generation gets busy. That setup helps the team brief each take, review it in context, and choose the next production action confidently.

When you’re ready to turn a story idea into a structured AI video production, Sign up free in Lotix.