How to make a character series with AI video
A character series works when the character stays the same and the format repeats, so viewers know what they are getting each time. The practical method is to lock the character's references, write a one-page series bible, fix a short episode template, and produce in weekly batches with a continuity log. This guide covers each step for a series of 30 to 60 second episodes posted once or twice a week.
Step 1: lock the character before episode one
Build the character's reference set first and treat it as final for the season: front, both three-quarter views, profile and a full-body shot in the series outfit, all agreeing on every visible detail. Save it under a versioned name such as Chef Ollie S1. If the set changes after episode three, viewers notice by episode five.
Run a test of four short clips in different situations, close-up, walking, side light and a wide shot, before you write any scripts. If the face does not hold in those four, it will not hold across thirty episodes.
Step 2: write a one-page series bible
The bible is a single page you consult before every batch. It contains the premise in one sentence ("A retired chef rates viewers' fridge leftovers and cooks one thing from them"), the character's voice and three phrases they actually say, the two or three recurring locations, the lighting for each location, and the rules: what the character never does, what topics are out.
Recurring locations matter as much as the character. Describe each one the same way in every prompt, word for word. "A narrow kitchen with white subway tiles, a gas stove on the left and a window behind" should be pasted, not rewritten, so the set looks familiar from episode to episode.
Step 3: fix the episode template
A repeatable template makes production fast and gives the series its rhythm. A workable template for a 45-second episode is five shots.
Shot 1, the hook, 3 to 5 seconds: the character reacts to something on camera. Shot 2, the setup, 8 to 10 seconds: what today's episode is about. Shots 3 and 4, the content, 10 to 15 seconds each: the main action from two different camera angles. Shot 5, the sign-off, 3 to 5 seconds: the same closing gesture every time.
Keep the opening and closing shots almost identical across episodes; only the middle changes. A recurring sign-off is also a useful consistency check, because any drift is obvious when you compare it across weeks.
Clip lengths depend on the tool. Kling 3.0 Omni generates up to 15 seconds per request, according to Kling's user guide as of October 2026, and RefVid clips run 3 to 15 seconds, so each shot in this template fits in one generation.
Step 4: produce in batches
Make four episodes in one sitting instead of one episode four times. Batching keeps you in the same settings, the same prompt wording and the same reference set, and it makes inconsistencies easier to spot.
A practical batch looks like this. Write four scripts against the template. Turn each into five scene prompts, reusing location descriptions from the bible. Generate all hook shots first, then all setups, and so on, so you compare like with like.
Expect to regenerate some shots on early batches; record which ones and why. Then edit, add voice and captions in your editor, and schedule.
Voice is a separate decision. If the series uses a synthetic voice, use the same voice and settings every episode; a changing voice breaks the character as surely as a changing face. RefVid's optional sound speaks a line written in quotes, but it has no voice cloning, so the voice can differ between clips. For a fixed voice, add it in your editor.
Step 5: keep a continuity log
A continuity log is a simple spreadsheet: episode number, date, reference set version, model and settings used, the location prompts, and anything that changed. When episode 14 looks slightly off, the log tells you whether the reference set, the model or the light changed. Without it, you guess.
Models change too. When a newer model becomes available, test it with your existing reference set on your sign-off shot before switching mid-season, and note the switch in the log.
Common mistakes and checklist
Changing the outfit for variety. Give variety through locations and topics; keep the outfit for the season, and make a new reference version if it must change.
Rewriting location descriptions every time. Paste them from the bible.
Producing episode by episode, which spreads small setting changes across weeks.
Checklist: reference set versioned and tested; bible written with locations and lighting; five-shot template fixed; batch of four planned; same voice settings; continuity log updated after each batch.
In RefVid, the character's page lists every clip made from it, so you can compare this week's sign-off with episode one before you publish. Editing, voice and captions happen in your own editor.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should each episode of an AI character series be?
- For short-form platforms, 30 to 60 seconds works well. That is four to six shots, each of which fits in one generation, since Kling 3.0 Omni and RefVid generate clips of up to 15 seconds.
- How do I keep an AI series character the same over months?
- Never edit the character's reference set in place, log which set and model each episode used, and compare a recurring shot such as the sign-off across episodes.
- Can I add new characters to an existing AI character series?
- Yes. Build each new character's reference set the same way and test it in a shot with the main character before it appears in an episode, since two-person shots are harder to keep consistent. In RefVid, up to 3 subjects can share a shot, each named in the prompt.