How to Plan Your Video Before You Generate Anything (AI Director Mode)

Why AI Director Mode should start with planning

AI video clips can look incredible, but a pile of disconnected clips rarely turns into a real business video. A single 10 to 15 second moment can sell a vibe, but your audience still needs structure: a hook, a clear point, and a next step.

AI Director Mode solves that “clip-first drift” problem by giving you a plan before you commit to motion. You define the core ingredients, Visla generates a scene-by-scene storyboard, and you tighten it while everything stays lightweight. Then you generate the scenes that deserve motion.

Here’s the mental model:

• You handle pre-production: message, audience, tone, look, and the building blocks that repeat.
• Visla handles direction: it turns your inputs into a coherent storyboard and keeps continuity on track.
• You act like the executive producer: you approve, cut, reorder, and decide what becomes full video.

That order matters because it keeps you in control. It also keeps iterations cheap, since you fix story and continuity in the storyboard instead of re-generating clips after the fact.

Start with your starting point (because it changes your plan)

Visla lets you start a project from a lot of different inputs: an idea, a script, text you want the AI to rewrite, a webpage, a PDF or deck, existing footage, images, and audio. That choice sets your starting level of certainty.

• If you start from an idea: you’ll spend more time defining the story and the visuals.
• If you start from your own script: you’ll spend less time inventing structure and more time shaping pacing, style, and continuity.
• If you start from a webpage or doc: you’ll spend time deciding what to keep, what to cut, and what to simplify for video.
• If you start from existing footage: you’ll plan around what you already have and use AI visuals to fill gaps.

Planning map: starting point → what you should decide upfront

Your starting point in Visla	What you already “know”
Idea	The topic
Script	The narrative and beats
Text to rewrite	Source material
Webpage	Structure and claims
PDF / PPT	Sections and visuals

The main idea: your input decides how much pre-production you owe yourself. If you start from a loose prompt, you need a tighter plan to avoid randomness.

Storytelling for business videos (you don’t need to write a movie)

You don’t need to sound like Aaron Sorkin. You just need clarity and momentum.

If you do end up writing your own script, here’s simple structure that works for most business videos:

1. Hook: name the situation the viewer recognizes.
2. Problem: show the friction or cost.
3. Promise: state what improves.
4. How it works: give the minimum steps.
5. Proof: show evidence, demo, or a specific example.
6. Next step: one clear call to action.

Beat worksheet

Write one sentence per beat. Then you can hand those sentences to the storyboard.

• Hook: “[viewer] keeps running into [pain].”
• Problem: “It costs [time, money, trust] because [reason].”
• Promise: “With [approach], you get [outcome].”
• How it works: “You do [step 1], then [step 2], then [step 3].”
• Proof: “Here’s [demo, metric, screenshot, customer quote].”
• Next step: “Do [one action].”

Example: 60-second product update

• Hook: “If you’ve ever had a great idea for a video and still ended up with random clips, this fixes that.”
• Problem: “Clip-first generation makes continuity and pacing fall apart.”
• Promise: “Director Mode keeps the story consistent across multiple scenes.”
• How it works: “You set the basics, choose a style, add characters, objects, and environments, then you review the storyboard.”
• Proof: “You can see the same character and product show up across scenes before you generate motion.”
• Next step: “Try it on your next launch video.”

Borrow the parts of traditional production that actually help

Traditional video production has three big phases:

1. Pre-production: you decide what you’ll make and how you’ll make it.
2. Production: you capture the footage.
3. Post-production: you edit, polish, and ship.

AI Director Mode compresses the “production” part, but it doesn’t delete pre-production. In practice, you still need to answer the same questions a producer asks:

• Who will watch this?
• What should they do or believe after?
• What tone fits the context?
• What visuals will repeat so the video feels like one piece?

Think of your storyboard as your pre-production deliverable. If it lands, the rest gets easier.

The five-minute pre-production routine

You don’t need film jargon. You just need a few decisions that prevent drift.

Step 1: Write a one-paragraph creative brief

Keep it plain. Keep it specific. Keep it next to you while you build.

Checklist:

• Audience: Who watches, and what do they already know?
• Message: What’s the single takeaway?
• Tone: Direct and clear, or more narrative and cinematic?
• Channel: Where will it live (LinkedIn, YouTube, landing page, internal update)?
• Length: Rough runtime that fits the channel and attention span.
• Proof: What will you show so it doesn’t sound like pure claims?

Template (copy and fill):

“This video targets [audience]. It explains [message] in a [tone] way. Viewers will see it on [channel], so we’ll keep it around [length]. We’ll prove the point by showing [proof element], and the main visual theme will stay consistent through [style + repeating elements].”

Step 2: Pick your “visual spine”

A cohesive video repeats a few anchors. Pick two or three and commit.

Choose your spine elements:

• A consistent main character
• A repeatable environment (one office set, one studio background)
• A key object that reappears (product, UI screen, logo lockup)
• A consistent visual style (photorealistic, cinematic, 3D render, flat vector)

Step 3: Decide what you won’t do

This sounds small, but it saves you.

• You won’t add a second main character unless the story needs conflict or contrast.
• You won’t add a new location unless it changes meaning.
• You won’t switch styles mid-video unless you signal it on purpose.

Plan the Director Mode ingredients (without over-planning scenes)

Visla’s AI handles the scene-by-scene direction once you give it the big pieces. So don’t write a 20-scene shot list before you start. Instead, plan what makes the video feel like one world.

The practical planning table

Decision	Why it matters	Good default	When you should get specific	Example
Message	It shapes the storyboard flow	One takeaway	When you have multiple CTAs	“Book a demo” vs. “Start free trial”
Style	It determines what your video as a whole looks like	Match your brand vibe	When the aesthetic carries meaning	“Cinematic” for narrative, “Flat vector” for explainer
Characters	They drive continuity	1 main character	When you need roles or dialogue	“PM” + “skeptical stakeholder”
Objects	They anchor branding and proof	1 to 3 key objects	When details matter	“Dashboard screen,” “laptop”
Environments	They set context fast	1 main location	When location changes the story	Office vs. factory floor
Motion	It costs the most	Animate key scenes	When motion sells the idea	Product reveal, before/after, key transitions

Choose the right approach: stock footage, AI clips, or both

Visla can match stock footage quickly when you need realistic b-roll. Director Mode shines when you need custom visuals, recurring characters, or a consistent world across scenes. You can also mix both scene by scene.

Your goal	Best approach	Why it works
Fast, real-world b-roll	Stock footage matching	Quick, familiar visuals
A unique product story	Director Mode clips	Tailored visuals you can’t find in stock
A consistent character across scenes	Director Mode clips	Strong continuity across the whole video
A blended look	Both	Flexibility and speed where you need it

Pre-flight checklist before you click “Generate storyboard”

Run this list once. It saves you rework.

• I can say the one-sentence takeaway out loud.
• I picked a channel and a rough length.
• I chose a style that matches the message.
• I defined a visual spine with 2 to 3 repeating anchors.
• I wrote one sentence for each story beat.
• I listed the characters, objects, and environments I want to reuse.
• I know which 2 to 4 moments deserve motion the most.

If you can check those boxes, you’re ready. The storyboard will do the detailed work of turning your big plan into scenes, and you’ll keep the freedom to edit before you generate any clips.

Once you’re finished planning, you’re ready to generate your video. If you want a comprehensive, in-depth guide about using the AI Director Mode feature itself, please check out our guide.

And, of course, practice makes perfect. Make sure to get your hands onto AI Director Mode itself.

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