USE WHEN
Use this manual when
- Recurring characters across episodes, settings or models
- Wardrobe, age, prop or action continuity
- Productions that need clear handoffs across art, generation and post
PRODUCTION MANUAL · Character continuity
Character continuity is not one reference image: build a revisable shot-state package
Separate character, wardrobe, environment, props, action and boundary frames into traceable assets so drift can be isolated and revised.
DO NOT USE AS
Do not use it as
- One-off atmospheric inserts
- Reviews based on one attractive frame alone
01
VERIFIED FACTS
What the evidence currently establishes
- 01
Runway's Gen-4 page documents visual references for characters, locations, objects and style. This establishes a control surface, not stable results on every project's assets.
- 02
Seedance 2.0 documents combined image, video and audio references plus storyboard-like instructions, while its own launch material still notes room to improve multi-subject consistency.
- 03
Google Flow and Veo updates provide shot, asset and generation controls suitable as one node in a stateful workflow—not a replacement for project asset management.
02
REQUIRED INPUTS
Prepare before starting
- Canonical front, profile, three-quarter and key-expression views
- Wardrobe, hair, age, makeup and immutable traits
- Scene axis, time, weather, light direction and key props
- Approved end frame from the prior shot and target first frame for the next
- Shot ID, version, generation inputs and post changes
03
WORKFLOW
Execution workflow
- 01
Create character and environment fact sheets and mark mutable attributes.
- 02
Build scene-specific character, wardrobe and prop packs instead of mixing every reference.
- 03
Save intent, framing, camera move, boundary state and negative constraints per shot.
- 04
Run a low-cost motion test before high-quality candidates.
- 05
Review identity, hands, wardrobe, props, axis, light and action continuity shot by shot.
- 06
Revise only failed fields; switch routes or return to an approved boundary frame when local repair fails.
04
DELIVERABLES & QC
Deliverables and acceptance
Required deliverables
- Character and environment fact sheets
- Scene reference packs
- Per-shot state JSON or sheet
- Drift defect and revision log
QC checklist
- Key traits hold across more than three frames
- Identity and wardrobe changes have story justification
- Prop position, hand use and screen axis remain continuous
- Boundary motion joins at the edit
- Adjacent shots are regression-checked after revision
EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
What this manual does not prove
Reference support does not mean character consistency is solved. This page confirms public controls only; cross-shot stability requires independent review on project assets, target duration and the real post pipeline.