Make it feel like a tiny episode, not six pretty generations.

Frame-by-frame teardown of high-retention AI-native social videos points to one rule: the clips are chaotic on the surface, but the story engine is simple. A sticky AI video gives the viewer a recurring world, a visible want, a collision, an escalation, and a consequence. The novelty comes from the cuts; the coherence comes from callbacks.

The sticky AI-video ladder

Apply it to the Lena sequence

WORLD: rain-city courier depot vs family logistics tower.
WANT: Lena wants to protect Mara without becoming her family's weapon.
CALLBACK: the brass bird appears as nuisance, toy, recorder, projector, evidence, companion.
CHORUS: depot friends, security, board, couriers, Mara.
ESCALATION: warm table -> tower security -> boardroom betrayal -> tactical map -> lobby witness line.
REVERSAL: the bird was recording the board, not entertaining the depot.
COST: Lena wins the vote but loses her route, name, and license.

The reusable prompts.

These are deliberately explicit. Identity words repeat because the cost of repetition is small; the cost of a missing scar, changed jacket, or mechanical bird turning organic is a failed continuity pass.

Character bible prompt

Create a production character reference sheet for a fictional woman named
Lena Vale. She is a 29-year-old rain-city bicycle courier, compact build,
alert posture, tired but funny eyes. Fixed visual identity: short black bob
haircut with one clean white streak on the right side, scar running through
her left eyebrow, amber yellow rain jacket with reflective seams, black
messenger bag worn cross-body, fingerless black gloves, weathered boots.
She has a small brass mechanical bird companion with clockwork wings,
bead-like black eyes, a tiny keyhole in its chest, and one scratched wing.

Layout: one full-body front view, one side profile, one three-quarter medium
portrait, four small expression studies (dry smile, suspicious, hurt, calm
resolve), wardrobe swatches for amber jacket and black bag, separate prop
drawings of the messenger bag and brass bird. Plain off-white background,
editorial production art, photorealistic but clean, consistent face across
all views. No on-screen labels except tiny neutral panel titles. No logo.
No extra characters.

Six scene still prompts

Using Lena Vale from [Image1], create the first frame for scene 01:
rain-city courier depot before dawn, warm fluorescent kitchen corner, four
friendly coworkers around a dented metal table, paper cups, route tags, wet
helmets on hooks. Lena sits at the table in her amber rain jacket, black
messenger bag under her chair, short black bob with white streak, scar
through left eyebrow clearly visible. The brass mechanical bird hops onto
a receipt at center table. 35mm documentary still, medium-wide, warm ensemble
energy, rain on windows, no readable brand text.

Using Lena Vale from [Image1], create the first frame for scene 02:
ground-floor security lobby of a glass logistics tower at blue rainy morning,
wet black stone floor, turnstiles, executive elevator glowing in back.
Lena stands at the security desk in amber rain jacket, black messenger bag
open for inspection, scar through left eyebrow, white hair streak visible.
The brass mechanical bird perches half-hidden on the bag strap. 50mm lens,
cool reflections, quiet tension, no readable company logos.

Using Lena Vale from [Image1], create the first frame for scene 03:
high boardroom above the rainy city, long black table, older family executives
in dark suits, one silver-haired uncle signing a document, layoff folders
spread like playing cards. Lena stands at the far end in amber jacket, wet
hair bob with white streak, scar visible, black messenger bag at her side.
The brass mechanical bird sits on the polished table facing the uncle.
70mm composed wide, severe power geometry, no readable text on documents.

Using Lena Vale from [Image1], create the first frame for scene 04:
night courier sorting room converted into a tactical evidence wall, city
map projected across hanging raincoats, route strings and timestamps pinned
with brass clips. Lena leans over a table, amber jacket sleeves rolled,
black messenger bag open, scar through eyebrow, white streak sharp in side
light. The brass mechanical bird projects a tiny cone of light onto the map.
Dynamic tactical composition, rain-blue shadows, no guns, no violence.

Using Lena Vale from [Image1], create the first frame for scene 05:
logistics tower lobby during hard rain, dozens of couriers standing quietly
behind glass doors, wet reflective floor, board members visible on upper
balcony. Lena is foreground center in amber rain jacket and black messenger
bag, scar visible, short black bob with white streak. She places the brass
mechanical bird into Mara's hands. Cinematic medium-wide, moral pressure,
no protest signs, no readable text.

Using Lena Vale from [Image1], create the first frame for scene 06:
rainy city street at dawn after the vote, depot shutters opening behind
Lena but she walks away from them, amber jacket darker from rain, black
messenger bag empty and flat, scar through left eyebrow, short black bob
with white streak. The repaired brass mechanical bird follows at shoulder
height with one mismatched wing. Long lens, bittersweet quiet, warm depot
light behind her, no text, no crowd.

Seedance video prompts

For each job, send reference_images as [character_bible, scene_still] when available. If the active schema rejects reference_images, fall back to first-frame image and keep the same identity block in the prompt.

GLOBAL IDENTITY LOCK FOR EVERY VIDEO PROMPT:
[Image1] defines Lena Vale's exact identity: short black bob with one white
streak on the right side, scar through left eyebrow, amber rain jacket,
black messenger bag, compact courier posture, brass mechanical bird companion.
[Image2] defines this scene's first frame, room geometry, lighting, camera
angle, and opening pose. Preserve [Image1] identity and [Image2] framing.
No extra main characters unless named in the scene. No subtitles. No readable
text. No logos. Keep the brass bird mechanical, not biological.

01_DEPOT:
Single 6-second warm ensemble shot. Start from [Image2]. Lena smiles despite
herself as coworkers slide route tags across the table. The brass bird steals
a receipt and hops back to Lena's messenger bag. Camera handheld but gentle,
small push-in, rain ticking on windows, soft depot chatter, no music.

02_TOWER:
Single 6-second lobby tension shot. Start from [Image2]. Security opens Lena's
bag; Lena stays calm while the brass bird folds its wings and records the
executive elevator chime. Slow lateral track past turnstiles, cool glass
reflections, distant elevator bell, no dialogue.

03_BOARDROOM:
Single 6-second boardroom power shot. Start from [Image2]. The uncle signs
the layoff order and slides it across the table. Lena's expression changes
from hurt to calculating. The brass bird's eye clicks open. Locked wide to
slow push, rain behind glass, low room tone, no readable document text.

04_ROUTE_MAP:
Single 6-second tactical reversal shot. Start from [Image2]. Lena taps three
route pins in sequence; the brass bird projects audio-wave light onto the
map; coworkers understand the trap. Camera arcs clockwise, urgent but clear,
rain-blue shadows, no weapons, no explosions, no magic effects.

05_RAIN_VOTE:
Single 6-second lobby confrontation shot. Start from [Image2]. Lena gives
the brass bird to Mara, then steps back so the couriers become the witnesses.
Board members freeze on the balcony. Slow push toward Mara holding the bird,
rain and shoe squeaks, restrained crowd murmur, no chanting.

06_LAST_ROUTE:
Single 6-second bittersweet final shot. Start from [Image2]. Lena walks away
from the depot into light rain; the repaired brass bird catches up and lands
on her messenger bag strap. Camera follows from behind then lets her drift
to frame edge. Soft rain, one tiny clockwork chirp, no music swell.

Score the story like a continuity supervisor.

A clip can look cinematic and still fail this chapter. The pass condition is continuity across a sequence, not beauty in isolation.

Run command

REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=... python3 generate_character_story.py --images-only
REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=... python3 generate_character_story.py --videos-only
python3 generate_character_story.py --dry-run