---
title: Build a sequence of shots from a shot list
display: 'Build a *sequence* of shots from a shot list'
thumb: video/build-a-sequence-of-shots/thumb.webp
nav_title: Sequence of shots
summary:
  - "A sequence is short shots that read as one piece; the work is the plan around the models."
  - "Lock every look as an approved still before you animate anything: a still costs one image, a clip far more."
  - "In the three-shot example the clips were most of the cost; the stills were cheap and the cut was assembled locally."
description: Plan the shots, lock references and stills first, generate one clip per shot with matching settings, then cut, sound and finish the sequence.
section: video
order: 110
type: guide
level: Scale
roles: [all]
time: { read: 10, do: 60, wait: 20 }
needs: ["A script or a one-line story", "A paid plan with credits for several clips"]
last_verified: 2026-11-11
models_checked: ["Minimax H3", "Wan 3.0", "Seedance 2.5", "Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash", "Kling V3 I2V Pro", "Scenario Video Concat", "Scenario Video Studio", "Sequence-to-Video", "Grid Maker"]
hero: video/build-a-sequence-of-shots/hero-kyoto-dawn-frame.webp
video: video/build-a-sequence-of-shots/northvane-sunset-flight-three-shots.mp4
about: "A video model makes one shot at a time, so a sequence that holds together comes from the plan around the models, not from one clever prompt. This lesson builds a 15-second, three-shot sequence for Northvane, a fictional airline: a sunset flight that lands on a Kyoto dawn. You plan the shots, lock every look as an approved still, generate one clip per shot, then cut, sound and finish the sequence. The models and prices in this lesson are as of November 2026."
related: [storyboard-from-script, generate-video, reference-to-video, prompt-video, upscale-and-finish-video, video-tools, long-video-from-guided-frames, game-trailer-cinematic]
hero_in_header: true
steps:
  - title: "Write the shot list"
    text: "One row per shot: what it shows, one action, one camera move, 3 to 8 seconds, the anchor (a first frame, or a first and a last frame) and the model. Here three 5-second shots run from sunset to night to dawn, with Minimax H3 and Wan 3.0."
  - title: "Decide what stays fixed"
    text: "List the invariants: the character, the product and its label, the location's layout, the palette and light, the aspect ratio and frame rate. Make and approve one reference image for each and keep them together in a collection."
  - title: "Make and approve every still first"
    text: "In Create › Images, make the first frame of every shot (and the last frame where the list asks for one) from the reference collection, fixing details with an edit. Review them as a board with Grid Maker (Columns, Rows, Padding) and start clips only when the light progresses and the cuts will match. In the example, shot 2's sunset first frame is an edit of the approved night still with GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst."
    prompt: |-
      The same airport lounge from the reference image, same camera position, same framing, same furniture, same people in the same places, earlier the same day at sunset: warm low sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling glass and lays long golden stripes across the floor and the cream leather armchairs, the sky outside is orange and pale blue, the parked aircraft is lit by the sun, the pendant lamps and the bar lights are switched off, the room is lit only by daylight. Keep every object, its position and its color exactly the same. Wide 16:9 frame. Keep the small NORTHVANE wordmark on the wall exactly as it is; no other text. Style: premium travel advertising, warm and calm, realistic materials.
  - title: "Generate one clip per shot"
    text: "Create › Videos, one row at a time: the model from the list, the approved still as First Frame (and Last Frame if listed), a prompt with start state, one action, end state, camera and sound, Duration and Resolution from the list, Aspect Ratio on Auto. Draft low, then render; to chain shots, extract the last frame with Video to Image Sequence and use it as the next First Frame. In the example, shot 2 ran on Wan 3.0 (5 seconds, 720P) from the sunset and night pair."
    prompt: |-
      Time passes in the airport lounge. The low sunset light through the glass fades steadily over the whole shot into a dark blue night, the sky outside darkens, the runway and apron lights come on one by one, and the pendant lamps, the table lamps and the candles in the lounge glow warmer as the room darkens. The two travelers at the far table sit still, talking quietly. Nothing else in the room moves. Static camera, locked-off tripod shot, same framing from start to end. Sound: soft lounge room tone, the distant hum of a jet engine outside. No music, no speech.
  - title: "Cut, sound and finish"
    text: "Conform the clips to one size and frame rate, assemble them in order with Scenario Video Concat or on a timeline in Scenario Video Studio, add music and sound across the cuts, grade the shots to match, and upscale the final picks only."
agent_steps:
  - title: "Connect the Scenario MCP"
    text: "Connect your agent and sign in once at [mcp.scenario.com](https://mcp.scenario.com). Then tell it which Scenario team and project to use, so every file lands there."
  - title: "Give the agent the shot list and the references"
    text: "Paste the shot list (one row per shot: shows, action, camera, duration, anchor, model) and the approved reference image of each invariant: the character, the product, the location, the palette. Upload them with upload_asset or give their asset IDs."
  - title: "Brief the agent: the stills"
    prompt: |-
      Put the reference images in one collection. Then, for every row of the shot list, make the first frame (and the last frame where the row asks for one) with GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (model_openai-gpt-image-2-5-sunburst), 16:9, with the reference images as referenceImages. Assemble the stills into one board with Grid Maker (model_scenario-grid-maker) and show it to me. Quote the cost with a dry run first and wait for my go. No clips until I approve the board.
  - title: "Brief the agent: one clip per shot"
    prompt: |-
      For each approved row, in order: run the row's model (Minimax H3 is model_minimax-h3, Wan 3.0 is model_alibaba-wan-3-0) with the approved still as the first frame, and the last frame where the row has one (read model_schema_get for each model's parameter names). Prompt: start state, one action, end state, camera, sound. Duration from the row, a low resolution first, the aspect ratio following the first frame. Quote each run with a dry run first and wait for my go. To chain two shots, extract the last frame of the accepted clip with Video to Image Sequence (model_scenario-video-to-image-seq), show it to me at full size, and use it as the next first frame.

      For the lounge shot (Wan 3.0, 5 seconds, 720P, the sunset still as the first frame and the night still as the last frame), the prompt word for word:
      Time passes in the airport lounge. The low sunset light through the glass fades steadily over the whole shot into a dark blue night, the sky outside darkens, the runway and apron lights come on one by one, and the pendant lamps, the table lamps and the candles in the lounge glow warmer as the room darkens. The two travelers at the far table sit still, talking quietly. Nothing else in the room moves. Static camera, locked-off tripod shot, same framing from start to end. Sound: soft lounge room tone, the distant hum of a jet engine outside. No music, no speech.
  - title: "Check and redo"
    text: "Accept when, in order at full speed, the character and product match between shots, the light progresses, cuts land on movement or matched frames and sound carries across them. Reject a changed outfit or face, one shot sharper, darker or warmer than its neighbors, a jumping cut or a clashing motion style. Fix the one shot, not the sequence."
    prompt: |-
      Wait for every job with jobs_wait and show me the clips in order. Tell me which shots fail the checks and redo only those, quoting first.
  - title: "Cut, file and report"
    prompt: |-
      Join the accepted clips in order with Scenario Video Concat (model_scenario-video-concat), after conforming them to one size and frame rate; read model_schema_get for its inputs and quote it first. Then add the stills, the accepted clips and the cut to the collection, and report the models, the settings and every asset ID by shot number.
updated: 2026-11-11
canonical: https://learn.scenario.com/video/build-a-sequence-of-shots
---

Last updated: 2026-11-11

# Build a sequence of shots from a shot list

> Plan the shots, lock references and stills first, generate one clip per shot with matching settings, then cut, sound and finish the sequence.

In short:

- A sequence is short shots that read as one piece; the work is the plan around the models.
- Lock every look as an approved still before you animate anything: a still costs one image, a clip far more.
- In the three-shot example the clips were most of the cost; the stills were cheap and the cut was assembled locally.


A video model makes one shot at a time, so a sequence that holds together comes from the plan around the models, not from one clever prompt. This lesson builds a 15-second, three-shot sequence for Northvane, a fictional airline: a sunset flight that lands on a Kyoto dawn. You plan the shots, lock every look as an approved still, generate one clip per shot, then cut, sound and finish the sequence.

:::note As of November 2026
The models, settings and prices in this article are the ones Scenario offered in November 2026. New models and updates arrive often, so check the model library for newer options before you choose.
:::

:::steps Quick version
1. Write a shot list: one row per shot, with one action, one camera move and 3 to 8 seconds each.
2. Make one approved reference image for everything that must stay the same, and keep them in one collection.
3. Generate and approve the first frame of every shot (and the last frame where a shot needs one), and review them side by side.
4. Generate one clip per shot from those stills, with the same aspect ratio and matching settings.
5. Conform the clips, cut them in order, add sound across the cuts, grade, and upscale the final picks only.
:::

![From a shot list to a sequence, in two stages. Stills: 1 write the shot list, one action and one camera move per shot of 3 to 8 seconds; 2 fix the references, one approved image per invariant, kept in a collection; 3 approve every still, first frames and last frames reviewed side by side as a sequence. Clips: 4 one clip per shot with the same aspect ratio, drafted at low resolution first; 5 cut in order with Scenario Video Concat or Video Studio; 6 sound across the cuts, grade and upscale the final picks. For a matched cut, extract the last frame of an accepted clip and use it as the next shot's first frame.](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/3464af7cf33367d738f358c0643438f5e177a23bd225da857241d1ef56a654e2.svg "Lock every look as a still before you generate clips.")

## Before you start

- **A script or a one-line story.** Here it's "a sunset flight to a Kyoto dawn", 15 seconds. For a longer piece, start from the script and let a language model draft the shot list for you to edit: see [Storyboard from script](https://learn.scenario.com/playbooks/storyboard-from-script.md).
- **Credits for several clips.** Clips are most of the cost of a sequence, and you'll reject some. The price of each run shows on the **Generate** button before you click.
- **Where things live.** Stills come from **Create › Images**, clips from **Create › Videos** (see [Generate video](https://learn.scenario.com/video/generate-video.md)). Grid Maker, Video to Image Sequence, Scenario Video Concat and Scenario Video Studio are tools you pick like any model; [Video tools](https://learn.scenario.com/video/video-tools.md) lists them.
- **The key idea.** Changing a look on a still costs one image. Changing it after you animate costs a whole clip. So every look is decided on a still, and a clip only adds motion.

## Step 1: Write the shot list

One row per shot: what it shows, one action, one camera move, a duration of 3 to 8 seconds, what anchors it (a first frame, or a first and a last frame) and the model. A beat that needs two actions becomes two shots.

| # | Duration | Shows | Action | Camera | Anchor | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 s | The suite in flight at sunset | The sun sinks behind the clouds, the light on the bed deepens | Very slow push-in toward the window | First frame | Minimax H3 |
| 2 | 5 s | The arrival lounge | Sunset fades to night, the lamps and runway lights come on | Static | First and last frame | Wan 3.0 |
| 3 | 5 s | A Kyoto lane at dawn | The lantern sways, mist drifts over the rooftops | Slow push-in toward the pagoda | First frame | Minimax H3 |

The light runs from sunset to night to dawn: that progression is the story, and every later check comes back to it.

## Step 2: Decide what stays fixed

List the invariants, the things a viewer would notice if they changed between shots:

- **The character:** face, hair and outfit.
- **The product** and its label (here, the Northvane name and logo on the bedding, the bag and the tail).
- **The location's layout.**
- **The palette and the light.**
- **The aspect ratio and frame rate.**

Make one reference image for each, approve it, and keep them together in a collection. Every still in the next step is made from these files, never from text alone.

## Step 3: Make and approve every still first

Generate the first frame of every shot, and the last frame where the shot list asks for one, with an image model (see [Generate images](https://learn.scenario.com/images/generate-images.md)). Use the reference collection as references, and fix any detail with an edit before you go on ([Edit images](https://learn.scenario.com/images/edit-images.md)).

In the example, the stills were:

- **Shot 1:** the approved suite at sunset.
- **Shot 2:** the lounge at sunset as the first frame, and the same lounge at night as the last frame.
- **Shot 3:** the Kyoto lane, recomposed to 16:9 with GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst (two options in about 35 seconds, one kept).

![Shot 1's first frame: the Northvane suite in flight, the sun setting over the clouds outside the window](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/33ccd666b89bfa10fcafce0ca52ec83395d90067fc0ec02294cddbbd82e4117d.webp)

:::compare
![Shot 2's first frame: the Northvane lounge at sunset, an aircraft outside the window](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/e43e176866e5e878b34a3ca7f8e215101dcaaef8941ed0b153bc35a7406e1e3f.webp "First frame, sunset")
![Shot 2's last frame: the same lounge at night, lamps and runway lights on](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/94dd4653cc0f1df410f334a5334abb342b6c24c8db63f6932024bb482a154300.webp "Last frame, night")
:::

The two lounge frames show why a first and last frame pair works for a change of light: everything stays where it is, and only the light moves.

The approved still was the lounge at night; GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst turned it into the same room at sunset, with the night still as the reference. The prompt, as run:

```prompt
The same airport lounge from the reference image, same camera position, same framing, same furniture, same people in the same places, earlier the same day at sunset: warm low sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling glass and lays long golden stripes across the floor and the cream leather armchairs, the sky outside is orange and pale blue, the parked aircraft is lit by the sun, the pendant lamps and the bar lights are switched off, the room is lit only by daylight. Keep every object, its position and its color exactly the same. Wide 16:9 frame. Keep the small NORTHVANE wordmark on the wall exactly as it is; no other text. Style: premium travel advertising, warm and calm, realistic materials.
```

Now review the stills as a sequence. Lay them side by side, or assemble them into one board with Grid Maker (set **Columns**, **Rows** and **Padding**, then generate). Ask three questions: does the light progress, will the cuts match, and is every recurring thing the same?

![Three frames side by side: the suite at sunset above the clouds, the lounge at night with the aircraft outside, the Kyoto lane at dawn](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/6c725d05b90d6cb95e8f52227e8bdb5a87bb7109648b7c45f5fecfd7750463bf.webp "The three shots as a board: sunset, night, dawn.")

Only when the board reads as one piece do you start on clips.

## Step 4: Generate one clip per shot

Open **Create › Videos** and work through the shot list one row at a time:

:::steps
1. Choose the model from the shot list.
2. Load the approved still as **First Frame**, and as **Last Frame** if the row lists one.
3. Write the prompt with the shot formula: start state, one action, end state, camera, sound. See [Prompt video](https://learn.scenario.com/methods/prompt-video.md).
4. Set **Duration** and **Resolution** from the shot list. Leave **Aspect Ratio** on **Auto** so the clip takes the shape of the first frame.
5. Draft at a low resolution if the model has one, check the motion, then render at the final setting.
6. Step through the accepted clip before you start the next shot.
:::

**Keep settings consistent across shots:** the same aspect ratio, a similar resolution, and the same model for shots that cut together directly, when you can. Mixed models are fine, as in the example, if you grade them together at the end.

In the example, each Minimax H3 shot took about 3 minutes at 768P, and the Wan 3.0 lounge shot was made from the first and last frame pair. Shot 1 was accepted with a note: the asked-for push-in came out as a slow drift toward the window, which still works as an opening.

Shot 2 ran on Wan 3.0, 5 seconds at 720P, with the sunset still as **First Frame** and the night still as **Last Frame**. The prompt, as run:

```prompt
Time passes in the airport lounge. The low sunset light through the glass fades steadily over the whole shot into a dark blue night, the sky outside darkens, the runway and apron lights come on one by one, and the pendant lamps, the table lamps and the candles in the lounge glow warmer as the room darkens. The two travelers at the far table sit still, talking quietly. Nothing else in the room moves. Static camera, locked-off tripod shot, same framing from start to end. Sound: soft lounge room tone, the distant hum of a jet engine outside. No music, no speech.
```

:::compare
![Shot 1 at its first frame](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/33ccd666b89bfa10fcafce0ca52ec83395d90067fc0ec02294cddbbd82e4117d.webp "Start")
![Shot 1 four seconds in: the frame has drifted slightly toward the window](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/36c48c2c9c725d52bcd85c595ab77f385b66b32f400fc78f8edda43cd120032b.webp "Four seconds in")
:::

### Two ways to connect shots

- **Chain from the last frame.** For continuous action across a cut, the last frame of an accepted clip becomes the first frame of the next shot. The steps are below.
- **Generate several shots in one run.** Kling V3 has a **Multi Prompt** section: you add up to five shot prompts, each with its own **Shot Duration**, and the clip's total duration is their sum. Leave the main **Prompt** box empty when you use it. An end image doesn't work with Multi Prompt, only with a single prompt. Check each internal cut as carefully as you would a separate clip.

### Chain shots from the last frame

:::steps
1. Accept clip 1, then extract its last frame with Video to Image Sequence, or locally: `ffmpeg -sseof -0.1 -i shot-1.mp4 -frames:v 1 shot-2-first.png`.
2. Inspect that frame at full size like any still: a soft face or a broken hand in it carries into the next shot. Fix it with an edit before you use it ([Edit images](https://learn.scenario.com/images/edit-images.md)).
3. Load it as **First Frame** of shot 2, with the shot 2 prompt, and generate.
4. Repeat shot by shot. Small changes add up along a chain, so compare every few shots with the approved reference stills, and re-anchor from them when the character drifts.
:::

## Step 5: Cut, sound and finish

:::steps
1. **Conform** the clips to one size and frame rate. Models return different sizes and frame rates; see [Upscale and finish video](https://learn.scenario.com/video/upscale-and-finish-video.md).
2. **Assemble** them in order with Scenario Video Concat (2 to 50 clips, with a choice of transitions), or on a timeline in Scenario Video Studio (up to 50 layers, for titles, overlays and layered audio). See [Compose with Image Studio and Video Studio](https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/compose-with-image-and-video-studio.md).
3. **Add music and sound** across the cuts, so the sound carries the viewer over each one. See [Sound effects and foley](https://learn.scenario.com/audio/sound-effects-and-foley.md).
4. **Grade** the shots to match, then **upscale** the final picks only, once the cut is approved.
:::

:::video https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/1f31925e32af1481dc58d6c29a26f593f0110992f53cf6a177c755a53027318f.mp4
The three shots from the list, cut together at 1280 x 720 and 24 fps with half-second dissolves, each shot keeping its own sound. The Minimax H3 shots were cropped from 1344 x 768 to 16:9 and the Wan 3.0 shot conformed from 30 to 24 fps. The cut itself was made locally.
:::

![The third shot's first frame: a Kyoto lane at dawn, a lantern on the left, the pagoda in the mist](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/4654671651c5321cf3866bf0c4f1529f56d267f7f2513ccbce69000ff66248da.webp "Shot 3, the dawn the sequence lands on.")

:::check
**Accept when:** watched in order at full speed, the shots read as one piece: the character and product match between shots, the light and color progress logically, cuts land on movement or on matched frames, and sound carries across the cuts without jumps.
**Reject when:** a character's outfit or face changes between shots, one shot is visibly sharper, darker or warmer than its neighbors, a cut jumps because frames don't match, or one shot's motion style (camera drift, speed) clashes with the rest. Fix the one shot, not the sequence.
:::

## Tools for each stage

| Stage | Tool | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Review the stills | Grid Maker | Assembles images into one board; you set **Columns**, **Rows**, **Padding** and the background color |
| Chain shots | Video to Image Sequence | Extracts frames from a clip, including the last one |
| Several shots in one run | Kling V3, **Multi Prompt** | Up to five shot prompts, each with its own **Shot Duration** |
| Trim a clip | Video Cut | Keeps the segment between a start and an end time; audio is kept by default |
| Split a long clip | Video Split | Cuts at a list of timestamps; N cut points give N+1 clips |
| Join clips | Scenario Video Concat | 2 to 50 clips in order, with transitions |
| Compose | Scenario Video Studio | A timeline with up to 50 layers for video, images, titles and audio |
| Animate frames | Sequence-to-Video | Turns ordered images into an MP4 or GIF at a frame rate you set |

Every tool makes a new asset and leaves the source as it was, so you can always go back a step.

## Make it repeatable

- **The shot list is the spec.** Keep it in the project with the reference collection, the approved stills and the accepted clips, named by shot number.
- **Loop over the shot list in a workflow** for a series in the same format (one per product, one per episode): each row's still, prompt and settings in, one clip out. See [Batches, loops and logic](https://learn.scenario.com/workflows/batches-loops-and-logic.md).

## Common problems

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The character drifts from shot to shot | Animate from approved stills, not from text, and make every still from the same reference set |
| One shot looks different from the others | Grade it to match, or regenerate its still with the neighbors as style references |
| A cut jumps | Chain from the previous clip's last frame, or cut on movement instead of on a still moment |
| The character drifts further with every chained shot | Re-anchor: make the next first frame from the approved reference stills, not from the last frame |
| The camera move you asked for came out weaker | Accept it if it still serves the shot, or name the move earlier and more plainly in the prompt; see [Direct the camera and the motion](https://learn.scenario.com/video/direct-the-camera-and-motion.md) |
| A shot needs a beat the model can't do | Split it into two simpler shots, or drive the motion with a reference video ([Reference to video](https://learn.scenario.com/video/reference-to-video.md)) |
| Clips don't line up when you join them | Conform them to one size and frame rate before you cut |
| The sequence costs more than planned | Count the rejects per shot. Approve stills before clips, draft at a low resolution, and upscale only the final cut |

## What's next

This is the last lesson of the course. To run the whole method on a bigger piece, follow [Long video from guided frames](https://learn.scenario.com/playbooks/long-video-from-guided-frames.md) or [Game trailer cinematic](https://learn.scenario.com/playbooks/game-trailer-cinematic.md), and start from [Storyboard from script](https://learn.scenario.com/playbooks/storyboard-from-script.md) when you have a script rather than a shot list.

Source: https://learn.scenario.com/video/build-a-sequence-of-shots