How to make an AI short film, idea to final cut

An AI short film is made in stages: idea and script, look and characters, shot list, shot generation, edit, sound, then finish and publishing. Each stage is a separate job, and films on glu.tv credit different tools for each.

Published and checked 3 November 2026. Tool credits are only what creators have published in their titles and descriptions, so a film that names no tool is not counted. Counts are a snapshot of that day; the linked pages are rebuilt from the live catalogue.

What the films credit, stage by stage

Each count is the number of films crediting that tool, any version included, as at 3 November 2026. A film can appear in several rows. Credits show that a tool was used, not for what: ChatGPT, for instance, is credited by some creators for writing and by others for images.

Counted from creator-published credits on glu.tv films as at 3 November 2026; tools without a glu.tv tool page are grouped as Other.

Method: a video tool is any tool the tool directory lists as video generation, plus credited video tools that have no tool page, which are grouped as Other video tools. Credits cover generation tools, so storyboard and editing tools show as none or close to it. Published and checked 3 November 2026.

1. Idea and script

A short film holds one idea. Write it as a single sentence, then as a page of script or a numbered list of scenes. Short is the point: every extra scene is another set of shots to generate and keep consistent.

Creators use general assistants for this, and some say how. ENOUGH credits Claude and ChatGPT for its script, and the Subnautica 2 short lists Claude and Gemini for the screenplay.

2. Look and characters

Settle the look before you generate a single shot. Make reference images for each character, the main locations, the colour and the light, then generate every later shot against them. You decide the look once instead of once per shot.

The image tools creators credit most are Midjourney and Nano Banana. Creators describe how they use them. The maker of MARCO POLO says the characters were locked through reference sheets built in Soul Cinema and Seedream, then carried into every shot as multi-reference inputs. MERMAID: Curse of the Pink Siren credits Nano Banana Pro for character consistency. The Waiting Room says every clip and reference image was rendered through Kimeric.

3. Shot list and storyboard

Write down every shot: what is in frame, what moves, how long it runs, and what it cuts to. One action per shot keeps each prompt short and each clip easy to replace. Nothing in the catalogue's credits names a storyboard tool, so this guide doesn't suggest one.

One creator does name help with the list. My First AI-Made Video Ad credits Claude for "AI prompt writing / shot list generation".

4. Generating the shots

Generate each shot from its reference images and its line in the shot list. Expect to run each shot more than once and keep the best take. The most credited video tools are in the table above, and creators often mix them: JOURNEY HOME credits Runway, Seedance and Midjourney for its visuals.

Which tool suits your film is a question for a test, not a list. Run the same shot in two tools before you commit. Write down the version too, because creators credit "Veo 3.1" or "Seedance 2.5", not just the brand, and glu.tv keeps the version they gave.

5. Editing

Put the takes on a timeline, cut for rhythm and trim every clip to the part that works. Timeline editors are not in the catalogue's tool list, but creators name them in their descriptions. The Most Epic AI Short Film You'll See Today was cut in Adobe Premiere Pro and finished in DaVinci Resolve, and RUS-T credits Premiere Pro alongside Reallusion AI Studio, Seedance 2.0 and Nano Banana.

6. Sound: music, voice and effects

Treat sound as its own stage. Suno is the most credited music tool and ElevenLabs the most credited for voice and effects, with Udio and ACE Studio credited less often. Not every credited track is AI: SECOND EARTH used music from Artlist with limited effects and voice-overs from ElevenLabs.

Two films show the split clearly. THE PROMPTER lists music by Suno, sound design by ElevenLabs, and edit and colour in DaVinci Resolve. INVERTED credits ElevenLabs for dialogue and effects. For music-led work, see the guide to AI music videos.

7. Finishing and publishing

Finishing is upscaling, grading and export. Topaz and Magnific are the finishing tools creators credit most: Improbable Animals names Magnific for image upscaling and Topaz for video upscaling.

Then upload the film publicly to YouTube and list your tools and their versions in the description. Viewers and sites can only credit what you write down; glu.tv adds no tool a creator hasn't named, which is covered in how to find out what AI tool made a video. To get the film considered for the index, submit it. To see where finished films get watched, read where to watch AI films.

More guides on making AI films

• How to make your first AI film
• Consistent characters in AI films
• What AI tools make the best AI films