How to make your first AI film
Make it short, make it simple and finish it. Pick one idea, tell it in a handful of shots with one recurring look, plan the sound before you generate anything, then edit it and post it. Aim for 30 to 90 seconds. A first film that is done teaches you more than a big one that is not.
Published and checked 3 November 2026. Counts and examples from glu.tv are a snapshot of that day; the linked pages are rebuilt from the live catalogue. For the full idea-to-final-cut workflow, read how to make an AI short film.
Keep the first film short
Thirty to ninety seconds is the right size. It holds one idea, it takes few attempts to get right, and you will actually reach the end. The table shows how many films on glu.tv run each length, as at 3 November 2026. Many films run longer, so a first film at 30 to 90 seconds is a small, finishable step, not a lesser one.
| Film length | Films on glu.tv |
|---|---|
| A minute or less | 78 |
| 90 seconds or less | 92 |
| Two minutes or less | 109 |
| All films in the catalogue | 496 |
One idea, a handful of shots, one look
Write your idea as one sentence: who, what happens, how it ends. Then list five to ten shots, each showing one thing. If a shot needs two actions, split it into two shots.
Choose one look and keep it. Decide the colour, the light and the style once, then repeat those words in every prompt. A film that holds one look reads as finished.
Watch short films and read their credits
The fastest lesson is a short film that works. These three run under two minutes, and each page lists the tools the creator named:
- POOF by Pizza Later, 59 seconds, credits ElevenLabs, Luma, Midjourney, Runway and Udio. One small story, told in under a minute.
- What if AI Designed a F1 Race? by Pick Huang, 34 seconds, credits Hailuo, Kling and Midjourney. A single idea with one consistent look.
- Not True Crime Interviews: Santa Claus by Neural Viz, 1 minute 39 seconds, credits ElevenLabs, Kling and Nano Banana. The voice carries a lot of this one.
When you watch, ask what each film chose not to show. Then use the tools index to see everything else made with a tool you are curious about. Credits come from what each creator published. Many films name several tools, because a film has several jobs: images, motion, voice and music.
A simple order of work
- Idea. One sentence.
- Shot list. Five to ten shots, one thing each.
- Look. Fix one style and reuse its wording in every prompt.
- Sound plan. Decide the voice, music and effects now.
- Generate. Make a few takes per shot and keep the best.
- Edit. Trim, order, add sound, and cut anything that does not earn its place.
- Post. Upload, credit your tools and share the link.
Each step is covered in depth in the full workflow guide.
Common beginner mistakes
- Too many characters. Each extra character is one more face to keep consistent. Start with one, or none.
- No sound plan. Footage without a voice, music or effects feels unfinished. Decide the sound before you generate.
- No edit. Raw generations are rarely a film. Trim each clip, set the order and cut what drags.
- Too long. A three-minute first film is where many projects stall. Cut the idea down instead.
- Changing the look mid-film. If every shot has a new style, it reads as a reel of clips, not a film.
Once it is made
Post it publicly on YouTube with a clear title. Put the tools you used in the description and in a pinned comment, naming only what you actually used. That is how viewers, and glu.tv, learn how a film was made. Then submit it to glu.tv. We choose films by hand, embed them from your own channel so the views stay with you, and show the tools you named.
More guides on making AI films
Make your own AI film
glu studio is where you can make AI video yourself. It's an invite-only beta with a waitlist, so not everyone can get in yet.
Join the waitlistFrequently asked questions
How long should my first AI film be?
Between 30 and 90 seconds. That is enough for one idea and short enough to finish. Plenty of films on glu.tv run under two minutes, and the length table on this page gives the dated counts.
How many shots does a first AI film need?
A handful, usually five to ten. Each shot only needs to show one thing. More shots mean more chances for the look, the character or the sound to drift, so start small and add a shot only when the story needs it.
Do I need to credit the AI tools I used?
Yes, and it helps. Naming your tools in the description and a pinned comment tells viewers how the film was made, and glu.tv shows the tools a creator names on every film page. Credit only what you used, and add the version if you know it.
Can glu.tv list my first AI film?
It can be considered. Post it publicly on YouTube first, then send it through the glu.tv submit page. glu.tv lists and links films that play from the creator's own channel, and chooses them by hand, so a submission is not a guarantee of a place.
Do I need sound and music?
Plan for them from the start. A film with a voice, music or sound effects feels more complete than silent footage. Many creators on glu.tv credit separate tools for voice and music, so treat each as its own small job and settle them before you generate.
How do I plan the sound for my first film?
Decide the voice, music and effects before you generate anything, so each shot leaves room for them. Keep it simple: one music track and, if people speak, one voice. Films on glu.tv credit Suno for music and ElevenLabs for voice, but test any tool on a single shot first.