Make your first three shots.

1. Open your shot plan and your Flow project side by side.

Set it up first

2. In the prompt box, click the model name, then click Video.

   Pictures and video use the same box. Video makes moving shots.

3. Set the number of outputs to 1. That is how many videos each request makes.

   Flow can make two at once. Two cost twice the credits.

4. Set the shape (Google calls it orientation) to tall, for phones.

5. Check what one video costs. Click Settings at the top right of the prompt box.

   Some video choices cost five times more than others. A lower-cost one is fine for most shots. Google lists every cost (opens in a new tab).

Three ways to make a shot

6. From words (text to video): type the prompt and make the shot. Use it for shots with nobody in them, like an empty road.

7. From a picture (image to video): under Video, click Frames. Drag a picture onto + Add start frame, then describe what happens next.

   The picture becomes the start frame. Add a picture to + Add end frame too, and the shot moves from one to the other.

8. From your saved characters (ingredients): under Video, click Ingredients. Type @ and pick the character, then say what they do.

   Use this for every shot with a person in it.

Write the prompt

9. Take the first line of your shot plan. Write who is in frame, what they do, the place and the light.

10. Pick the saved character every time: type @ and then the character’s name. Words alone make the face drift.

    Example: “@Ruth turns from a farmhouse window at dawn and looks down the empty road. Soft grey light. Medium shot.”

11. Click the generate icon. Wait for the clip to finish; it can take a few minutes.

Keep the best take

12. Make the shot two or three times in all. If a take comes out wrong, change one thing in the prompt first.

13. Watch each take. Keep the one where the face matches and nothing looks strange.

Download it and name it

14. Point at the clip without clicking. Click More, then Download, and pick the size.

    Pick 1080p if you see it. Google says it’s free on paid plans, and it looks sharper on phones.

15. Name the file by its shot number, like shot-01.mp4. Then you always know which shot is which.

    • Computer

      Open Downloads. On a Mac, click the file, press Return and type the name. On Windows, click it, press F2 and type.

    • iPhone

      In Files, press and hold the file, then tap Rename.

    • Android

      In Files, press and hold the file, tap the three dots, then Rename.

16. Do the same for shots 2 and 3.

When a shot needs to run longer

17. Click the clip, then click Extend at the bottom. Describe how the action carries on, then click the generate icon.

    Extend works on some clips only. If you don’t see it, make the next shot of your plan instead.