---
name: mv-pipeline
title: AI music video pipeline
summary: Take a song to a finished 2–3 minute music video with AI video models, cut on the beat and checked shot by shot.
tags: [video, music, production]
---
# AI music video pipeline

How Nightshift Studio makes a full music video in about three days.

## Day 1 — song and plan
1. **Write the lyrics around one story.** Hold the title back until the final chorus. Quote only things a person has really said in public; never invent quotes.
2. **Generate the song** (we use Suno). Pick the take with the clearest vocal and a clean ending. Commercial use needs a paid plan.
3. **Split the song into sections** with timestamps: intro, verses, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, outro.
4. **Write a shot list**: one shot per lyric line or per 4–8 beats, 25–35 shots for a 3-minute song. Each shot gets: name, duration (5–10 s), scene, camera move, and the character's action.
5. **Lock the character first** (see the `character-lock` skill) before generating any story shot.

## Day 2 — generate
- Use **one video model for the whole film.** Switching models mid-film makes the lead look like a different person.
- Paste the same identity block into every prompt.
- Run shots in parallel where your plan allows. A 6-second 720p shot takes 10–20 minutes.
- Check every shot as it lands (see `shot-qc`). Re-generate failures immediately; do not "fix it in the edit".

## Day 3 — edit and check
1. Detect tempo and beats (see `beat-cut`). Snap every cut to a beat; put big cuts on downbeats.
2. Vary speed gently (0.7×–1.25×) to land action peaks on beats.
3. Captions: sparse, large, never over a face. Title card at the reveal.
4. Export, then watch the **finished file** start to end at least twice before sending.

## What we learned the hard way
- Scenes must change with the lyrics; one location for a whole song feels like a demo.
- A character who only acts (no singing) removes the hardest problem, lip-sync.
- Hidden failures live in the last second of a shot: check the ends.

*Want it done for you? Nightshift Studio delivers a first cut in 72 hours — nightshift.fans/#contact*