> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.automatstudio.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Turn a Script Into Video With AI

> Take an existing screenplay or script and turn it into video, scene by scene and shot by shot, keeping your characters and locations consistent throughout.

To turn a script into video with AI in Automat Studio, you map the script onto
the app's structure rather than pasting it into a prompt box: each character in
your script becomes a reusable character asset, each slugline becomes a
location and a scene, and each beat within a scene becomes a shot you direct
individually. Then you generate the shots and assemble them into the film.

That mapping is the whole technique. A screenplay is already broken into the
units a production uses, so most of the structuring work is done before you
start.

## Map the script onto the app

| In your script                          | In Automat Studio                                                                                                   |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Character introduced in action lines    | A [character](/tutorial/character-studio) — name, age, physical description, voice                                  |
| `INT. KITCHEN – NIGHT`                  | A [location](/tutorial/location-studio) (interior/exterior + time of day), then a [scene](/tutorial/create-a-scene) |
| Objects the action depends on           | [Props](/tutorial/prop-studio) and [wardrobe](/tutorial/wardrobe-studio)                                            |
| A beat or camera setup within the scene | A shot in [Shot Studio](/tutorial/shot-studio/index)                                                                |
| A line of dialogue                      | [Dialogue and lip sync](/tutorial/shot-studio/dialogue-lipsync) on that shot                                        |

## Step 1: Pull the characters out first

Go through the script and create every speaking character before you generate
anything. Use the description from your action lines and expand it — hair,
build, age, distinctive features, wardrobe, and the way they carry themselves.
Assign each one a voice; that is the voice used later when you generate their
dialogue.

Doing this first is what makes the rest consistent. The character is generated
once and then reused, so the person in scene 12 is the person from scene 1.

## Step 2: Turn sluglines into locations and scenes

Every distinct slugline becomes a location, described the way a production
designer would describe the set. Then create a scene for each one: pick the
location, mark it interior or exterior, set the time of day, and add the
characters and props that appear. You need at least one location before you can
create a scene.

If your script returns to the same location at a different time of day, reuse
the location — the time of day lives on the scene, not the location.

## Step 3: Break each scene into shots

This is where you direct. A page of screenplay is rarely one shot: it is a
wide, a couple of singles, maybe an insert. For each shot, choose the lens and
shot type, describe the action in that specific framing, and `@`-mention the
characters and props involved so the generation uses the assets you already
built.

Then generate — either a
[first frame](/tutorial/shot-studio/generate-first-frame) that you turn into
[video](/tutorial/shot-studio/generate-video), or
[video directly](/tutorial/shot-studio/generate-video-direct) when the shot is
simple. Use the Draft quality setting to block out the scene, then regenerate
the keepers at Final.

## Step 4: Add the dialogue

With the shot's video in place, generate the character's line in their assigned
voice and apply lip sync. You can also add
[sound effects](/tutorial/shot-studio/sfx-sound-effects) and
[visual effects](/tutorial/shot-studio/vfx-visual-effects) per shot.

If you have a filmed performance you want to drive the shot with — your own
take of the action — you can upload it and use
[performance to video](/tutorial/shot-studio/performance) instead, which
restyles your real performance rather than generating the motion from scratch.

## Step 5: Assemble and export

Watch the cut in the app and share it with a link. Independent plans and above
can [export](/tutorial/share-and-export) the image, video and audio files, and
the Hollywood plan exports an XML project for Final Cut Pro or Premiere — which
is usually how a script-derived piece gets finished, since you will want real
editorial control over timing.

## Practical notes

* **Work scene by scene, not front to back.** Getting one scene fully right
  teaches you how to describe the rest.
* **Costs are per generation, in credits.** New accounts get 500 free credits
  with no credit card; after that, packs start at $10 and plans at $10/month.
  Failed generations are not charged.
* **Shot attributes steer rather than dictate.** Lens and shot type influence
  the generation but are not always reflected precisely — expect to iterate on
  the description for a specific framing.

## Next steps

* [How to make a film with AI](/guides/how-to-make-a-film-with-ai)
* [Keep characters consistent across shots](/guides/consistent-ai-characters)
* [Build a storyboard and shot list](/guides/ai-storyboards-and-shot-lists)