How to write first-frame notes that keep an AI storyboard grounded

Observe the frame before describing the advertisement

Look at the selected image without considering the campaign idea. Count the products, name their visible state, locate the support surface and identify any person or contact. A concise observation might say: one closed blue travel cup on a pale desk, its front label facing the camera, window light from the left, no hands. Each statement can be checked by another reviewer.

Avoid adding a desirable interpretation to that record. A cup beside a laptop establishes a desk setting; it does not prove that the cup is designed for long working days or keeps a drink hot. Put verified specifications in Verified product facts. Label visible observations and intended changes separately within Creative direction and extra requirements. This division makes later disagreements easier to diagnose.

Keep three kinds of statement distinct within the brief

The same distinction applies to lighting. You can observe a bright patch on the left of a bottle. You cannot necessarily identify the exact lamp that caused it. Write only the level of detail the image supports; a guessed softbox position can introduce an unnecessary contradiction.

Describe uncertainty without turning it into a feature

If the source is too small to read the model name, record that limitation and inspect a better copy. Do not treat a planner’s inferred letters as confirmed text. If a reflection hides the edge of a silver lid, describe the edge as unclear rather than specifying a shape you cannot verify.

For an illustrative fabric pouch, the visible front may show a zipper pull but not how the compartment opens. The useful note is that the pouch is closed and only the front is supplied. An opening demonstration remains unsupported even if the product description confirms that the pouch has two compartments. A fact about construction is not a visual record of the missing movement.

Use the current combined requirements field

In Product videos, upload the intended product reference and enter a concise inventory in Creative direction and extra requirements. This is the current combined field, with a 4,000-character limit; there is no separate 500-character first-frame-notes control in the new editable brief. A reopened historical plan may retain older fields, so check which workflow you are editing.

For the illustrative cup, a useful entry is: Visible: one closed blue cup, handle on the right, label facing camera, no hands. Requested motion: a small approach that keeps the handle visible. Unknown: lettering on the back. Exclude: opening the lid. Keep a capacity claim in Verified product facts only when you can establish it independently. The labels are a suggested writing convention, not extra form fields.

The current complete TVC planning request sends prepared reference images with the brief to the conversation model. Check the returned description against the selected source rather than assuming either your notes or the model’s image interpretation is correct. Runway’s image-to-video guide explains how its own video input image establishes composition while text describes motion. That supports a distinction between evidence and requested change; it is not evidence that CartVisual’s separate planner does or does not inspect images.

Replace the image and review the notes together

Changing from a product-only photograph to a model scene changes the evidence even if the SKU stays the same. Recheck the notes, the people setting and every proposed action before approving video generation. The image check can report dimensions or a framing mismatch; it does not certify that your description matches the pixels.

A final read-through should answer two questions: could someone verify every observation from this image, and does the storyboard ask for anything the image lacks? Correct a mistaken observation in the notes. Prepare a different source for a genuinely missing element. Review the complete director plan, then inspect each proposed storyboard first frame against the actual item. A visually plausible interpretation remains a draft, not a measurement or a view of a surface you never supplied.