Start Frame Style Guide Template for AI Video Teams
If your AI video drafts keep “almost” matching the concept—then drifting during motion—your problem usually isn’t the model. It’s that the team never locked a start frame style guide.
A start frame style guide is a tiny, repeatable spec that defines what must stay stable (subject identity, composition, key brand details) before you run motion control.
In this post, you’ll get a copy/paste start frame style guide template plus a workflow your team can run in under 15 minutes.
(If you’re new to Zorq AI, start here: https://www.zorqai.io/)
What a start frame style guide actually solves
Most review loops fail for one of these reasons:
- Subject drift: the person/product subtly changes across frames.
- Unstable composition: the camera framing keeps “reinterpreting” the scene.
- Conflicting feedback: reviewers ask for changes that break identity.
A start frame style guide fixes this by creating one shared reference everyone agrees on before motion control.
The start frame style guide template (copy/paste)
Use this template for every new draft. Keep it short—your goal is alignment, not documentation.
1) Subject identity (must-not-change)
- Subject type: (person / product / logo / character)
- Key features: (3–5 bullets)
- Forbidden changes: (2–3 bullets)
2) Composition & camera
- Framing: (close / medium / wide)
- Camera angle: (eye-level / top-down / low-angle)
- Background type: (simple / real scene / abstract)
- Depth cues: (foreground element? yes/no)
3) Brand & detail anchors
- Brand anchors: (logo placement rules, colors, material cues)
- Text policy: (usually “no text” for generation frames)
- Do-not-break rules: (e.g., “logo shape must stay identical”)
4) Motion intent (for the next iteration)
- Primary motion path (one sentence)
- Camera movement policy: (locked / slow pan / no shake)
- Clip length for iteration: (recommend short)
5) Review checklist (what reviewers must comment on)
- Identity holds? (yes/no + where it breaks)
- Motion is intentional? (yes/no + which segment)
- One requested change only (the highest-impact fix)
A 15-minute workflow: still → start frame → motion control
Run this as your default team routine:
- Pick or generate a still concept
- If you have no source assets, start from a library-based direction and iterate from there.
- Lock one start frame
- It’s “approved” when the style guide sections 1–3 are stable.
- Run a short motion-control segment
- Keep it short to avoid wasting budget/time on a wrong direction.
- Review using the style guide + one-change rule
- Each reviewer picks one change that improves stability most.
- Iterate
- Repeat until identity + composition are consistent, then expand the story.
If you’re running this in Zorq AI, you can keep the process inside one shared workspace and iterate with supported models like Kling v3 Motion Control or Kling v2.6 Motion Control.
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
Mistake 1: Treating motion control like “make it cooler”
Fix:
- Write motion intent as a single sentence (template section 4).
Mistake 2: Changing identity and camera in the same iteration
Fix:
- Enforce “one requested change only” (template section 5).
Mistake 3: Starting motion before the start frame is stable
Fix:
- Don’t run motion until subject identity + composition are approved.
When you don’t need a start frame style guide
You can skip it when:
- the draft is purely abstract,
- identity consistency doesn’t matter,
- or you’re exploring broad directions on purpose.
But for marketing/brand work, a start frame style guide is usually the fastest path to approval.
For product details and limits, check pricing: https://www.zorqai.io/pricing
FAQ
Is a start frame the same as a storyboard?
No. A storyboard is narrative sequencing. A start frame is a stability anchor for identity and composition.
How many start frames should we lock?
One per direction. If you have two very different directions, treat them as separate drafts.
What if we have no source images at all?
Start from a library-based concept first, then lock a start frame and iterate motion from that.
Where can I find more workflow posts?
Browse the blog hub: https://www.zorqai.io/blog
Conclusion
If your team keeps revisiting the same feedback, don’t “iterate harder.” Lock a start frame style guide, then run motion control with a shared review spec.
Try the workflow in Zorq AI: https://www.zorqai.io/