{"id":6599,"date":"2026-03-24T18:16:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/?p=6599"},"modified":"2026-04-09T10:58:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T02:58:45","slug":"how-to-make-a-34-second-ai-commercial-a-professional-creative-directors-full-workflow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/blog\/how-to-make-a-34-second-ai-commercial-a-professional-creative-directors-full-workflow","title":{"rendered":"Comment un directeur artistique a produit une publicit\u00e9 de 34 secondes sur l&#039;IA avec Ima Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At the <strong>IMA Studio \u00d7 Kestos Ad Challenge<\/strong> in Los Angeles, creators were invited to produce a real commercial for <strong>Kestos<\/strong> \u2014 a sportswear and activewear brand \u2014 using AI tools. One creator, a professional Creative Director with a filmmaking background, took home <strong>2nd place<\/strong>. This is his full workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-23-1024x486.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6616\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-23-1024x486.png 1024w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-23-300x142.png 300w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-23-768x365.png 768w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-23-1536x730.png 1536w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-23-2048x973.png 2048w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-23-18x9.png 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa <a href=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/profile\/2026820617174127617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">View the creator&#8217;s profile on IMA Studio<\/a> &nbsp;|&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/community\/detail\/d238d7c50ed940789482b6bb4018aa29\/?cid=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch the finished film<\/a> &nbsp;|&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/los-angeles-meetup-ai-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">About the LA Meetup event \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Creator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The creator behind this workflow is a <strong>USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate<\/strong> currently working as a Creative Director at an AI-native company called <strong>Hotline<\/strong>. His day job is producing commercial ad content using AI tools \u2014 not experimenting, but delivering professional-grade output on real briefs. He also has a personal feature film in development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His primary tool has been Higgsfield, but for this challenge he went all-in on <strong>Ima Studio<\/strong> \u2014 and the results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">\ud83d\udc49 View his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/grantsinger\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn profile<\/a> to explore more of his work and background.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Challenge Brief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Produce a <strong>34-second lifestyle commercial for Kestos<\/strong> \u2014 a sportswear brand with visual themes around dryness, moisture, urban living, and the ocean. Official brand <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/drive\/folders\/1zFbLap1ZhDk1DnrpDnmv1EFxWdvpRXcO\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reference<\/a> images and visual materials were provided by the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-25-1024x662.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6620\" style=\"width:506px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-25-1024x662.png 1024w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-25-300x194.png 300w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-25-768x496.png 768w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-25-18x12.png 18w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-25.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>All video output: 1080p, 16:9, 4\u20138 seconds per clip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tools used: <strong>Veo 3.1 \u00b7 Kling \u00b7 Nano Banana Pro \u00b7 Suno \u00b7 ElevenLabs<\/strong><br>Total time: <strong>6.5 hours<\/strong> \u00b7 Total credits: <strong>2,665<\/strong> \u00b7 Tasks generated: <strong>34<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Start with the Director&#8217;s Brain, Not the Prompt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before opening any tool, he locked the narrative. His creative research process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Study <strong>lifestyle and fragrance ads<\/strong> \u2014 the genre best at communicating sensation, scent, and feeling through visuals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Distill the emotional core: <em>fresh air \u00b7 freedom \u00b7 release<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Write the idea by hand<\/strong>, then finalize a 6-shot narrative structure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Narrative arc: <em>land \u2192 sea \u00b7 indoors \u2192 outdoors<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Filmmaker brain is most important. I look for ideas from lifestyle and fragrance ads \u2014 the kind that communicate scent, sensation, and feeling through visuals.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The subtext of the film: <em>whatever environment you&#8217;re in \u2014 city commute, beach, gym \u2014 the brand keeps you comfortable, confident, and free.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Takeaway:<\/strong> Prompts are just instructions. If you haven&#8217;t decided what you&#8217;re directing, no AI model will figure it out for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Build a 3\u00d73 Storyboard Grid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the narrative locked, he created <strong>~10 storyboard reference frames<\/strong> in a 3\u00d73 grid using <strong>Nano Banana Pro<\/strong> for image generation . Each frame was built to serve as the &#8220;first frame&#8221; reference for image-to-video generation.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-36-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7008\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-36-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-36-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-36-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-36-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-36.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Layout tool: Figma.<\/strong> He dragged storyboard panels around, compared compositions, and mapped the full timeline logic \u2014 before generating a single video clip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-35-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7007\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-35-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-35-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-35-768x404.png 768w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-35-18x9.png 18w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-35.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;9 panel grids, 3\u00d73 visual consistency. Make grids and drag them into storyboard. Take one image out and bloom it into 4K.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key technique:<\/strong> Pull the single best storyboard frame \u2192 upscale to 4K \u2192 use as video first-frame input. This dramatically lifts output quality downstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Generate Video Clips on IMA Studio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Primary model: <strong>Veo 3.1<\/strong> (Fast for iteration speed, Standard for hero shots). Kling used selectively for specific motion requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">His Prompt Structure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every clip was prompted with a structured JSON format:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>{\n  \"scene_description\": \"The woman in blue is working out at the gym\",\n  \"visual_style\": \"Cinematic, modern commercial\",\n  \"camera_movement\": \"Slow sideways dolly from left to right around the woman\",\n  \"lighting\": \"Modern commercial, cinematic\",\n  \"main_subject\": \"Woman in blue\",\n  \"action\": \"The woman jumps rope rapidly\",\n  \"negative_prompt\": \"subtitles, text on screen, speaking, speech, dialogue\"\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Always add to negative_prompt:<\/strong> <code>subtitles, text on screen, speaking, speech, dialogue<\/code> \u2014 eliminates the most common generation artifacts in commercial video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Generation Approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Simple prompts first.<\/strong> Confirm the model can hit your emotional target. Refine after.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multiple variations per shot.<\/strong> Same scene, different camera moves or actions \u2014 3 to 6 attempts each.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Frame selection over full-clip judgment.<\/strong> Scrub through each clip and pick the best individual frame. Use that as your next first-frame reference.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Real success rate: ~30%.<\/strong> Professional AI video production means generating multiples and selecting. Budget your credits and timeline accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scenes Breakdown<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Scene<\/th><th>Model<\/th><th>Attempts<\/th><th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Gym workout close-ups<\/td><td>Veo 3.1 Fast<\/td><td>4+<\/td><td>Jump rope, ab crunches, treadmill \u2014 varied per action<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ocean waves crashing<\/td><td>Veo 3.1<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>Prompt refined after reviewing first batch<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Woman floating underwater<\/td><td>Veo 3.1 Preview<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>Most complex scene \u2014 most attempts needed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Urban lifestyle \/ indoor shots<\/td><td>Veo 3.1 Fast<\/td><td>Multiple<\/td><td>Core narrative arc shots<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Music via Suno on Ima Studio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Three mood prompts, each run twice for variation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Workout music, uptempo.\nAmbient pads, relaxing.\nRelaxing ambient pads, 80s-inspired, sensual and seductive. Luscious. Moderate tempo.\n\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Always generate at least 2 variations per prompt. The gap between first and second generation on identical prompts can be significant \u2014 never settle on the first output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Voiceover via ElevenLabs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Female VO generated with ElevenLabs, scripted from Kestos&#8217; brand text. The VO runs as an internal monologue \u2014 the protagonist narrating her own lifestyle as she moves through the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Choose your music track before recording VO. The pacing of the 80s ambient selection directly shaped the VO delivery rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 6: Final Edit in DaVinci Resolve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sequence clips at ~3-second intervals (standard lifestyle commercial rhythm)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Layer music + VO tracks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Color grade for consistency across clips from multiple models<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add brand text end card<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"587\" src=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-26-1024x587.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-26-1024x587.png 1024w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-26-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-26-768x440.png 768w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-26-1536x881.png 1536w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-26-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/imastudio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-26.png 1618w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Figma \u2192 DaVinci handoff:<\/strong> Having the full timeline mapped in Figma before editing means DaVinci becomes pure assembly \u2014 not creative problem-solving. This is the single biggest time-saver in the whole workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Production Numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Metric<\/th><th>Value<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Total time<\/td><td>6.5 hours (03:03 \u2013 09:29, single session)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Total tasks<\/td><td>34<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Total credits<\/td><td>2,665<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Final cut length<\/td><td>34 seconds<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Generation success rate<\/td><td>~30%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Primary video model<\/td><td>Veo 3.1 (Fast + Standard)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Storyboard frames<\/td><td>~10 (Nano Banana Pro)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Music tracks generated<\/td><td>6 (3 prompts \u00d7 2)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>R\u00e9sultat<\/td><td>\ud83e\udd48 2nd place, IMA Studio \u00d7 Kestos Ad Challenge<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6 Rules from a 2nd-Place Finish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Director&#8217;s mindset first.<\/strong> Know your story before you open any tool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>3\u00d73 storyboard grid.<\/strong> Visual consistency is solved at the storyboard stage, not during generation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Simple prompts early.<\/strong> Find the emotional target first. Complexity comes later.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expect ~30% success rate.<\/strong> Generate multiples. Select the best. Budget for it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Figma as production canvas.<\/strong> Map your timeline before editing \u2014 DaVinci should be assembly, not discovery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Right model for each job.<\/strong> Veo 3.1 for cinematic video \u00b7 Kling for motion \u00b7 Nano Banana Pro for storyboards \u00b7 Suno for music \u00b7 ElevenLabs for VO.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Try It on IMA Studio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every tool in this workflow \u2014 Veo 3.1, Kling, Suno, and more \u2014 is available on <a href=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IMA Studio<\/a> with a single account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to compete in the next real-brand AI production challenge? Follow our <a href=\"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/los-angeles-meetup-ai-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LA Meetup &amp; AI Production events<\/a> for upcoming opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This is part of our <strong>Creator Tutorials<\/strong> series \u2014 real workflows from professionals using AI for production work.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the IMA Studio \u00d7 Kestos Ad Challenge in Los Angeles, creators were invited to produce a real commercial for Kestos \u2014 a sportswear and activewear brand \u2014 using AI tools. One creator, a professional Creative Director with a filmmaking background, took home 2nd place. This is his full workflow. \ud83d\udcfa View the creator&#8217;s profile [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":6598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"How to Make an AI Commercial: 2nd Place Workflow from the Kestos Ad Challenge | IMA Studio","rank_math_description":"A professional Creative Director used IMA Studio, Veo 3.1, Kling, Suno and ElevenLabs to win 2nd place at the IMA Studio \u00d7 Kestos Ad Challenge. Full step-by-step workflow inside.","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creator-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6599"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7010,"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6599\/revisions\/7010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imastudio.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}