AI Wuxia Director · Complete Methodology
Consolidated from 5 days of production, 6 completed films, 5 frame-by-frame analyses, 4 open-source platform reverse-engineering sessions, and 2 A/B regression tests.
Pipeline: 7 Steps From Story to Film {#pipeline}
① SPEC → Duration (15s primary), aspect ratio (9:16), intensity, speed tier
② FRAMEWORK → Match scene type to battle skeleton (see references/02)
③ LEDGER → Write combat ledger: each round must change at least one outcome
④ DRAFT → Write prompt in Reverse-Engineering Format (see references/04)
⑤ LIGHTING → Select and paste one lighting preset module (see templates/lighting-presets.md)
⑥ GATE → Pass all 4 quality gates (see below)
⑦ DELIVER → Generate → download → edit at 1.35x → publish
The 12 Iron Rules {#rules}
Every rule validated by at least one A/B test or frame-by-frame analysis. Violating any rule = rework.
Combat & Action
Rule 1 — Segment or Fail One generation = one action process (attack / counter / collision). Never ask AI to render multi-strike choreography in a single generation. The model will compress excess actions until invisible.
❌ "Three rapid strikes exchanged"
✅ Segment A: strike + block
Segment B: counter + dodge
Segment C: final clash + impact wave
→ Edit segments at 1.35x speed
Rule 2 — Two Events Maximum Per Shot Each timed block contains at most 2 events. Slow motion appears once per film (the decisive moment).
Rule 3 — State Chain + Secondary Reaction
Every shot: start state → single action (trigger/contact/result) → end state plus one secondary reaction (cloak fluttering, dust settling, embers fading).
Visual Control
Rule 4 — First-Frame Occupancy Lock The first visible frame must contain all required characters in correct positions. No empty establishing shots. No delayed character reveals. No abstract fillers.
Rule 5 — Measurable Spatial Language Write positions as measurements, not vague words.
❌ "near the pillar" / "dozens of soldiers"
✅ "within 1 meter of the pillar" / "soldiers fill both flanks and depth, 3 in sharp foreground focus"
Rule 6 — Physics Lock Enforce: weight transfer, cloth/hair delay, weapon mass (wrist angle reacts to mass, acceleration/deceleration). Prohibit: floating bodies, weightless weapons, frictionless feet, teleporting.
Camera & Rhythm
Rule 7 — Six-Item Camera Specification Every shot specifies: scene space / starting frame / character blocking / camera movement / lens & focus / endpoint & rhythm. One camera movement per shot.
Rule 8 — Emotion as Lens Behavior Translate emotions into observable physical actions:
❌ "he looks angry"
✅ "pupils contract with reflected blade light / fist tightens, veins rise on hand / smile freezes then shatters, eyes redden"
Aesthetic Standards
Rule 9 — Eastern Beauty Anchor Protagonists must be young (20s), East Asian featured (flat brow ridge, shallow eye sockets, monolid/narrow phoenix eyes, black irises, soft jawline). Explicitly state "Chinese/Eastern facial features" or the model drifts to Western deep-set faces.
Rule 10 — Material Collision Visual interest comes from contrasting materials (silk × metal, rough cloth × polished blade), not from color variety. One dominant color + one accent color per film.
Generation Discipline
Rule 11 — Sell the Hit Prioritize environmental impact waves (snow spray/petal burst/cracked ground). For body contact: hide the contact point (camera behind attacker's shoulder) + show the reaction (head snaps in force direction) + sound + aftermath.
Rule 12 — Sound Timeline Sound starts on the first frame. Pre-strike: ambient silence. Impact: peak loudness. Post-strike: one-beat silence. Closing: half-beat fade.
The 4 Quality Gates {#gates}
Every prompt must pass ALL gates before generation. Every film must pass before publication.
Gate 1 — Technical QA (Objective)
- Fingers normal? Weapons unbent?
- No face morphing across shots?
- No body clipping / teleporting?
- Fallen characters remain visible?
- No AI-generated text/watermarks?
Gate 2 — Silent Self-QA (CINEDANCE)
- All @tags actually used?
- Props in correct hands?
- Actions physically possible?
- Time blocks consistent?
- First frame correct?
- Every character's position/gaze clear?
- Lighting not flat?
- QA hidden from output?
Gate 3 — Aesthetic Judgment (Subjective)
- Eastern face anchor present?
- Material collision (silk × metal)?
- One dominant color + one accent?
- Hair-light rim glow?
- Bokeh background (architecture/candles)?
- User has final veto
Gate 4 — Platform Compliance
- Violence softened (weapons shatter, not people)
- No blood/gore keywords
- No copyrighted character names
- AI-generated content label checked
- Platform-safe language only
Reverse-Engineering Format (Master Template)
【人物固有资产】(Character Fixed Assets — repeat verbatim every segment)
Character N: <age, ethnicity, face details (Eastern anchor), eyes, hair,
clothing materials, weapons, quality descriptors>
【固定锚点】(Fixed Anchors — repeat verbatim every segment)
<Scene, sky, ground, color system, rendering quality>
【光线布置】(Lighting Setup — paste from presets, one only)
<Light direction, quality, falloff, ambient, mood>
0-1.5s: <extreme close-up: eye/pupil reflecting threat, sound>
1.5-4s: <pull back to wide shot: spatial reveal, threat density, sound builds>
4-9s: <combat escalation: segmented actions, energy trails, impact>
9-12s: <decisive moment: THE one slow-motion, color inversion, maximum VFX>
12-15s: <hero freeze: silhouette, aftermath, particles, half-beat fade>
【交接状态】<Final frame state = next segment's starting state>
【声音时间线】<Second-by-second sound events>
Negatives: no text/watermarks, normal proportions, no extra movements
Model Strategy
| Tier | Cost (15s) | Quality | Use For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (Seedance 2.5) | 9/10 action | Final production | |
| Standard (Seedance 2.0 mini) | 6/10 | Drafts, testing |
Budget circuit breaker: Max 2 re-rolls per shot. On 3rd failure, revise prompt instead. Monthly ceiling: 2000 credits.
Asset Management
- Every character gets a three-view sheet (front/side/back) before any video generation
- Assets named:
@char_<name>_v<version>— referenced by ID, never by filename - Registry file tracks all assets with usage logs and deprecation status
- Style consistency: same style suffix + same character reference image across ALL shots in a film
Fight Frameworks (Quick Reference)
| Type | Skeleton | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| One vs Many | Wide establish → staggered attacks → use-enemy-as-shield → keep fallen visible → count survivors | 1vN crowd fights |
| Duel | Trading blows → momentum shifts → weapon lock → decisive strike | 1v1 climactic battles |
| Ranged Energy | Power-up → projectile exchange → shield/deflect → ultimate beam | Magic/cultivation battles |
| Solo Breakthrough | Route establish → obstacle 1 → obstacle 2 → final barrier → escape/stop | Chases, escapes |
The VFX Density Layer
Visual effects are not garnish — they are the main course. Every action beat needs:
| Moment | VFX Requirement |
|---|---|
| Power-up | Energy cracks on weapon, air distortion, floating debris |
| Movement | Energy trail (comet tail), speed lines, environmental disruption |
| Impact | Cross/ring shockwave, particle burst, ground fissure with glow |
| Bullet-time | Frozen particles, reflected light on suspended debris, hair suspended |
| Finish | Chain reaction (mountain collapse), lingering energy, slow-dissipating particles |
References
references/01-camera-language.md— 12 movements with prompts and verification checksreferences/02-fight-choreography.md— Combat ledger, frameworks, density tablesreferences/03-lighting-color.md— 8 presets, color theory, director style cardsreferences/04-prompt-format.md— Full reverse-engineering format specificationreferences/05-vfx-layer.md— VFX density rules and templatesreferences/06-production-pipeline.md— CLI automation, budget, asset registry
Templates
templates/character-sheet.md— Character design card prompttemplates/storyboard-format.md— Shot-by-shot templatetemplates/scene-library.md— 10 wuxia scenes with complete promptstemplates/emotion-vocabulary.md— 80 emotions as physical behaviorstemplates/lighting-presets.md— 8 ready-to-paste modulestemplates/fight-frameworks.md— 4 battle type skeletons
Examples
examples/01-sword-cold-nineteen-states.md— Full production: "One sword chills 19 provinces"examples/02-moonlit-twins.md— Full production: identity reveal duelexamples/film-analysis-template.md— Automated QA analysis report template