Character drift: the same person looking different in every scene: is the most visible failure in AI video. It happens because each generation starts partly from randomness; without anchors, the model reinterprets your character description fresh every time. Consistency techniques all do one thing: reduce that reinterpretation.
Anchor 1: A single reference image
Generate or choose one strong image of your character first: front-facing, neutral expression, clear lighting: and use it as the reference for every subsequent generation. One reference used consistently beats five references rotated randomly, because the model gets a stable target.
- Pick the clearest, most average-looking version as canonical
- Reuse the identical reference file across scenes
- Describe the character the same way, word for word, every time
Anchor 2: Locked style words
Keep a fixed style phrase appended to every prompt in a project: the same medium, lighting quality, and palette words. Style drift is subtler than face drift but equally damaging: a character can survive a new angle, but not a new universe every scene.
Anchor 3: The continuity checklist
Before accepting any clip, compare it against the reference: face shape and features, hair, clothing, art style, lighting direction. Reject clips that fail two or more checks rather than hoping the edit will hide them: it won't.
When to embrace change instead
Some projects don't need strict consistency: montages, dream sequences, and stylized explainers can thrive on variation. Decide per project. The mistake isn't inconsistency: it's accidental inconsistency in a story that promised a stable character.