Most AI ads look like tech demos. This 4-step workflow shows you how to use Nano Banana Pro and Veo 3.1 Fast to create cinematic, lead-driving campaigns.
Most brands are still shipping “AI videos” that look like tech demos, not ads people actually feel.
Meanwhile, a small group of marketers are already using tools like Nano Banana Pro and Veo 3.1 Fast to crank out cinematic spots that look suspiciously close to agency work — without agency timelines or budgets.
Here’s the thing about AI video for Vibe Marketing: the tech isn’t the differentiator anymore. The vibe is. Your emotional arc, visual consistency, and pacing matter more than which model you picked.
This post breaks down a 4-step workflow inspired by the AI Fire Daily episode on cinematic AI ads — and then pushes it further. You’ll see not just how to produce AI commercials, but how to design them so they actually move people and drive leads.
The 4-Step Workflow for Cinematic AI Ads (Overview)
If you want cinematic AI ads that feel intentional instead of random, you need a repeatable system, not a bunch of “prompt hacks.”
The proven workflow looks like this:
- Storyboard with AI – Turn vague ideas into scene-by-scene beats.
- Generate images with Nano Banana Pro – Lock in a consistent look using a style anchor.
- Animate with Veo 3.1 Fast – Use starting frames so your characters and style stay coherent.
- Cut it using the 2-Second Rule – Edit like a human ad director, not like a text-to-video model.
Each step compounds. Skip one, and your “cinematic” ad turns into a montage of disconnected AI clips. Follow them, and you’ve got the bones of a performance-ready campaign.
Step 1: Storyboard with AI so the Vibe Is Clear
Cinematic AI ads start with story, not prompts.
For Vibe Marketing, the question isn’t “What can this model do?” It’s: What emotion do we want people to feel at each moment? Curiosity at 0:03, desire at 0:08, relief by 0:15 — that’s the level of clarity you’re aiming for.
Use AI as your story assistant
Tools like ChatGPT or Claude are perfect for turning a rough idea into a structured storyboard.
Feed it something like:
“I’m creating a 20-second cinematic ad for a productivity app aimed at burned-out founders. Tone: hopeful, slightly gritty, urban. I need 8 visual scenes with short, evocative scene titles and one-line descriptions.”
You’ll typically get something like:
- Neon Dawn Skyline – Wide shot of a city waking up, subtle haze, cool blues.
- Overloaded Desk – Close-up of chaotic desk, scattered sticky notes, three empty coffee cups.
- Moment of Collapse – Founder rubs their eyes, screen glare reflecting exhaustion.
- The Quiet Click – Finger taps the app icon, sound soft but distinct.
- Flow in Motion – Tasks smoothly rearranging, UI glowing softly.
- Breathing Room – Sunlight hitting a now-clean desk, calmer framing.
- Subtle Smile – Founder exhaling, shoulders relaxed.
- City at Ease – Same skyline, now warm-toned, with a sense of calm.
Now you’re not “prompting an AI video tool.” You’re shooting a mental film with AI as your crew.
Build emotional beats into your storyboard
For vibe-first marketing, mark each scene with a primary emotion:
- Curiosity
- Tension
- Overwhelm
- Shift / Decision
- Relief
- Satisfaction
That’s what guides everything that comes next — camera angles, color palettes, pacing, even sound design later.
If you’re working with a team, this storyboard doubles as a creative brief. No confusion. Everyone’s designing the same vibe.
Step 2: Nano Banana Pro for Consistent, Cinematic Frames
AI video lives or dies on consistency. If your main character’s hair, face, or outfit keeps changing from shot to shot, the illusion collapses and the viewer disconnects.
That’s where Nano Banana Pro comes in.
Create a “style anchor” image
The key idea from the podcast episode is the style anchor: your very first image becomes the visual north star for the entire ad.
- Take your most defining shot (often Scene 2 or 3).
- Prompt Nano Banana Pro with:
- Character details (age, gender expression, clothing style)
- Environment (urban loft, neon city street, cozy kitchen, etc.)
- Cinematic details (shallow depth of field, soft light, filmic grain)
- Generate multiple options and pick one anchor image.
This image is now your reference. It defines:
- Color grading (cool vs warm, saturated vs muted)
- Character look (hair, skin tone, outfit, body type)
- Overall vibe (gritty, polished, dreamy, documentary-style)
Use the anchor as a reference for every shot
From here on, every time you generate a new scene, you:
- Use Nano Banana Pro’s image reference feature (or equivalent)
- Keep the same character description verbatim in each prompt
- Mention the same camera language: “35mm lens”, “cinematic lighting”, “soft bokeh”, etc.
Example prompt for a later scene:
“Match this reference image. Same character, same outfit, same lighting style. Scene: founder sitting at a tidy desk, soft morning light, subtle smile, cinematic, 35mm lens, shallow depth of field.”
The result: all your frames feel like they came from the same shoot, not a random AI collage.
This is where most AI marketers fall short. They chase variety when what they actually need is continuity.
Step 3: Animate with Veo 3.1 Fast Using Starting Frames
Once you’ve got your key frames from Nano Banana Pro, Veo 3.1 Fast turns them into motion.
The crucial move here is using starting frames instead of purely text prompts.
Why starting frames matter
When you feed Veo only text, you get impressive movement — but your character can morph from shot to shot. When you feed it your Nano Banana frame as the starting frame, Veo’s job becomes: “Animate this exact shot for 2–4 seconds.”
That’s how you:
- Preserve facial structure and clothing
- Maintain lighting and composition
- Keep the emotional tone consistent
You’re basically doing what a live-action director does: choosing hero frames, then capturing small movements around them.
Prompt structure for Veo 3.1 Fast
For each clip, you give Veo:
- The starting frame (your Nano Banana Pro image)
- A short action description
- A duration goal (e.g., 2–4 seconds)
Example:
“Starting from this frame: the founder slowly exhales and leans back in their chair, eyes softening, light flickering gently on their face. 3-second shot.”
You run this for each storyboard scene:
- Skyline subtly shifting
- Coffee steam rising
- Hands rubbing eyes
- Finger tapping app icon
- UI animating in a smooth, controlled way
- Light gradually warming
- Shoulders relaxing
- Final skyline glow
Suddenly, you’re not begging the model to “make a cool video.” You’re directing micro-moments that stitch into a real narrative.
How long should each AI video clip be?
For most paid social placements:
- 2–3 seconds per clip is ideal
- Rarely more than 4 seconds unless it’s a hero shot
Shorter clips cut stronger, feel more premium, and keep attention high — which brings us to the final step.
Step 4: Edit with the 2-Second Rule for Scroll-Stopping Pacing
You can have perfect prompts and gorgeous shots and still end up with a boring ad.
The fix is deceptively simple: the 2-Second Rule.
In a performance-focused cinematic ad, no visual should sit on screen for more than ~2 seconds without a change.
That doesn’t always mean a hard cut. It might be:
- A shift in camera angle
- A slow push-in or pull-out
- A change in light or focus
But something has to evolve. Modern feeds punish stagnation.
Build your ad like a song, not a slideshow
When I’m cutting AI-generated ads, I think in beats, like a music producer:
- Beat 1–2: Hook visual (pattern interrupt)
- Beat 3–4: Problem moment
- Beat 5–6: Emotional low point
- Beat 7–8: Product reveal / shift
- Beat 9–10: Transformation moments
- Beat 11–12: Resolution + lingering vibe
For a 15–20 second spot, that’s roughly 6–10 clips. Each one carries a clear emotional job.
In your editor (Premiere, CapCut, Final Cut — doesn’t matter):
- Drop in all Veo clips.
- Trim them aggressively to 1.5–2.5 seconds.
- Arrange according to your storyboard.
- Match cuts on motion when possible (a hand movement, a head turn, a light flicker).
Layer copy, sound, and CTA without killing the vibe
Vibe Marketing isn’t just about looking cool. It’s about emotion plus intent.
Once the visuals are tight:
- Add a minimal, emotionally aligned soundtrack.
- Layer on-screen text that speaks to the internal narrative, not just features:
- “Too many tabs, not enough time?”
- “You don’t need more hours. You need clarity.”
- End with a simple, confident CTA:
- “Try it free today.”
- “Book a 10-minute demo.”
Your AI ad should feel like a short film — that just happens to point to a clear next step.
Bringing It Back to Vibe Marketing: Why This Workflow Works
This 4-step process isn’t just a production hack. It’s a framework for emotionally intelligent creative at scale.
Here’s why it fits perfectly in the Vibe Marketing playbook:
- Storyboarding with AI forces you to define the emotional journey before touching models.
- Style anchors keep your visual identity coherent so your brand actually feels like a brand, not a collage of trends.
- Starting frames in Veo protect character continuity, which is critical for trust and relatability.
- The 2-Second Rule aligns editing with how people actually consume content in 2025 feeds.
You’re not outsourcing creativity to AI. You’re using AI to compress the distance between idea and execution — while keeping taste, storytelling, and human insight at the center.
If you’re serious about using AI video for lead generation, not just likes, this is the bar now. Your competitors’ static carousels and generic stock-style AI videos won’t compete with a brand that can ship cinematic-feel spots every week.
So the next time you’re planning a campaign, ask:
“What vibe are we selling — and how do we turn that into 8–10 precise, cinematic beats?”
Get that right, and Nano Banana Pro, Veo 3.1 Fast, and the rest of your AI stack suddenly start feeling a lot more like a creative team and a lot less like toys.