AI pitch video: Seedance 2.5 shots for a concept or previs

To make a pitch or previs video with Seedance 2.5, generate each shot as its own 4 to 30 second clip at 480p, keep the shots that sell the idea, rerun only those at a higher resolution, and join them in one Timeline render. BytePlus lists "Previsualization and pitch videos" among the use cases on its Seedance 2.5 page, next to film and video production, news storytelling and product marketing. On Sume the model id is seedance-2.5, and a shot can go up to 30 seconds in one request.

Why shots, not one long prompt?

A pitch is a sequence of beats: the world, the hero, the problem, the turn. ByteDance describes 30-second generation that can organise several logically connected shots with a setup, development and turning point, but a pitch deck needs control over each beat. Separate requests let you redo one shot without touching the others.

The BytePlus page (read 2026-10-03) also says users can bring images, video and audio references together to keep character setups, scene structure and camera moves consistent. Use the same character and location references in every shot request.

What is a sensible pitch workflow?

Draft cheap, finish selectively. Sume prices a request from the model, resolution and length, and reserves the amount at submit, so a 480p draft costs less than a 1080p final. Seedance has no seed on Sume, so a final rerun is a new take; the draft-then-final guide covers that trade-off.

How do you join the shots?

Timeline 1.0 takes an audio spine (or audio.mode: "silence" for a silent reel) and up to 200 ordered video slots, each with a start, duration and optional transition such as fade or dissolve. Run POST /v1/timeline-1.0/plan first: it is unbilled and returns the duration, segment count and an estimated cost.

Use video[].fit to control how a clip fills a frame: cover is the default, and contain or blur keep the whole image. The default output is 1080 by 1920, so set output.width and output.height for a landscape pitch.

How long should each shot be?

Seedance 2.5 on Sume accepts whole seconds from 4 to 30, so the shortest shot you can order is 4 seconds. If a 12-second render has a good 5 seconds in the middle, Video trim cuts a [start, end) range into a new MP4, and you can put that cut in a Timeline slot. Alternatively set video[].source_in and duration on the slot and skip the extra file.

Timeline accepts 1 to 200 slots. With render.strategy left on auto, it chunks renders past 12 segments, and single is refused above 12, so a long reel needs no special setting.

What goes in a shot brief?

Give each request the same four lines: the subject and place, the camera move, the mood, and the reference images that fix the look. Put the character reference in every shot so the hero stays recognisable. Name the camera move in words, such as a slow push-in or a handheld follow, because the vendor stresses camera language as something the model reads from references as well as text.

Keep one running sheet of shot number, request body and verdict. When the client asks for "shot 4, but at night", you change one line and rerun one request.

What should you not promise a client?

ByteDance's own launch post says complex motion and multi-subject interaction can still be unstable. A pitch reel should show intent, mood and camera language, not exact final visuals. Say so on the slide, and keep a human-reviewed shot list beside the clips.