Animatic then finals: 12 shots at 480p, 3 hero shots at 1080p

Twelve 4-second 16:9 shots at 480p cost $12.96 on Seedance 2.5 on Sume ($1.08 each). Three 8-second 1080p hero finals add $34.14 ($11.38 each). The whole plan is $47.10.

An animatic is a sequence of rough shots used to judge timing before you spend on finals. Cheap 480p clips serve that purpose: you are checking framing and pace, not detail.

The plan

What the draft does not promise

Sume's Seedance has no seed, so a 1080p final is a new generation, not an upscale of the 480p draft. The draft tells you whether the idea works; it does not guarantee the same frame. Keep the same prompt and reference images, and budget a second take per hero shot: three extra finals add $34.14.

For shots that must match a draft exactly, take a still from the approved draft and send it as the first_frame of the final job.