Prepare a Reference Pack for AI Video Generation

What you will prepare

This is not a click-by-click UI tutorial. It is a pre-production checklist for organizing reference material before AI video generation. Before you open Idea mode or Script mode, prepare four things on one page.

• Claims that must be correct in the video
• Official sources, examples, and caveats
• Scenes that depend on current information
• Lines a human should re-check after script generation

In the current VMAI Idea mode flow, the screen accepts up to three reference URLs and also offers a separate web research option. That makes curation more useful than collecting a long pile of links: choose a few sources the AI can actually use.

Step 1: List the claims that must be verified

Before entering an idea, write the claims that would force you to revise the video if they were wrong.

A useful question is: “If this line is false, would I need to change the finished video?”

Examples include:

• policies, prices, or features that changed this year;
• functions a product or service actually provides;
• pros and cons in a comparison script;
• numbers, rankings, dates, or costs;
• customer or project examples that could mislead viewers if the context is wrong.

The claim does not need to be polished yet. “Check current upload limits” or “confirm VMAI web research Credit note” is enough.

Step 2: Give each of the three sources a role

More URLs are not always better. Since the current VMAI Idea mode screen manages up to three reference URLs, start with three roles.

You do not need to fill all three. One strong official source is better than three vague links.

Step 3: Write what each source should be trusted for

A list of links still requires someone to read everything again later. Add one short note beside each URL.

text
Reference URL 1: Official help page
Trust it for: supported formats and current limits
Watch out for: pricing or plan details may live on a separate page

Reference URL 2: Real-world example
Trust it for: user situation and viewer problem
Watch out for: do not generalize rankings or numbers from one case

These notes help the AI, but they also become your human review checklist after the script is generated.

Step 4: Decide whether current web research is needed

Not every video needs current web research. Use this split.

Web research is useful when:

• the script says “this year,” “recently,” or “current”;
• platform policy, pricing, plan names, or feature names are central;
• the video is news-like and needs recent examples;
• numbers, rankings, or comparisons carry the argument.

Your own sources may be enough when:

• the video explains an evergreen checklist or production principle;
• the core material is your product, brand, lesson, or internal project note;
• the goal is process education rather than current news.

In VMAI, web research is shown as a separate option and is currently displayed as a 2 Credits action. Use it when freshness changes the quality of the video, not just because the option exists.

Step 5: Separate script-ready lines from hold-for-review lines

Reference material can produce many tempting sentences. If every detail goes into the voiceover, the video becomes slow and unfocused.

Use two buckets.

Do not delete hold-for-review lines. They may belong in the video description, Showcase notes, a blog post, or your internal QA notes.

Step 6: Run a 60-second check before entering VMAI

Before pasting the idea or script, answer these questions.

• Did you list three claims that must be correct?
• Do you have at least one official source?
• Did every reference URL get a “trust it for” and “watch out for” note?
• Is there a clear reason to use current web research?
• Did you mark numbers, prices, feature names, and policy claims?
• Did you hold back uncertain or sensitive lines from the narration?

This short check makes the generated script much easier to review.

Example: reference pack for a product explainer

text
Video goal:
Explain how to prepare reference material before making a short product explainer with VMAI.

Claims that must be correct:
1. VMAI supports Subtitle, Audio, Script, and Idea input modes.
2. Idea mode currently accepts up to three reference URLs.
3. Web research is displayed as a separate Credit action.

Reference URLs:
1. Official product/help source or current public product page
   - Trust it for: supported input modes and screen language
   - Watch out for: pricing and plan details may need separate verification
2. Existing production brief article
   - Trust it for: how to structure a brief
   - Watch out for: do not turn it into a UI walkthrough
3. Pre-publish checklist article
   - Trust it for: what to review after rendering
   - Watch out for: do not promise SEO visibility or indexing

Next step

Once the reference pack is ready, you can move into idea or script input with fewer unknowns.

• If you need the full production brief, read Create a One-Page AI Video Production Brief.
• If you need the public release checklist, continue with Is Your AI Video Really Ready to Publish?.
• To understand why this belongs before rendering, read Before Your AI Video Maker Renders: Fact-Check the Script First.

A reference pack is not about giving AI more material for its own sake. It is about deciding, as a human, which facts should not be locked into a video until they are checked.