I've been making children's stories and animation under my DJC brand since 2008. For most of that time, every frame was drawn by hand. Today I make the same kind of video with an AI pipeline I built for myself. The tools changed. The craft didn't, and the craft is what makes the videos work.

Here is the process I use for each video.

1. Start with a story worth telling

Every video starts with my own story and lyrics, often from one of my picture books. AI can generate a story in seconds, but it can't give you a point of view. Children notice when a story is really about something, and so do parents.

2. Design the characters before anything moves

My characters already exist as 2D illustrations. I use AI to restyle them into the look the video needs, such as 3D, anime or steampunk, and I don't move on until the design feels like the same character in a new costume. Everything later depends on this step.

3. Plan the video one scene at a time

I write out every scene. Then I use ChatGPT to help with pacing and to match each line of the lyrics to a scene. One scene becomes one clip. A typical video ends up at around 18 clips.

4. Generate each clip

I generate the clips in Google Flow. Each one runs up to about 10 seconds, which is why the scene plan matters so much. Short clips force you to know exactly what each moment has to show.

5. Edit like it's a real production

All the clips come together in PowerDirector, where I build every transition and tighten the timing to the music. This is where a pile of clips becomes a video. I've been editing in PowerDirector for about 20 years, and it's still where most of the quality comes from.

6. Publish with care

Titles, descriptions and thumbnails are part of the work, not an afterthought. A great video that nobody finds doesn't help anyone.

What AI changed, and what it didn't

AI removed the slowest part of the old process, which was drawing every frame. It did not remove the need for a story, a consistent character, a plan and a careful edit. Those still take a person, and they are still what separates a video people watch twice from one they skip.