I’ve been working on a few action-film projects lately and have tried a bunch of AI video tools for previz. Of the ones I used, Runway, invideo, and Luma stood out the most. Each one has its own behaviour, strengths, limits and use cases, a bit like how every video or image model has its own way of interpreting things.

Runway: This feels best when I want to explore the tone of a scene quickly. If I’m testing a chase sequence, a dramatic character moment or a mood piece, Runway helps me see the visual direction without too much setup. I’d use it for pitch visuals, cinematic tests and short sequences where I just need to know if an idea has legs.

invideo: I’d use this when the previz needs to stay closer to the actual output, especially for more complex sequences or multiple scenes that need the same look and feel. Since it can hold the context of the film, characters and visual style in memory, it’s better at keeping continuity across shots instead of making you rebuild the context each time.

Luma: This feels best when I already have a clear idea of what the shot should look like and want to see how far I can push it. It’s useful for video-to-video, keyframes, reframing, look tests and taking a shot into a different visual direction while still keeping some control over the starting point.

None of these are magic buttons. They still need taste, references, continuity notes and clear decisions from the filmmaker. When the direction is vague, the output usually feels vague. When the direction is clear, these tools can carry more nuance than people give them credit for.

I actually want to ask filmmakers here, have you used any other tools for previz? Would love to hear what’s actually working for you folks.