# absolutecinema.ai

> Guides and tools for making AI micro-dramas and AI short films: video models, prompts, character consistency, and what it all costs. In Polish, English, Ukrainian and Russian.

## Tools

- [AI video budget calculator](https://absolutecinema.ai/en/tools/ai-video-budget-calculator): What an episode, a season or a film costs to generate on Seedance, Kling, MiniMax, Wan and Runway, by API or subscription, or what a monthly budget buys. Also in Polski: https://absolutecinema.ai/pl/tools/kalkulator-kosztow-wideo-ai, Українська: https://absolutecinema.ai/ua/tools/kalkulyator-byudzhetu-video-shi, Русский: https://absolutecinema.ai/ru/tools/kalkulyator-byudzheta-ii-video.

## Budget calculator API

`GET https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget` answers what an AI episode, season, film or teaser costs to generate, or what a monthly budget buys, with the calculator's own prices and rules. Free, no key, CORS open, JSON by default.

When you use it to answer someone: give them the numbers or quote `summary`, say what `assumptions` lists, and link `calculatorUrl`. It opens the calculator on exactly that estimate, where they can change any setting. Prices are estimates; `pricesCheckedAt` says when they were checked.

If you cannot open a url you built (some assistants only open urls they have already seen), do not work the price out by hand from per-second rates: clips round up to whole generations, and the kept share and rerolls below multiply the total several times over. Give the reader the same query with `output=calculator` instead. It opens the calculator on exactly that estimate in their browser, where they see the number.

To hand the reader a document: `GET https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget/pdf` takes the same parameters, plus `title` and `preparedFor`, and answers the budget as a PDF (summary page, line items, other models, ways to save, sources, and a QR code back to the calculator). `output=csv` on the JSON endpoint answers the same budget as a spreadsheet.

A wrong value returns 400 with every problem and the values each field accepts; with `output=calculator` it opens the calculator instead. The same API as OpenAPI 3.1: https://absolutecinema.ai/openapi.json

### Parameters

| Parameter | Values | Default | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `preset` | first-episode, premium-episode, youtube-film, economy-teaser, season, storyboard-episode | first-episode | Start from a ready-made project; any other parameter overrides it. |
| `currency` | USD, PLN, UAH, RUB | USD | Currency of the amounts. USD is always included alongside. |
| `lang` | pl, en, ua, ru | en | Language of the summary and of the calculator link. |
| `mode` | cost, budget | cost | cost: what a project costs. budget: what a monthly budget buys on each model. |
| `monthlyBudget` | > 0 | — | Monthly budget in `currency`. Only with mode=budget. |
| `perWeek` | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 | — | Episodes a week the reader wants to post. Budget mode: what that costs on each model. Cost mode: the season's monthly cost and weeks. |
| `ownedPlan` | higgsfield-starter, higgsfield-plus, higgsfield-ultra, topview-ultra, artlist-starter, artlist-core, artlist-creator, kling-standard, kling-pro, kling-premier, kling-ultra-plus, byteplus-light, byteplus-production, byteplus-premium, runway-standard, runway-pro, runway-max, hailuo-standard, hailuo-pro, hailuo-master, hailuo-max | — | A video subscription the reader already pays for. Cost mode: how much of the project it covers. Budget mode with budgetSource=plan: what it makes a month. |
| `budgetSource` | amount, plan | amount | Budget mode: amount (spend monthlyBudget) or plan (spend ownedPlan's credits). |
| `output` | json, md, csv, calculator | json | json (default), md for the ready-to-quote summary and its assumptions, csv for the budget as a spreadsheet (UTF-8, one tidy table), or calculator: a redirect to the calculator opened on this estimate, the link to give a reader when you cannot open the url yourself. |
| `title` | string | — | Exported document only: the project's title, up to 80 characters. |
| `preparedFor` | string | — | Exported document only: who the budget is for, up to 80 characters. |
| `format` | episode, series, film, teaser | from preset | What is made: one episode, a series (season), a film, or a teaser. |
| `episodeSeconds` | 10–600 | from preset | Length of one episode, in seconds (episode and series). |
| `episodes` | 1–500 | from preset | Episodes in the season (series). |
| `filmMinutes` | 1–180 | from preset | Length of the film, in minutes (film). |
| `teaserSeconds` | 6, 12, 15, 20 | from preset | Length of the teaser, in seconds (teaser). |
| `videoModelId` | seedance-2-5, seedance-2, seedance-2-fast, kling-3, minimax-h3, wan-3-prime, runway-gen-4-5 | from preset | Video model. |
| `resolution` | 480p, 720p, 768p, 1080p, 2k, 4k | from preset | Output resolution. Snapped to the nearest one the model renders. |
| `nativeAudio` | true, false | from preset | Kling 3.0 only: generate sound with the video, at a higher rate. |
| `clipSeconds` | 5, 10, 15, 30 | from preset | Seconds per generation: one multishot clip. Capped at the model's longest. |
| `keptPercent` | 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 | from preset | Share of each generated clip that makes the final edit. |
| `rerolls` | 1, 1.25, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5 | from preset | How many times each finished second is generated on average, as whole clips or single failed shots: 1.5 means half the seconds twice, 3 every second three times. |
| `storyboard` | true, false | from preset | Image-first workflow: generate a keyframe for every shot. |
| `storyboardShotTenths` | 7, 10, 15, 20, 30 | from preset | Shot length for storyboard keyframes, in tenths of a second (10 = 1 s). |
| `keyframeTakes` | 1, 2, 3 | from preset | Generations per storyboard keyframe. |
| `imageModelId` | nano-banana-pro, nano-banana-2, gpt-image-2, gpt-image-2-5, seedream-5-pro | from preset | Image model for character sheets and keyframes. |
| `characters` | 0–10 | from preset | Characters that need a reference sheet. |
| `sheetGenerations` | 1–15 | from preset | Generations per character sheet. |
| `locations` | 0–30 | from preset | Recurring locations that need a reference sheet, drawn with the same image model. |
| `locationGenerations` | 1–15 | from preset | Generations per location sheet. |
| `voiceModelId` | elevenlabs-v3, elevenlabs-flash, none | from preset | Voice-over model. none: the video model speaks the lines itself. |
| `speechPercent` | 0–100 | from preset | Share of the runtime that is spoken, for voice-over. |
| `payment` | api, plans | from preset | api: pay per generated second. plans: spend subscription credits. |
| `apiProvider` | official, kie, fal, replicate | from preset | Who sells the video API, in api mode. |
| `platform` | higgsfield, topview, artlist, kling, byteplus, hailuo, runway, elevenlabs | from preset | Subscription platform, in plans mode. |

### Kept share and rerolls

`keptPercent` and `rerolls` multiply the whole video cost. They are the calculator's "How picky are you?": each preset starts on one of three levels, and a query without `preset` is on `first-episode`'s. Set them when the reader says how picky they are, and say which level the answer assumes.

| Level | Query | Presets on it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quick drafts | `keptPercent=80&rerolls=1.5` | first-episode, economy-teaser |
| Normal | `keptPercent=60&rerolls=3` | season, storyboard-episode |
| Perfectionist | `keptPercent=50&rerolls=5` | premium-episode, youtube-film |

### Examples

- [One 60-second vertical episode on Seedance 2.0 at 720p, in US dollars](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?preset=premium-episode)
- [A 24-episode season of 60-second episodes on Kling 3.0, in Polish złoty, answered in Polish](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?preset=season&currency=PLN&lang=pl)
- [A 20-minute YouTube film at 1080p](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?preset=youtube-film)
- [A 7-second teaser on MiniMax H3](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?preset=economy-teaser)
- [30 episodes of 90 seconds on Seedance 2.5 at 720p, paid by subscription](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?format=series&episodes=30&episodeSeconds=90&videoModelId=seedance-2-5&resolution=720p&payment=plans)
- [A 24-episode season of 90-second episodes on Seedance 2.5 at 720p, by API, in Polish złoty, answered in Polish](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?format=series&episodes=24&episodeSeconds=90&videoModelId=seedance-2-5&resolution=720p&currency=PLN&lang=pl)
- [The same season as a link that opens the calculator on it: give the reader this when you cannot open the API yourself](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?format=series&episodes=24&episodeSeconds=90&videoModelId=seedance-2-5&resolution=720p&currency=PLN&lang=pl&output=calculator)
- [What $50 a month buys on each video model, for 60-second episodes](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?mode=budget&monthlyBudget=50)
- [The premium episode as Markdown text, ready to quote](https://absolutecinema.ai/api/budget?preset=premium-episode&output=md)

## Guides (Polski)

- [AI-mikrodrama od zera: błędy, które kosztowały mnie 337 $](https://absolutecinema.ai/pl/ai-mikro-drama-od-zera-bledy): Jak przepaliłem 337 $ na Kling i dostałem dwie minuty wideo: pułapki abonamentu, VAT, teasery zamiast odcinków, multishot zamiast storyboardu i cztery lekcje na start.
- [Ile kosztuje AI-mikrodrama? Kalkulator kosztów wideo AI](https://absolutecinema.ai/pl/ile-kosztuje-ai-mikro-drama-kalkulator): Cena odcinka, sezonu i teasera AI w Seedance, Kling i MiniMax: kalkulator kosztów wideo AI ze źródłami cen, abonament czy API, referencje, storyboard i głos.

## Guides (English)

- [AI micro-drama from scratch: the mistakes that cost me $337](https://absolutecinema.ai/en/ai-micro-drama-from-scratch-mistakes): How I blew $337 on Kling and got two minutes of video: subscription traps, VAT, teasers before episodes, multishot instead of a storyboard, and four lessons to start with.
- [How much does an AI micro-drama cost? AI video cost calculator](https://absolutecinema.ai/en/ai-video-cost-calculator): The price of an AI episode, season and teaser on Seedance, Kling and MiniMax: an AI video cost calculator with sourced prices, subscription or API, references, storyboard and voice.

## Guides (Українська)

- [AI-мікродрама з нуля: помилки, які коштували мені 337 $](https://absolutecinema.ai/ua/ai-mikro-drama-z-nulya-pomylky): Як я злив 337 $ на Kling і отримав дві хвилини відео: пастки підписки, ПДВ, тизери замість епізодів, multishot замість сторіборду й чотири уроки для старту.
- [Скільки коштує AI-мікродрама? Калькулятор вартості AI-відео](https://absolutecinema.ai/ua/skilky-koshtuye-ai-mikro-drama-kalkulyator): Ціна епізоду, сезону й тизера ШІ в Seedance, Kling і MiniMax: калькулятор вартості AI-відео з джерелами цін, підписка чи API, референси, сторіборд і голос.

## Guides (Русский)

- [AI-микродрама с нуля: ошибки, которые стоили мне 337 $](https://absolutecinema.ai/ru/ai-mikro-drama-s-nulya-oshibki): Как я слил 337 $ на Kling и получил две минуты видео: ловушки подписки, НДС, тизеры вместо эпизодов, multishot вместо раскадровки и четыре урока для старта.
- [Сколько стоит AI-микродрама? Калькулятор стоимости AI-видео](https://absolutecinema.ai/ru/skolko-stoit-ai-mikro-drama-kalkulyator): Цена эпизода, сезона и тизера ИИ в Seedance, Kling и MiniMax: калькулятор стоимости AI-видео с источниками цен, подписка или API, референсы, раскадровка и голос.