15-Second or 30-Second Segments

Quick answer: Under the episode list in step 3, Segment length offers Standard 15s and Long take 30s. It sets how long each segment of the storyboard may run — and a segment is one video generation. Fifteen-second segments mean more, shorter generations and a finer grain for editing; thirty-second long takes hold a longer stretch of action in one generation but can only be rendered by the tiers that support 30 seconds. The choice applies to episodes you parse from then on; the price per second is the same either way.

Still from “The Veil at Dawn”, an AI short drama generated end-to-end by SceneMixer (6 characters, 1 episode) — Sample: “The Veil at Dawn” — Realistic HD, 1 episode, produced end-to-end by SceneMixer from the script · watch the episodes

Open a finished episode and read the lengths on the timeline cards.

Where it is

Step 3, below the episode cards: Segment length — Standard 15s / Long take 30s. The hint beside it says the limit: 30s segments can only be rendered by models supporting 30s. Episodes you have already parsed keep the length they were cut to; the setting applies to the next Parse Storyboard or Re-parse. An episode cut into long takes carries a Long take 30s badge on its card.

What a segment is

One generation: a few shots that are made together and land as one clip. The shots inside it add up to its length. An episode is a row of segments on the timeline; the composite stitches them. Shot seconds.

The episode timeline: every segment as a card with its thumbnail and duration — The timeline of an episode: each card is one segment, and its length is printed on it.

Standard 15s

Segments of up to fifteen seconds: three to five shots each, a beat of a scene. More segments per episode, each cheaper on its own, each independently regenerable. If one comes out wrong you redo fifteen seconds, not thirty. Every video tier can render it. This is the default.

Long take 30s

Segments of up to thirty seconds: a longer stretch of a scene in one generation, with the camera cutting inside it. Good for a conversation that should not be interrupted by a generation boundary, or an action beat that needs the room. Fewer segments per episode. Only the tiers that support 30-second clips can render them — the Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 families — and a 30-second segment on a 15-second tier is refused as over cap until you switch tier. Tiers.

Price

Video is priced per second of segment, so an episode costs the same whether it is cut into fifteen- or thirty-second pieces. What changes is the size of each regeneration: redoing a long take costs twice a standard segment.

Changing your mind

Switch the setting and Re-parse the episode: it is cut again at the new length, and its existing segments and videos are discarded. Do this before you shoot, not after. What re-parsing loses. Within an episode you can also split one segment by hand. Inserting a segment.

	Standard 15s	Long take 30s
Segment length	Up to 15 seconds	Up to 30 seconds
Segments per episode	More	Fewer
Cost of redoing one	Smaller	Larger
Tiers that can render it	All	Wan 3.0 and Seedance 2.5 families
Best for	Fine control, drafts	Uninterrupted conversations, longer beats

FAQ

Which should I use?

Standard 15s unless you have a reason: it is the default, every tier renders it, and mistakes are cheaper to redo.

Does 30s cost more?

Not per second. An episode costs the same; each regeneration is larger.

My 30s segment says over cap.

The selected tier renders up to 15 seconds. Pick a tier from the Wan 3.0 or Seedance 2.5 families.

Can I mix lengths in one episode?

An episode is cut at one length, but you can split a segment by hand afterwards.

Does changing the setting change episodes I already parsed?

No. They keep their length until you Re-parse them. Re-parsing replaces that episode's storyboard and its videos are discarded.

I picked Long take 30s. Why is a segment only a few seconds?

Thirty seconds is the most a segment can hold, not a length every segment is filled to. The story decides where segments end; raise the seconds of a segment's shots in the editor to lengthen it. Set 30 seconds but got short segments.

Start standard, go long when the scene asks

Parse an episode at 15s, shoot a segment, and see if the beats feel right.

Start a project

Updated October 2, 2026