Animate OCs with Google Veo 3: A Creator's Guide

8/11/2025

So You Want to Bring Your OCs to Life with Veo 3? Here’s How.

Hey there. If you're anything like me, you've got a head full of original characters (OCs) just screaming to get out & have their stories told. For the longest time, that meant either learning to draw & animate yourself (a HUGE time sink), or hiring someone to do it for you (a HUGE money sink). But honestly, the game is changing. FAST.

I've been deep in the world of AI video generation for a while now, & the tools are getting scarily good. The latest one that’s got everyone talking is Google’s Veo 3. I’ve been playing around with it, and let me tell you, it’s a potential game-changer for creators, especially those of us with a cast of OCs waiting in the wings. It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn close to magic.

This is going to be a deep dive. We're talking ~3000 words of everything I've learned about taking your character from a concept in your head to a living, breathing person on screen using Veo 3. So grab a coffee, get comfortable, & let's get into it.

First Off, What Exactly is Veo 3?

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly cover the "what." Veo 3 is Google DeepMind's latest AI video model that dropped at Google I/O 2025. Think of it as a super-powered text-to-video & image-to-video generator. What makes it stand out from the crowd is its focus on a few key things that are critical for character-based storytelling:

Native Audio & Lip-Sync: This is a big one. Veo 3 can generate not just video, but also synchronized dialogue, sound effects, & ambient noise all in one go. The lip-syncing is surprisingly accurate, which is HUGE for making characters feel believable.
Character Consistency: This has been the holy grail for AI video. Veo 3 is much better at keeping your character looking like the same person from shot to shot. It's not foolproof, but it's a massive leap forward.
Cinematic Control: It understands camera movement prompts pretty well ("dolly in," "crane shot," "low-angle shot") & can produce some genuinely cinematic-looking clips.

You access Veo 3 through a tool called Flow, which is Google's AI-powered filmmaking interface. Flow is where you'll be doing all the prompting, generating, & arranging of your scenes. It's designed to be intuitive, letting you use everyday language to describe your vision.

The Foundation: Designing a "Promptable" Character

Okay, here’s the thing. Before you even type a single word into Veo 3, you need to know your character inside & out. But more than that, you need to know them in a way that an AI can understand. I call this having a "promptable" character.

AI models don't "know" your character like you do. They don't understand their backstory or their secret hopes & fears. They only know what you tell them, & they thrive on specific, concrete details.

So, start by creating a "character bible" or a detailed reference sheet. But instead of just writing a personality summary, focus on VISUALS. Think like a director describing a character to a concept artist.

Here's a good format to follow:

The Anchor/Identity: A short, repeatable phrase that is the core of your character. "A grizzled space marine with a cybernetic left eye," or "A cheerful, freckled gnome with a pointy red hat."
Core Physical Traits: Be ridiculously specific. Don't just say "brown hair." Say "shoulder-length, wavy chestnut brown hair, slightly messy." Don't just say "blue eyes." Say "pale, ice-blue eyes with a small scar above the right eyebrow." The more unique & consistent these details are, the more the AI has to latch onto.
Clothing & Style: This is a key part of character identity. Again, be specific. Instead of "a jacket," try "a worn, dark brown leather bomber jacket with a faded patch on the right sleeve." Use consistent terminology; don't switch between "jacket" & "coat."
Signature Pose/Mannerisms (Optional but helpful): Do they have a specific way of standing? A nervous tic? You can try to incorporate these into your prompts later.

Once you have this written down, you've got your character's DNA for the AI. This document will be your best friend.

The Two Paths to Character Consistency in Veo 3

Alright, now for the fun part. There are basically two main ways to get your OC into Veo 3 & keep them looking consistent.

Path 1: The "Prompt-Only" Purist

This method relies entirely on the strength & consistency of your written descriptions. It's great if you're starting from scratch & don't have a visual reference yet. The key here is DISCIPLINE. You have to use your character bible religiously.

Your prompt structure should be your blueprint. A great starting point is: [Identity] + [Core Traits] + [Clothing/Style] + [Action] + [Setting] + [Camera & Lighting]

For example: > "A cheerful, freckled gnome with a pointy red hat, with bright green eyes & a mischievous grin, wearing a blue tunic & leather boots, is inspecting a glowing mushroom in an enchanted forest. The shot is a medium close-up, with soft, magical lighting filtering through the trees."

Every time you generate a new shot with this character, you use the EXACT same identity, core traits, & clothing description. You only change the action, setting, & camera details. It feels repetitive, but this repetition is what builds "memory" for the AI.

Insider Tip: Use a tool like Google Docs or a notes app to save your core character prompt. Then you can just copy-paste it for each new scene, which saves time & prevents accidental variations.

Path 2: The "Image Reference" Pro

This is, in my opinion, the most powerful & reliable method right now. It involves creating a single, high-quality reference image of your character & then using that as the starting point for your video generations.

Step 1: Create Your Character's "Headshot"

You can use an AI image generator like Midjourney, Leonardo.Ai, or even Google's own Imagen (which is integrated into Flow) to create this reference image. Use your character bible to write a detailed prompt to generate the image.

Some tips for a good reference image:

Front-facing or 3/4 view: The AI needs to clearly see the facial features.
Good, clear lighting: Avoid dramatic shadows that might obscure details.
Neutral expression (to start): This gives you a clean baseline to work from when you start adding emotions later.

Generate images until you get one that is THE definitive look for your character. This is your "master" image. Save it. Cherish it.

Step 2: Using "Frames to Video" in Flow

Now, you bring that image into Google's Flow interface. You'll use the "Frames to Video" mode. Here's the workflow:

In Flow, select "Frames to Video."
Upload your character's reference image as the "first frame."
Write your prompt. Here’s the key: your prompt should now describe what you want the character in the image to do. For example: "The woman in the image smiles warmly & says, 'It's so good to see you.' She is in a bustling cafe. Cinematic, warm lighting."

Veo 3 will then take the visual information from your image & animate it based on your prompt. Because it's starting from the same visual data every time, the consistency is WAY higher than the prompt-only method.

Insider Tip: You can even make a vlog-style video of your OC by consistently using their reference image with different dialogue prompts. The result can be surprisingly effective for creating talking-head style content for your character.

Directing Your Digital Actor: Prompts for Emotion & Action

Getting your character to look right is only half the battle. Now you need to make them act. This is where the art of prompting really comes in.

Expressing Emotion

Veo 3 has a decent grasp of emotions, but you need to be a good director. Don't just say "sad." Describe what "sad" LOOKS like.

Instead of "happy," try: "laughing genuinely, head tilted back slightly, eyes crinkled, a wide, joyful smile."
Instead of "angry," try: "eyebrows lowered & drawn together, jaw clenched, lips pressed into a thin line, a direct, confrontational stare."
Instead of "scared," try: "eyes wide with raised eyebrows, mouth slightly open as if to gasp, tension in the face."

You can also include vocal cues in your prompt if you're using Veo 3's native audio generation. For example: "...he says in a hushed, trembling voice..."

Choreographing Action

For action sequences, break down the movement into simple, clear steps. AI can get confused by overly complex instructions.

Instead of: "He runs, jumps over the crate, does a roll, & comes up firing his blaster."
Try breaking it into shots:
1. "A man in a black uniform runs towards the camera, a determined look on his face. Dynamic, low-angle shot."
2. "The man in the black uniform leaps over a large metal crate. Slow-motion, side-on view."
3. "The man in the black uniform lands in a smooth forward roll & immediately raises a futuristic blaster. Close-up on his face, sweat beading on his forehead."

This shot-by-shot approach is more like real filmmaking & gives you much more control over the final sequence.

Building Scenes with Google Flow's Tools

Flow has some pretty cool features that help you string your individual clips together into a coherent narrative.

Scenebuilder & "Jump To": This is a killer feature. Once you have a clip you like, you can add it to the Scenebuilder. Then, you can use the "Jump To" feature. You select the last frame of your first clip, & then write a prompt for what should happen next. Flow uses the visual information from that last frame to create a seamless transition to a new scene, helping to maintain character consistency. For example, you could have a shot of your character smiling in their apartment, then use "Jump To" with a prompt like "She walks through a doorway into a sunlit park," & Flow will try to generate that transition.
Ingredients to Video: This mode is a bit more experimental but has a ton of potential. You can generate individual elements—like your character, a specific prop, & a background—as "ingredients." Then, you can combine them in a prompt to create a scene. This gives you modular control, which is great for complex setups.
Camera Controls: Don't forget to use the built-in camera controls in Flow! You can select camera movements like pans, tilts, & zooms directly from the interface without having to write them into the prompt. This can save you a lot of time & help you get more dynamic shots.

Let's Talk Business: How Arsturn Fits In

Now, you might be thinking, "This is cool for my personal projects, but how does this relate to business?" Well, the same principles of creating engaging, consistent characters can be applied to brand storytelling & customer engagement.

Imagine creating a friendly, animated mascot for your company. You could use these techniques to have that mascot star in explainer videos, social media content, or even as a virtual greeter on your website.

This is actually where a tool like Arsturn comes into the picture. While Veo 3 is for creating the video content, Arsturn is about deploying that character-driven engagement. For instance, you could feature your newly animated OC on your website, & right next to it, have a chatbot with the same personality.

With Arsturn, businesses can build no-code AI chatbots trained on their own data. You could literally feed it your character bible, product info, & FAQs. The chatbot would then interact with website visitors in the voice & persona of your character, answering questions & providing instant support 24/7. It’s a super clever way to create a memorable & personalized customer experience, boosting engagement & making your brand stand out.

The Inevitable Quirks & Workarounds

Look, AI video is still a new frontier. It's not always going to be perfect. You'll get weird artifacts, six-fingered hands, & characters who suddenly change their shirt mid-scene. It's part of the process.

Inpainting is your friend: If you get a great clip with a minor flaw (like a weird mouth movement or a strange object in the background), don't throw it away! Use a video editor with an inpainting or object removal tool to fix it.
Generate, generate, generate: Don't expect to get the perfect shot on the first try. It's a numbers game. Generate multiple variations of the same prompt. You'll be surprised how different the results can be.
Embrace the "happy accidents": Sometimes the AI will misinterpret your prompt in a way that's actually cooler than what you originally intended. Be open to these creative detours!

The Future is Now, Kinda

Bringing an original character to life with a tool like Veo 3 is an incredibly exciting process. It feels like we're on the cusp of a new era of personal filmmaking & storytelling. For the first time, the power to create high-quality animated content is not limited by budget or technical skill, but by imagination.

It takes a bit of patience & a lot of creative prompting, but the ability to see a character you've only ever imagined in your head suddenly look at you, speak, & exist in a world is... well, it's magical.

So go dust off those character sheets, start brainstorming, & dive in. The tools are here. Your stories are waiting.

Hope this was helpful! Let me know what you think, & I'd love to see what you create.