AlphaTok / cost-opt
MiniMax experiments / g7-cells-01
experiment 01/grade-7 cells explainer/2026-08-15

g7-cells-01, rebuilt on MiniMax-H3: how much harder, for how much less?

The full worked example behind the difficulty thesis. Same 17 beats, same keyframes, same narration — 1080×1920, 120 s. Reference frame left, H3 rebuild right. Every segment expands to the exact machinery each side ran.

$107.92
Original stack, one render
(1,181 billed events)
≈ $1
H3 rebuild
(~1 h on one RTX 5090)
≈2.7×
More hands-on effort
(one-time, structural)
~108×
Cheaper at comparable
visual result
Reference — original API stackMiniMax-H3 — this build
01

How much harder was it?

The reason to read this experiment: not the dollars (those are easy), but the effort. Eight axes of human and operational friction, scored for each side.

≈2.7× more hands-on across eight dimensions of human & ops effort — front-loaded, not per-video

The honest answer: MiniMax-H3 is meaningfully harder to operate than the expensive stack — but almost all of the extra difficulty is one-time and structural, not recurring. Three things drive it: labels move to a separate overlay stage, motion must be faked in post, and you run your own GPU. What you don't lose is the look — i2v conditioning on the existing keyframes reproduces it. So the trade is real work and lower autonomy in exchange for a ~108× cost cut. Once the playbook, prompt templates and a warm GPU image exist, the per-video gap narrows to prompt-writing plus label authoring.

DimensionExpensive stackMiniMax-H3ΔWhat the difference is
Prompt authoring Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 +2 Expensive stack assembles a structured contract across LLM stages automatically. H3 wants one hand-written paragraph per scene — you must know the style→subject→hold→no-text scaffold.
First-frame consistency Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 0 Original locks identity with an asset-bible master PNG + sha, passed to reference-to-video. H3 conditions on the same keyframe — equally easy when keyframes already exist.
Iterating to an acceptable take Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 +3 Original auto-retries in the cloud (hands-off, but you pay per attempt — 144 here). H3 iteration is manual and you must diagnose failure modes (turbo bubbles, drift, clip length) — heavy the first time, light once learned.
On-screen text & labels Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 +3 Original requests labels via a native_labels field and the model/label stage renders them. H3 garbles any text, so labels move to a separate HyperFrames overlay stage you author by hand — the single biggest added burden.
Motion & camera Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 +2 Original takes rich camera language directly. H3 must be told to hold still, then motion is faked with hold-to-slot / Ken-Burns in post — extra editing and a lower motion ceiling.
Audio Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 0 Original runs a dedicated TTS/music stage. H3 bakes a soft ambient bed you high-pass and mix under reused VO — comparable effort, different shape.
Infra & ops Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 +3 Original is pure API calls — a key and a budget. H3 means standing up a GPU box, ComfyUI, ~60 GB of weights and a driver script before a single frame renders.
Autonomy (idea → video) Expensive stack MiniMax-H3 +2 Original goes from a topic to a finished video unattended. H3 needs keyframes and narration to already exist and a human in the loop tuning each beat.

Dots = human/ops friction (1 trivial → 5 heavy). Δ is how much harder H3 is on that axis (red = harder). Cost runs the opposite direction: the expensive stack is ~108× more money for less hands-on work.

02

Where the money went

The expensive stack's autonomy is paid for in LLM planning, per-second video billing and image editing. H3 reuses the keyframes and narration that spend already produced, and pays only for GPU time.

$107.92
Original · gpt-image-2 + Seedance + Opus/GPT-5.5 + HeyGen
→108× cheaper
≈ $1
MiniMax-H3 · one GPU, ~1 h at 20-step

Original cost by model

from cost_report.json — 1,181 billed events

gpt-image-2$36.21
Seedance-2.0 (ref-to-video)$35.19
Claude Opus 4.8$28.52
GPT-5.5$6.19
HeyGen avatar4$1.76
Gemini-3.1-pro$0.05

Original cost by operation

planning + generation, not just the video frames

LLM (director/script/QC)$34.76
Video-clip generation$28.68
Image generate$16.15
Image edit (safe)$12.24
Image edit$7.48
Native-label video fallback$6.51
Video avatar$1.76
Asset-bible masters$0.34

Cost concentrated in the beats H3 handles differently

Regeneration attempts logged by the original video stage — the diagram / label beats needed the most retries, and those are exactly the beats this build renders as clean plates + HyperFrames labels or Ken-Burns holds.

SC1029×
SC324×
SC920×
SC1217×
SC8b12×
SC211×
SC811×
SC4b7×

Top 8 of 14 scenes = 131 of 142 attempts. Expand any segment below to see that beat's exact drift-QC gates and entity locks.

How these per-section costs are estimated

Original — each beat's billed generation seconds (from the run's cost_ledger.json, retries included) × the model's per-second rate from the project price book (config/pricing.json): Seedance $0.12/s, HeyGen & diagram-motion $0.10/s. Because this list-prices every attempt, the per-beat originals sum to ≈$102 — above the $28.68 net billed for video, since the run wasn't charged full list for all 142 retries. Read them as per-beat generation effort at list price; the retry-heavy diagram beats dominate.

MiniMax-H3 — render wall-time × the Vast.ai RTX-5090 rate (~$0.50/h). The 20-step batch of the 16 non-presenter clips ran ~1 h; the 16 s presenter ~5 min; each beat's share is apportioned by its rendered seconds. Total ≈$0.54 of GPU — the rest of the "~$1" is box setup/idle time.

03

Provenance — did H3 cheat?

A fair swap only if H3 used the same starting components as the original. It did — the inputs were held constant and verified byte-for-byte, so the only variable is the video model.

Did H3 start from scratch? No — and that's by design. The experiment holds every input constant and swaps only the video model. Verified byte-for-byte against the original gen3 dossier:

Reused from the original pipeline

byte-identical (SHA-256) to the dossier — H3 did not regenerate these

Keyframes (i2v conditioning)34 / 34 identical
Narration (ElevenLabs VO)22 / 22 identical
Captions — 09_captions.jsonidentical
Timeline — 08_timeline.jsonidentical
Director / asset-bible / scriptidentical

The keyframes carry the whole look and the hero cell's identity — they were made by gpt-image-2 (+ edits) in the original run. H3 consumed them unchanged.

Generated by H3 (only this)

the sole new visual output of this experiment

Video clips (the motion)15 rendered
Clean plates (label removal)cv2 inpaint of originals
Labels & captionsHyperFrames, reused data
New image generationnone
New narration / planningnone

H3 replaced the video-generation stage only — standing on ~$56 of reused image work + $34.76 of planning + the reused VO.

$28.68 → ≈$1
Fair, marginal comparison
the swapped component: video generation
vs
$107.92 → ≈$1
Full artifact
valid once keyframes + VO + plan are already paid for

The headline ~108× is the cost of the two videos as finished artifacts — fair when you already own the keyframes (re-rendering, or many variants off one keyframe set). The apples-to-apples swap is video generation: ~$28.68 → ~$1 (~29×). The planned from-zero experiment removes the reused keyframes to measure the true floor.

04

Segment by segment

Each pair samples a frame from the same timeline mid-point in both cuts, and plays that beat's clip from both videos. The chip on each card shows its approximate cost — original generation vs H3 GPU. Expand “Full detail” to compare the original's per-scene machinery against H3's one prompt and one conditioning frame.

SC1presenter≈$1.61 → ≈$0.0439×

Presenter hook: is a cell even alive?

0.0s → 16.1s · 16.07s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“Something this tiny sounds like it should be just a speck of non-living matter, like dust — so a cell itself can't really be alive, right? Here's the key: a cell is the smallest unit that is alive.”

Original approach
MethodAvatar i2v
StackHeyGen avatar4
Regen attempts— one pass
Est. cost≈$1.61
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 1.0 MP · full 16 s
Prompt subjectPhotoreal warm science-communicator host, head and shoulders, speaking directly and warmly to camera, soft out-of-focus mint background, gentle natural light. P
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelfal-ai/heygen/avatar4/image-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
entitiesnone locked
lipsync / native audioyes / yes
voiceover—
regen attempts · billed1× · —s
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC1_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1000
render · slot16.1s · 17.1s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Photoreal warm science-communicator host, head and shoulders, speaking directly and warmly to camera, soft out-of-focus mint background, gentle natural light. Presenter hook: is a cell even alive?: Photoreal science host, head and shoulders, speaking directly and warmly to camera, posing the misconception Same host, calm confident correction to camera The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet warm studio room tone, faint breath before speaking. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC2label beat≈$4.41 → ≈$0.03154×

This is a cell — name the hero

17.1s → 20.6s · 3.58s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“This is a cell: the smallest unit of life.”

Original approach
MethodDiagram-motion
StackGemini-omni-flash + gpt-image-2 plate + baked label
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)11×
Est. cost≈$4.41
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodClean plate + Ken Burns
RenderH3 plate → zoompan · HyperFrames label
Prompt subjectOne large hero animal cell
Est. cost≈$0.03
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
motion modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
native labelsCell
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed11× · 44.1s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“All 9 samples show the same teal/aqua animal cell with one purple nucleus upper-left and exactly three orange mitochondria at lower-left, lower-right, and upper-right; consistent outlines/palette, no cylinder or forbidden form.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning frameclean_SC2_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1007
render · slot3.6s · 4.1s
labels / motionHyperFrames + Ken Burns
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — This is a cell — name the hero: One large hero animal cell. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC2a≈$0.96 → ≈$0.0331×

Living-things variety

21.1s → 25.0s · 3.85s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“Every living thing is built from one or more cells,”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)2×
Est. cost≈$0.96
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 4 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjecta clean tableau of a sprouting plant, fish, human silhouette, and a distinct rod-shaped bacterium; each is connected to a cell motif, while the bacterium has no nucleus or mitoc
Est. cost≈$0.03
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
entitiesnone locked
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed2× · 8.0s
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC2a_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1014
render · slot3.9s · 4.4s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. Scene — Living-things variety: a clean tableau of a sprouting plant, fish, human silhouette, and a distinct rod-shaped bacterium; each is connected to a cell motif, while the bacterium has no nucleus or mitoc. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC3label beat≈$24.02 → ≈$0.04599×

Cell to microscope

25.5s → 35.5s · 10.03s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“and a cell is the smallest piece that carries out the jobs of living. It is microscopic, too small to see without a microscope.”

Original approach
MethodDiagram-motion
StackGemini-omni-flash + gpt-image-2 plate + baked label
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)24×
Est. cost≈$24.02
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodClean plate + Ken Burns
RenderH3 plate → zoompan · HyperFrames label
Prompt subjectOne large hero cell
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
native labelsCell
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed24× · 240.2s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“Readable hero frames match master: teal membrane/aqua interior, purple nucleus upper-left, three orange mitochondria in fixed positions; later specimen shrinks/tiny then absent on microscope with no replacement cell.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning frameclean_SC3_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1021
render · slot5.0s · 10.5s
labels / motionHyperFrames + Ken Burns
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Cell to microscope: One large hero cell. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC4≈$5.40 → ≈$0.04135×

Simplified model, not a photo

36.0s → 44.9s · 8.82s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“The picture we'll draw of one is a simplified model, not a photo — a real cell is a busy, moving, three-dimensional thing.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)5×
Est. cost≈$5.40
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 5 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectThe canonical animal cell holds as one clean flat top-view circle with its locked organelle layout
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed5× · 45s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“Same teal animal cell throughout with pale interior, purple nucleus, exactly three orange mitochondria in locked lower-left/lower-right/upper-right layout; sequence starts flat top-view and ends as softly shaded rounded dome, not a cylinder.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC4_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1028
render · slot5.0s · 9.8s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Simplified model, not a photo: The canonical animal cell holds as one clean flat top-view circle with its locked organelle layout. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC4b≈$8.41 → ≈$0.04210×

Living processes: energy, grow, divide

45.9s → 57.3s · 11.47s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“Watch the living processes: a typical cell takes in and uses energy, grows, and can divide to produce new cells. Those actions are evidence that the cell itself is alive.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)7×
Est. cost≈$8.41
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 5 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectenergy, grow, divide: A soft rounded warm in-palette energy speck enters at the membrane edge and is absorbed, cell glows briefly The cell visibly enlarges The enlarged cell pinches
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed7× · 70.1s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“All readable cells keep teal membrane, pale aqua interior, purple upper-left nucleus, and three orange mitochondria in the locked positions; energy/glow are external transient effects and division yields matching daughter cells.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC4b_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1035
render · slot5.0s · 12.5s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Living processes: energy, grow, divide: A soft rounded warm in-palette energy speck enters at the membrane edge and is absorbed, cell glows briefly The cell visibly enlarges The enlarged cell pinches . The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC5≈$0.34 → ≈$0.0215×

Every living thing is made of cells

58.3s → 61.2s · 2.83s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“Every living thing is made of cells.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts— one pass
Est. cost≈$0.34
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 3 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectA clean tableau of a sprouting plant, fish, human silhouette, and a distinct rod-shaped bacterium, each visibly connected to a cell motif; bacterium has no nucleus
Est. cost≈$0.02
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
entitiesnone locked
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed1× · —s
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC5_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1042
render · slot2.8s · 3.3s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. Scene — Every living thing is made of cells: A clean tableau of a sprouting plant, fish, human silhouette, and a distinct rod-shaped bacterium, each visibly connected to a cell motif; bacterium has no nucleus. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC6≈$0.35 → ≈$0.0215×

Bacteria: a single cell

61.7s → 64.6s · 2.93s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“Some, like bacteria, are a single cell;”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts— one pass
Est. cost≈$0.35
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 3 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjecta single cell: One scientifically recognizable slate-blue rod/capsule bacterium with a simple envelope and a thin flagellum, no nucleus or mitochondria, gently drifting in close-up
Est. cost≈$0.02
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
entitiesnone locked
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed1× · —s
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC6_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1049
render · slot2.9s · 3.4s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. Scene — Bacteria: a single cell: One scientifically recognizable slate-blue rod/capsule bacterium with a simple envelope and a thin flagellum, no nucleus or mitochondria, gently drifting in close-up. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC6b≈$0.60 → ≈$0.0416×

You: about 30 trillion cells

65.1s → 69.8s · 4.74s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“others, like you, are built from about 30 trillion cells working together.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)1×
Est. cost≈$0.60
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 5 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectabout 30 trillion cells: One complete neutral human silhouette gradually fills from feet to head with a dense even field of identical small teal cell dots
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
entitiesnone locked
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed1× · 5.0s
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC6b_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1056
render · slot4.7s · 5.8s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. Scene — You: about 30 trillion cells: One complete neutral human silhouette gradually fills from feet to head with a dense even field of identical small teal cell dots. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC8label beat≈$7.72 → ≈$0.04192×

Three parts + name membrane

70.8s → 78.1s · 7.29s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“In this simplified animal-cell model, three parts are useful to recognize. The cell membrane is its outer boundary,”

Original approach
MethodDiagram-motion
StackGemini-omni-flash + gpt-image-2 plate + baked label
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)11×
Est. cost≈$7.72
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodClean plate + Ken Burns
RenderH3 plate → zoompan · HyperFrames label
Prompt subjectThe hero cell centered,
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
motion modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
native labelsCell Membrane
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed11× · 77.2s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“All frames show same flat animal cell: teal membrane/pale aqua interior, purple nucleus upper-left, exactly three orange mitochondria at lower-left/lower-right/upper-right; membrane label/halo are external teaching aids.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning frameclean_SC8_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1063
render · slot5.0s · 7.8s
labels / motionHyperFrames + Ken Burns
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Three parts + name membrane: The hero cell centered,. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC8b≈$5.77 → ≈$0.02304×

Membrane controls what goes in and out

78.6s → 81.0s · 2.37s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“controlling what goes in and out.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)12×
Est. cost≈$5.77
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 2 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectA straight vertical teal membrane divides outside on the left from cell interior on the right
Est. cost≈$0.02
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed12× · 48.1s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“Close-up/crop shows same teal membrane and pale aqua interior; particles remain separate teaching objects, no extra organelles or recolored anatomy.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC8b_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1070
render · slot2.4s · 2.9s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Membrane controls what goes in and out: A straight vertical teal membrane divides outside on the left from cell interior on the right. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC9label beat≈$8.02 → ≈$0.03253×

Name nucleus

81.5s → 85.4s · 3.95s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“The nucleus is the control center that directs the cell.”

Original approach
MethodDiagram-motion
StackGemini-omni-flash + gpt-image-2 plate + baked label
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)20×
Est. cost≈$8.02
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodClean plate + Ken Burns
RenderH3 plate → zoompan · HyperFrames label
Prompt subjectHighlight the purple nucleus;
Est. cost≈$0.03
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
motion modelgemini-omni-flash-preview
native labelsNucleus
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed20× · 80.2s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“All frames show the same flat teal animal cell with pale aqua interior, one purple nucleus upper-left of center, exactly three orange mitochondria at lower-left/lower-right/upper-right, clean charcoal contours, and only a nucleus label/leader plus transient highlight halo.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning frameclean_SC9_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1077
render · slot4.0s · 4.5s
labels / motionHyperFrames + Ken Burns
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Name nucleus: Highlight the purple nucleus;. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC10label beat≈$11.63 → ≈$0.011160×

Name mitochondria

85.9s → 87.2s · 1.25s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“And the mitochondria”

Original approach
MethodDiagram-motion
StackGemini-omni-flash + gpt-image-2 plate + baked label
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)29×
Est. cost≈$11.63
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodClean plate + Ken Burns
RenderH3 plate → zoompan · HyperFrames label
Prompt subjectCloser framing on the interior; highlight one representative orange mitochondrion;
Est. cost≈$0.01
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
native labelsMitochondria
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / no
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed29× · 116.3s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“All sampled frames show same teal animal cell with pale aqua interior, purple nucleus upper-left, exactly three orange mitochondria in locked LL/LR/UR positions; one leader/label targets UR mitochondrion with highlight only.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning frameclean_SC10_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1084
render · slot1.2s · 1.7s
labels / motionHyperFrames + Ken Burns
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Name mitochondria: Closer framing on the interior; highlight one representative orange mitochondrion;. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC10p≈$0.48 → ≈$0.0226×

Mitochondria release the energy

87.7s → 90.0s · 2.32s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“release the energy the cell needs.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)1×
Est. cost≈$0.48
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 2 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectClose on the same animal-cell interior; one representative mitochondrion gains a restrained thin warm aura that expands slightly around that organelle only, showing en
Est. cost≈$0.02
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed1× · 4.0s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“All frames show same teal animal cell with pale aqua interior, purple nucleus upper-left, exactly three orange mitochondria in locked positions; only lower-right mitochondrion has a thin warm aura.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC10p_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1091
render · slot2.3s · 2.8s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Mitochondria release the energy: Close on the same animal-cell interior; one representative mitochondrion gains a restrained thin warm aura that expands slightly around that organelle only, showing en. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC10b≈$0.60 → ≈$0.0417×

Microscopic, but alive

90.5s → 95.0s · 4.50s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“Put it together: a cell is microscopic, but it is alive.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)1×
Est. cost≈$0.60
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 4 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectThe hero cell starts very small on the mint field (microscopic), then a very subtle in-frame push brings the unchanged canonical cell up to a clear size; its teal outer contour
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed1× · 5.0s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“Readable frames show same teal/pale-aqua animal cell with purple nucleus upper-left and exactly three orange mitochondria at lower-left, lower-right, upper-right; only scale push and brief outer pulse/halo.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC10b_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1098
render · slot4.5s · 5.0s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Microscopic, but alive: The hero cell starts very small on the mint field (microscopic), then a very subtle in-frame push brings the unchanged canonical cell up to a clear size; its teal outer contour. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC12≈$20.42 → ≈$0.04509×

Recap: life's jobs, made of cells, smallest unit

95.5s → 105.8s · 10.26s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“It carries out life's basic jobs, and every living thing is made of one or more cells. A cell is the smallest unit of life.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)17×
Est. cost≈$20.42
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 5 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectlife's jobs, made of cells, smallest unit: One complete canonical hero animal cell is centered on a seamless pale-mint field
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed17× · 170.2s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“Readable hero cells keep teal membrane, pale-aqua interior, purple upper-left nucleus, and three orange mitochondria at lower-left, lower-right, upper-right; small badges/tiny units are scale-reduced and halos stay external; bacterium remains distinct.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC12_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1105
render · slot5.0s · 11.3s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Recap: life's jobs, made of cells, smallest unit: One complete canonical hero animal cell is centered on a seamless pale-mint field. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
SC13≈$1.20 → ≈$0.0430×

Close: look inside next

106.8s → 120.4s · 13.65s
Reference · original stack
MiniMax-H3 · this build
plays muted, both from the top — audio: use a single clip's controls

“Now that you know the cell is the smallest living unit, the next step is to look inside one — because a cell only stays alive through the specific jobs its inner parts do.”

Original approach
MethodReference-to-video
StackSeedance-2.0 + asset-bible master
Regen attempts (orig. video stage)1×
Est. cost≈$1.20
MiniMax-H3 approach
MethodH3 i2v
Render20-step · 0.6 MP · 5 s → hold-to-slot
Prompt subjectlook inside next: The unchanged canonical hero cell remains fully visible with generous margin while an almost imperceptible 3% push draws attention toward its existing interior parts; no recol
Est. cost≈$0.04
Full detail — original machinery vs exact H3 render
Original — machinery per beat
producer modelbytedance/seedance-2.0/reference-to-video
motion model—
native labelsnone
entity locks (sha)
animal_celladcfa75bc797… ✓passed
lipsync / native audiono / yes
voiceoverElevenLabs mp3
regen attempts · billed1× · 10.0s
entity drift QC gates
pass ✓identity_ok ✓structure_ok ✓layout_ok ✓palette_ok ✓dome_ok ✓no_cylinder ✓
“All nine samples show the same flat teal animal cell with pale aqua interior, purple nucleus upper-left, and exactly three orange mitochondria at lower-left, lower-right, and upper-right; palette and outlines remain consistent with no added parts or cylinder/dome change.”
MiniMax-H3 — exact render
workflowi2v (single model)
conditioning framecells01_SC13_start.png
steps · LoRA20-step · none
resolution0.6 MP → 1080×1920
seed1112
render · slot5.0s · 13.7s
labels / motionnone / hold-to-slot
full prompt sent to H3
Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism. The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles. Scene — Close: look inside next: The unchanged canonical hero cell remains fully visible with generous margin while an almost imperceptible 3% push draws attention toward its existing interior parts; no recol. The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. Nothing appears, disappears, morphs or is added. Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty, smooth and flat — nothing floats in it: no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare, no glitter, no snow, no smoke, no extra shapes. Audio: only soft natural ambience — quiet calm room tone. Strictly no music, no narration, no dialogue, no score, no tonal drone. Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
05

The shared H3 scaffold

Every H3 prompt on this experiment is the same four-part scaffold with only the subject line swapped. That's the reusable template — write it once, vary one clause per beat.

The four blocks every prompt reuses

1 · Style (constant)

Minimal modern flat-vector educational illustration, Apple-keynote aesthetic. Smooth flat fills and soft even gradient-mesh blends only, crisp thin clean outlines, generous negative space, on a calm soft mint-cream background (#EAF6EE). One subject centered at a time. Friendly, quiet, legible for a 12-13 year old. Absolutely no paper grain, no brush texture, no watercolour bleed, no microscopy, no photorealism.

2 · Hero identity (constant on cell beats)

The hero cell is one smooth rounded circle with a thin soft-teal membrane ring, a pale-aqua interior, one large muted-purple round nucleus slightly upper-left of center, and exactly three warm-orange bean-shaped mitochondria (lower-left, lower-right, upper-right). No cell wall, no chloroplasts, no ribosomes, no extra organelles.

3 · Subject (the only per-beat change)

Scene — [title]: [one line of what this beat shows]

4 · Hold + hard no-text + ambience (constant)

The image is almost completely still: keep the exact composition, framing, subject and colours of the reference image. Only an extremely subtle, slow breathing scale and the faintest drift. … Do NOT zoom, pan, push in, rotate, dissolve or change the scene. The mint-cream background is completely empty … no bubbles, no droplets, no water, no dust, no sparkles, no particles, no lens flare … Strictly no music, no narration … Absolutely NO text of any kind: no letters, no words, no writing, no captions, no labels, no numbers, no diagram callouts, no leader lines, no watermark. A completely clean plate.
AspectOriginal modelsMiniMax-H3
Consistencyasset-bible PNG + sha, fed to reference-to-videocarried by the i2v conditioning frame — no bible needed
Camera languagerich moves fine (“gentle push-in”, “slides in”)remove it — motion verbs make H3 drift off the keyframe
On-screen textrequested via native_labels, model renders itforbid hard — H3 garbles text; do labels in HyperFrames
Prompt shapestructured JSON across stages, routed per modelone flat paragraph, four-block scaffold
Clip lengthmodel picks; long shots OKkeep ≤5 s, hold-to-slot in post (long clips drift)
Samplingn/a20-step, no turbo LoRA — turbo hallucinates bubbles on flat art
06

The H3 playbook

Nine things that made H3 reproduce this look — the part that makes the next experiment cheaper in effort, not just dollars.

07

Honest limitations