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Runway for AI short films

Short answer. Runway is paid in monthly credits: Standard $12/mo (625 credits), Pro $28/mo (2,250) and Max $76/mo (9,500), billed yearly, or $15, $35 and $95 month to month. Gen-4.5 costs 12 credits per second, so a 5-second shot is 60 credits. For a first short of about a minute, Pro is a sensible starting point; Max fits films of several minutes or regular releases, and it is the only plan that rolls over unused credits.

Last checked Nov 3, 2026, from Runway's pricing page and Runway Help. Prices in USD; credit costs per model change, so check the cost shown in Runway before you generate.

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Which plan for a short film

PlanPriceCreditsWhat that means for a short
Free$0125, one time (they don't expire)Enough to try the interface. Gen-4.5 needs Standard or higher, per Runway Help.
Standard$12/mo yearly ($15 monthly)625 a monthAbout 52 seconds of Gen-4.5, roughly ten 5-second shots. Good for tests and a trailer-length piece.
Pro$28/mo yearly ($35 monthly)2,250 a monthAbout 187 seconds of Gen-4.5: room for a one-minute short with a few takes per shot.
Max$76/mo yearly ($95 monthly)9,500 a monthAbout 791 seconds of Gen-4.5. Fits films of several minutes; up to one month of unused credits rolls over, and ProRes or PNG sequence export is available.

A rough budget, as an example. A one-minute film built from 5-second shots is 12 shots. With three takes per shot, that is 36 generations, or about 2,160 credits on Gen-4.5: just inside Pro. A three-minute film at the same rate is about 6,480 credits, which points to Max or to extra credits (sold from 1,000 at a time; bought credits never expire). That's our arithmetic from Runway's credit table, not a Runway figure; your take count will differ.

Full plan details and sources are on the Runway listing. Verify on the official pricing page before you buy.

What each shot costs

A simple setup for a short film

  1. Write it as shots. Start with a one-page story and break it into a shot list. Gen-4.5 clips run 2 to 10 seconds, so give each line of the list one action and one camera move.
  2. Make your key frames first. Generate stills of your characters and locations with Gen-4 Image Turbo (2 credits each) while you explore, then make the keepers at a higher quality. Pick one aspect ratio, such as 16:9 or 21:9, and use it for the whole film.
  3. Animate from those frames. Use Gen-4.5 image to video with a still as the first frame. Runway's guide suggests the prompt describe the motion and camera, since the image already sets the look, lighting and subject.
  4. Keep takes short while you test. Credits are charged per second, so try a move at 2 to 5 seconds before committing to a 10-second take.
  5. Fix shots instead of starting over. When a shot is close, Aleph 2.0 can change or restyle the existing clip; Kling 4.0 and Seedance 2.0 Pro are in the same app if you want 1080p shots from a different model.
  6. Cut it in an editor. Download the clips and assemble them in an editor such as DaVinci Resolve or CapCut. Runway's own music and voice models use the same credits if you want sound from one place.

Short films made with Runway

Videos creators have shared publicly, with the tools as they describe them. Each one plays from YouTube when you click it.

These videos belong to their creators and are shown with YouTube's own player and credit. We're not affiliated with them. To have one removed, or to suggest your own, email hello@aivideoworkflows.com. Playing a video loads YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode), see our privacy page.

In the video descriptions: Runway says Felipe Orozco made Grizzlies in a few hours with Gen-4.5 image to video and Nano Banana Pro; AiMovieTrailers says every shot of Wild was Gen-4.5 text to video; Creatificial Imaginations says Giant used Gen-4, References and Aleph, with Midjourney images and ElevenLabs sound.

FAQ

Can I make a short film in Runway for free?

You can try Runway with the one-time 125 free credits, but Gen-4.5 needs Standard or higher, per Runway Help, and 125 credits covers only a few seconds of most video models.

How long can a Runway clip be?

Gen-4.5 clips are 2 to 10 seconds. Longer films are many clips cut together in an editor.

Which Runway plan do I need for a short film?

Standard ($12/mo yearly, 625 credits) is enough for tests or a trailer, Pro ($28/mo, 2,250 credits) fits a first short of about a minute, and Max ($76/mo, 9,500 credits) fits longer films. You can upgrade at any time; upgrades are prorated and add credits right away.

Do unused Runway credits carry over?

On Standard and Pro, no: monthly credits reset each billing cycle. On Max, up to one month of unused credits rolls over. Credits you buy separately never expire.

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