AI commercial director
Ana Lario is a film director who makes AI-generated commercials. Her 2026 POND’S commercial was created entirely with generative AI, from concept to final sequence. She came to AI from over a decade of directing beauty and fashion films, so the craft came first and the tools followed.
What an AI-generated commercial is
An AI-generated commercial is an advert where the images and motion are produced by generative models rather than a camera. That can include the cast, the set, the light and the product shots. The models are fast and cheap to run, but nothing in them has taste. Someone still has to decide what the film is about, what the skin should look like at frame 40 and when a generated take isn’t good enough. That’s the director’s job, and it’s the part Ana does.
POND’S White Beauty Facial Foam
The clearest example is the 15-second commercial Ana directed for POND’S White Beauty Facial Foam. She was creative director and AI director. Concept, visual direction, casting, beauty cinematography, lighting, product shots and final sequences were all generated with Higgsfield AI. It’s a beauty film, which is the hardest test for AI. Skin texture, product accuracy and continuity between shots are where generated work usually gives itself away.
PromptPal
For PromptPal, Ana made a generative visual campaign and a set of social-first vertical films for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. She handled it end to end: concept, prompting, image and video generation, iteration, editing, motion and post. The imagery was built in Midjourney and Leonardo AI and animated with Veo. It was finished in After Effects and Premiere Pro, with CapCut for social formatting.
Why a film director, not only a prompt
Most AI commercials look like AI commercials. Ana’s route in is different. She has directed Pantene TVCs with Chiara Ferragni and Ellie Goulding, worked three years inside Burberry’s film studio and edited almost all of her own work. That background shapes the decisions a model can’t make: casting that fits the brand, a lighting logic that holds from shot to shot, product that looks like the real pack, and an edit with rhythm.
How a project runs
- Brief and idea. The same treatment stage as any commercial: what the film says, who it’s for, where it runs.
- Look development. Ana builds stills for the cast, set, light and product first, and signs off the look before any motion is generated.
- Generation. Shots are generated, reviewed and regenerated against the storyboard. This is where most of the time goes.
- Product and brand accuracy. Packshots, logos and claims are checked against the real product. Where accuracy matters most, a real packshot can be composited in.
- Edit, sound and versions. The film is cut, finished and versioned for its placements.
Questions
Can an AI commercial run on TV or paid social?
Technically, yes: the POND’S film is a finished 15-second commercial. Whether a given film clears for broadcast depends on the market, the platform’s AI disclosure rules and the brand’s legal review, so it’s worth raising early.
Is it cheaper than a shoot?
It removes some costs, like locations, crew days and travel, but not the direction, iteration and finishing time. Whether it’s cheaper depends on the brief. Ana will say honestly whether a brief suits AI, a shoot or a hybrid.
Which AI tools does Ana use?
Her recent work used Higgsfield AI (POND’S), and Midjourney, Leonardo AI and Veo (PromptPal), finished in After Effects and Premiere Pro. The tools change quickly. The choice follows the look the film needs.
Can it feature a real person or our real product?
The real product, yes: packshots can be matched to or composited from real photography. Real people need their consent and the relevant rights, as with any shoot.
How long does an AI commercial take?
It varies with length and the number of approval rounds. A short spot typically takes a few weeks, with most of the time spent on look development and iteration rather than on the final render.
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