When dancers cross, the foreground owner can change during the shot. Treat that transition as an occlusion problem, not just an identity prompt problem. Record who is in front at each crossing, isolate each intended replacement and review the composite around the change. If the chosen motion model only supports one character, do not assume it can preserve every person’s independent choreography in a single generation.
Mark the crossing before generating
Use the reference timeline to identify the last clear frame before overlap, the deepest overlap and the first clear frame afterward. Label the people by persistent roles, not left and right alone: their screen positions may swap. Preserve the untouched reference and a full-frame base for comparing background and crowd changes.
Runway’s multi-character tutorial uses separate character processing and compositing. It is a dialogue workflow, not evidence that the same tool exactly reproduces full-body group dance. Use that distinction when choosing an actual motion-control system.
Review ownership through the overlap
- Annotate the reference’s front-to-back order around the crossing.
- Prepare a separate identity and motion input for each supported character pass.
- Keep all passes aligned to one documented timeline.
- Review masks and layer order before, during and after overlap.
- Play the crossing at normal speed, then inspect the critical frames.
Do not permanently place one whole character layer above another if the reference requires them to exchange depth order. A capable compositor may need split segments or animated masks. The appropriate method depends on what the generated passes actually contain.
Reject borrowed body parts
Watch whose hand, sleeve or hair emerges from the overlap. A face may remain recognizable while a limb belongs to the other performer. Compare the reference’s limb path and the replacement’s identity separately; a convincing still at the start does not validate the crossing.
Can a longer prompt solve this by itself?
It can clarify roles, but cannot guarantee instance separation or changing occlusion. If the system repeatedly merges performers, reduce the shot complexity or use a workflow with explicit per-person control and reviewable composites.
Should I hide the overlap with a cut?
A cut is an editorial option when faithful continuous reconstruction is not required. State that change in the treatment. If the goal is exact choreography, hiding the failed crossing does not prove it was reproduced correctly.
Sources and scope
This is an original Imagild Editorial workflow guide, assisted by AI and reviewed against the linked sources on October 12, 2026. External tool procedures do not imply that Imagild provides those tools or guarantees their results.