Using Veo3 for UGC Videos

Hey there, it’s Jeff from Flixr — I’m the Creative Strategist here, and we’ve been cooking up some wild, wonderful, and sometimes weird stuff with Veo3 lately. One of the things we’ve been playing with? Using Veo3 for UGC-style videos. Yep, those raw, vertical, TikTok-friendly clips that feel like someone just picked up their phone and pressed record.

Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve learned, what works (and what doesn’t), plus a few juicy tips and examples straight from our own process. Let’s get into it.

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What We Learned

Veo3 has made HUGE leaps forward, and while we’re still not at 100% realism, it’s already become a powerful tool in our creative workflow. UGC-style content works surprisingly well when you keep it simple, grounded, and well-structured.

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What Works Well?

My absolute favorite feature? The lipsync + realistic monologue dialogue. There’s a kind of magic that happens when it’s just one person talking. Veo3 nails it. Like, completely nails it. The emotional range it captures (if you prompt it right) is INSANE. For example, with the Monopoly Go campaign we did, we managed to keep a consistent tone throughout the scenes thanks to how well the model handled the character’s delivery.

Another area where Veo3 shines? Camera movements. The panning and tilting feels SO natural. Cinematic outcomes come effortlessly when you guide it correctly. For polished realism, this model gets surprisingly close to perfection on the little things that matter most.

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What Doesn’t Work Well?

Good luck with two-person dialogue in one promp. If you get that working the first time, go buy a lottery ticket. It’s tough. The model starts blending characters, messing up lipsync, or getting stuck in uncanny territory.

Also, we noticed CGI-style interactions (like oversized hands or complex gestures) still feel robotic. One example: we tried to make a big, realistic finger tap a sleeping cat — like in those hidden-object mobile games. It took nine different prompts just to get a 2-second usable shot.

So yeah, Veo3 has limits. But that’s also part of the fun — pushing those limits to see where it breaks.

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Tips & Best Practices (The Deep Dive)

Let me break this down how we do it at Flixr:

1. Use Scene Labels

Always start your prompt with the number of the scene (e.g., Scene 1:). Based on our experience, it doesn’t affect the actual output — but it does make your life easier when organizing downloads. Seriously, it saves time.

2. Start with the Setup / Scenario

Set the mood. Define the whole space before you introduce any characters. Here’s how:

• Time & Place: Interior – vibrant gaming room setup at nighttime.
• Scene Details: Colorful RGB hex lights glowing on the back wall, open display shelves filled with action figures and collectibles.
• Extra Context: A red curtain partially frames the left side of the shot. It's nighttime, giving the LED lights extra punch.

The more context you give upfront, the more aligned the model’s output will be with what’s in your head.

3. Characters: Go DEEP on Descriptions

The more detail, the better. Especially when you want consistency across scenes.

• Main Character: [A rugged man in his early 40s with sun-kissed skin, scruffy beard, and a loosely unbuttoned flannel shirt sinks into the leather couch with a tired sigh. His body relaxes into the cushions, eyes heavy but calm.]
• Secondary Character: [A golden retriever with soft amber fur leaps lightly onto the couch beside him and rests its head on his lap. The man gently strokes the dog’s fur, his gaze softening as he looks down. Neither of them speaks — just a shared, peaceful stillness.]

Re-use the exact same character block when they reappear in other scenes. It boosts visual continuity.

4. Camera Direction: Be the DP

Give exact framing instructions:

• Vertical portrait orientation, medium-close shot, centered frame with slight camera sway for TikTok-style realism.

5. Lighting & Color: Set the Tone

Define light sources, grading, and emotional tone:

• LED ambient backlights in purple and pink, soft front lighting on his face, saturated and colorful grading.

6. Audio: Don’t Skip It

Mention ambient and direct audio elements:

• Streamer-style mic clarity, faint room ambiance, upbeat background tone.

7. Dialogue (If applicable)

Write exact speech lines:

• Guy: "You can earn gift cards by playing new games on your phone! Download Mistplay and start your earning journey TODAY!"

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Prompt Example (Full Scene)

Interior – vibrant gaming room setup with colorful RGB hex lights glowing on the back wall, and open display shelves filled with action figures and collectibles. A red curtain partially frames the left side of the shot. It's nighttime, giving the LED lights extra punch.

A young man in his early 20s, with short dark hair and medium skin tone, sits in a black gaming chair. He wears a purple tie-dye t-shirt and speaks animatedly into a mounted podcast-style microphone in front of him. He gestures enthusiastically with his hands pressed together and leans slightly forward, making eye contact with the camera in a streamer-style delivery.

Camera Direction: Vertical portrait orientation, medium-close shot, centered frame with slight camera sway for TikTok-style realism.

Lighting & Color: LED ambient backlights in purple and pink, soft front lighting on his face, saturated and colorful grading

Audio: Streamer-style mic clarity, faint room ambiance, upbeat background tone

Dialogue:Guy: "You can earn gift cards by playing new games on your phone! Download Mistplay and start your earning journey TODAY!"

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As you can see, the model isn’t perfect. For example, it added some random subtitles we didn’t ask for – and honestly, they were horribly written hahaha. Plus, at the end, it said “journal” instead of what we actually asked for, which was “journey.”

It’s important to remember: iteration is key. Very rarely will you be happy with the first creation. It all comes down to prompt engineering your ideas and tweaking them until you’re satisfied with the outcome. Happy creating!

We’re still testing and learning, but Veo3 is seriously leveling up how we think about UGC video production. If you want to get more deep dives like this (and maybe even some of our top-secret dialogue prompt strategies), subscribe to our newsletter. We’ll let you know when we drop the next bomb.

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