Stages AI shows VIDX BYOK cost controls for Aleph 2 credits

• VIDX is being shown as a hybrid post-production surface: Dustin Hollywood's VIDX demo shows AI color grading alongside traditional editing and adjustment layers.
• Aleph 2 access currently runs through STAGES credits: Hollywood said direct Runway accounts, subscriptions, and credits cannot be connected yet in his Aleph 2 reply.
• Creator BYOK is the cost-control tier: Hollywood's promo post says creators can bring their own APIs and track costs, and STAGES' official pricing block lists Creator at $29/month with BYOK routing.
• PRO v5 is aimed at creator workflow packaging: Hollywood's v5 tease mentions workflows, presets, templates, assets, automation packs, skills, system paths, and one-click art direction.
• StudioX is the live-production piece coming with v5: Hollywood's StudioX thread says it supports HDMI cameras, wireless iPhone feeds, webcams, isolated recording for V2V, and real-time AI generation.

Dustin Hollywood, identified as STAGES AI founder in a LinkedIn mirror of the StudioX post, is describing STAGES as a production OS rather than a single generator. The STAGES homepage lists generation, editing, asset management, agents, and collaborative command workflows in one surface. Runway's Aleph 2.0 page frames the model as in-context video editing: edit one frame, carry the change through the clip, preserve what was not requested.

VIDX is now being demoed with a familiar editor grammar: color controls, traditional timeline work, and adjustment layers inside the AI workflow.

Hollywood's post says the Creator BYOK tier is live, with a first-month promo code and a $29/month price after the promo. The same post says the tier is meant to let creators bring their own APIs, control costs, track costs, and plan projects.

Aleph 2 is available inside STAGES, but the current integration is not a pass-through to a user's Runway balance.

The current split is simple:

• STAGES offers Aleph 2 through its own credit system, according to Hollywood.
• Direct Runway accounts cannot currently be connected.
• Direct Runway subscriptions cannot currently be connected.
• Direct Runway credits cannot currently be connected.

Runway's Aleph 2.0 product page describes the model as an upgrade to its flagship in-context video editing system, with support for longer clips and multi-shot sequences.

STAGES' official homepage pricing lays out the subscription ladder behind the tweet:

• Free: core canvas, CUE preview, community marketplace.
• Creator, $29/month: BYOK routing, full generation engines, versioned moodboards.
• Creator Plus, $89/month: platform credits, faster queues, premium generation, credit reservation.
• Enterprise: dedicated capacity, SSO and controls, white-glove onboarding.

The BYOK angle matters for creators because the cost surface moves closer to production planning. Hollywood's post says the tier lets users control and track API costs while STAGES keeps adding tool updates, workflows, community, and learning around the platform.

Hollywood's v5 tease puts art direction at the center of the next STAGES PRO update.

The post says the v5 work has taken eight months and spans workflows, presets, templates, assets, automation packs, skills, and system paths. The concrete example is art direction as a default action: finding a look and sharing it with a click.

The recent examples show STAGES leaning into direction, transformation, and brand-world consistency rather than isolated prompt outputs.

A few posted demos map the range:

• Character transformation: Hollywood's clip turns a stylized 3D character into a live-action version of himself.
• Product VFX: the VFX transitions demo uses a sneaker spot to show fast environment and style changes.
• Film-photo branding: Hollywood's branding post ties the STAGES visual identity to his real-film photography taste.

The STAGES homepage says CUE expands a thought into a detailed brief and renders it, while the about page describes STAGES as one command surface for directing agents, generation workflows, asset review, and delivery.

StudioX is the larger v5 swing: live capture, source switching, isolated recording, and AI generation in the same production loop.

Hollywood listed the build as production-ready and tied it to STAGES PRO v5 in the fall, with one reply saying the v5 update is coming in September. The mechanics he named:

• Connect any HDMI camera.
• Stream an iPhone wirelessly.
• Use a webcam.
• Switch between sources live.
• Record isolated feeds for V2V.
• Generate with AI in real time, simultaneously.
• Support mirrorless, video, and cinematic cameras.
• Work on spatial and lidar next.

A separate LinkedIn post adds that the same system is also intended as a live tether for photographers during shoots.

STAGES is not opening a public testing funnel right now.

Hollywood said the company is artist-run, tests internally, and has no near-term plan for a CPP-style testing program. He described the access model as platform subscriptions, including BYOK "like Comfy."

One roadmap reply adds a separate long-term thread: Hollywood said STAGES has two other stealth software projects that run on agent models, though the reply does not name the products.