# Local vs. Cloud

**Track:** Video — beginner → intermediate — Generative AI Video — proposed
**Framework / surface:** ij8 Studio (Wan (local) + Hailuo (API))
**Level:** Intermediate
**Prerequisites:** The Motion Prompt Formula

**In one line:** Open-local vs fast-API: speed, quality, and cost trade-offs.

## Theory, aesthetics & inspiration

Two production paths diverge by where the computation lives. An open model run locally—the Wan family is representative—offers control, privacy, and no per-second cost, paid for in setup, GPU memory, and slower turnaround. A hosted API in the Runway, Kling, Veo, or Sora lineage trades that ownership for speed and polish, billing by the clip. The choice is less technical than rhythmic: local favors patient, iterative craft and unmetered experimentation, while cloud favors fast comparison and deadline work. Aesthetically the question is how tightly the feedback loop should close, since the cadence of iteration shapes what a maker is willing to try, keep, and discard.