Developing the Second Scene
This week, I started producing the second scene of the film. Unlike the first scene, where I compared different AI tools, I decided to use only Seedance for this sequence.
After reviewing a large number of tutorials, case studies, and AI-generated animation examples, I concluded that Seedance performs particularly well when generating shots with multiple camera angles and more dynamic cinematic movement. Rather than switching between different AI systems, I wanted to explore the strengths of a single tool and see how far its capabilities could be pushed.
Before generating any videos, I watched several films and references related to travel, deserts, and post-apocalyptic worlds. I analysed their shot composition, scene transitions, pacing, and atmosphere. Based on this research, I created detailed prompts describing the environment, colour palette, lighting conditions, camera movement, character behaviour, and personality traits.
EXAMPLE PROMPT1:
Refer to @img-1 and@img-2 into the scene. The character from @img-3 is approximately two-thirds the height of the character from @img-2 . Both characters stand hand in hand in the center of the frame.
A single continuous cinematic adventure shot.
The sequence begins with a bird emerging from the upper-left corner of the frame and flying directly toward the camera. As the bird passes close to the lens, its wings briefly fill and obscure the screen, creating a natural visual transition. When the bird clears the frame, the two protagonists are revealed standing together before a vast field of colossal skeletal remains.
The bird continues flying forward, guiding the characters deeper into the ruins. The two protagonists begin walking hand in hand toward the enormous bones. The camera follows smoothly behind them at a low angle, maintaining a strong sense of companionship, exploration, and journey.
The characters continue moving forward through the giant skeletal remains. Massive ribs, vertebrae, and weathered bones stretch endlessly into the distance, forming a mysterious pathway. The bird remains ahead of the characters, occasionally flying between the towering bones and leading them onward.
The camera remains in the same environment throughout the entire sequence, continuously tracking the characters as they walk deeper into the skeletal ruins. No scene changes, no cuts, no new locations. The environment simply extends farther and farther ahead, revealing more giant bones, ancient remnants, and forgotten structures within the same world.
Dust drifts through the air. Gentle wind moves across the ruins. Warm sunlight filters between the colossal bones, creating atmospheric depth and a sense of discovery. The scale of the skeletons should feel monumental, making the characters appear small within the ancient landscape.
Wide-angle lens, smooth tracking shot, stable cinematic camera movement, strong foreground-middle-ground-background depth, environmental storytelling, immersive adventure atmosphere, travel-film aesthetic, feeling of embarking on a journey into the unknown, seamless single-shot sequence, epic scale, wonder, curiosity, exploration, highly cinematic.
@img-2 is the taller character.
@img-3is noticeably smaller.
@img-3height.
Do not reverse their sizes.
Maintain this scale relationship throughout the sequence.
EXAMPLE PROMPT2:
Refer to Scene 1 for the environment. Place the characters from Image 2 and Image 3 into the scene. The character from Image 3 is approximately two-thirds the height of the character from Image 2. Both characters stand hand in hand in the center of the frame.
A single continuous cinematic adventure shot.
The sequence begins with a bird emerging from the upper-left corner of the frame and flying directly toward the camera. As the bird passes close to the lens, its wings briefly fill and obscure the screen, creating a natural visual transition. When the bird clears the frame, the two protagonists are revealed standing together before a vast field of colossal skeletal remains.
The bird continues flying forward, guiding the characters deeper into the ruins. The two protagonists begin walking hand in hand toward the enormous bones. The camera follows smoothly behind them at a low angle, maintaining a strong sense of companionship, exploration, and journey.
The characters continue moving forward through the giant skeletal remains. Massive ribs, vertebrae, and weathered bones stretch endlessly into the distance, forming a mysterious pathway. The bird remains ahead of the characters, occasionally flying between the towering bones and leading them onward.
The camera remains in the same environment throughout the entire sequence, continuously tracking the characters as they walk deeper into the skeletal ruins. No scene changes, no cuts, no new locations. The environment simply extends farther and farther ahead, revealing more giant bones, ancient remnants, and forgotten structures within the same world.
Dust drifts through the air. Gentle wind moves across the ruins. Warm sunlight filters between the colossal bones, creating atmospheric depth and a sense of discovery. The scale of the skeletons should feel monumental, making the characters appear small within the ancient landscape.
Wide-angle lens, smooth tracking shot, stable cinematic camera movement, strong foreground-middle-ground-background depth, environmental storytelling, immersive adventure atmosphere, travel-film aesthetic, feeling of embarking on a journey into the unknown, seamless single-shot sequence, epic scale, wonder, curiosity, exploration, highly cinematic.
Creating a Scene Transition
One challenge was how to connect the first and second scenes smoothly.
The second scene naturally included a bird within the environment. I decided to use this element as a visual transition. The bird flies across the frame, leading the audience’s attention while gradually revealing the new environment. This approach felt more cinematic and avoided the abrupt cuts that often appear in AI-generated sequences.
Reflection
This week’s process highlighted the importance of preparation before using AI. In previous experiments, I often focused on improving prompts after generation. However, this time I spent more time analysing references and planning the sequence beforehand.
I found that the quality of AI output improved significantly when creative decisions were made before the generation stage. This suggests that successful AI-assisted filmmaking may depend less on the technology itself and more on the creator’s ability to provide clear visual direction.
The transition experiment also raised an interesting point. Although AI generated the imagery, the narrative connection between scenes came from a human storytelling decision. This reinforced my view that AI can help create visuals, but cinematic meaning and continuity still rely heavily on the creator’s intentions and judgement.